KAILUA-KONA 鈥� More than 700 participants turned out for the early morning start on Alii Drive for the 10th Annual 100% Pure Kona Coffee Half Marathon and 5K run/walk held Nov. 15 in front of Coconut Grove Marketplace.
The popular running event offered both a 13.1-mile race and a 3.1-mile run/walk near the end of the 10-day Kona Coffee Cultural Festival which celebrated coffee farm tours, tastings, art shows, Miss Kona Coffee pageant, and stories of families who have been raised around Kona coffee for generations.
The 6 a.m. start on Saturday morning delivered the kind of crisp coolness runners secretly hope for which turned out to be an unexpected treat in Kona where the air usually feels thick and humid before breakfast.
Participants in the half marathon race faced the challenge of running toward the Pit, a section known for its long rolling hills and unforgiving exposure on the south end of Alii Drive. Even with cooler air early on, the humidity started to creep back as the sun began to rise. Still, Honokaa鈥檚 Leighton Aves managed to keep a steady tempo.
The 18-year-old who recently won the Pu鈥榰wa鈥榓wa鈥榓 Run for the Dry Forest 10K trail race in October, kept his momentum going all the way to the finish line to claim his first 100% Pure Kona Coffee Half Marathon title in a stellar time of 1 hour, 20 minutes and 26 seconds.
Kailua-Kona鈥檚 Jantzen Hing, the 2023 half marathon winner, held onto second place with his time of 1:22:11, with Hilo鈥檚 Noah Hunt rounding out the men鈥檚 top three with his time of 1:24:11.
On the women鈥檚 side, the leaders separated themselves quickly and then swapped positions throughout the race. In the end it was Hilo鈥檚 Caitlyn Tateishi who secured her first 100% Pure Kona Coffee Half Marathon win with her speedy time of 1:29:12. Kailua-Kona鈥檚 Maria Cicio was next to finish in second place with her time of 1:35:43, with Holualoa鈥檚 Laura Ankrum securing the third spot in a great time of 1:36:11.
In the shorter 5K footrace, Holualoa鈥檚 Alec Ankrum sprinted through the finish line to win in a fabulous time of 18:45. Ankrum has been on a roll with winning 5K running events as he recently won October鈥檚 Run for the Dry Forest 5K trail race and June鈥檚 Kona Marathon 5K. Honolulu鈥檚 Seth Skopec finished in second at 19:14, and Cameron Welch from Bedford, Iowa followed in third at 19:38.
In the women鈥檚 race, Honomu鈥檚 Casey McGrath topped the field with her winning time of 21:22. The next two spots went to Holualoa鈥檚 Ella Greenberg and Kailua-Kona鈥檚 Amanda Platter with their times of 22:55 and 23:57 respectively.