91Ö±²¥

KAILUA-KONA — A familiar mid-March event on the Kona running calendar has been postponed. Organizers of the 18th Annual Run for Hops 5K and 10K Fun Runs announced this week that the race — originally scheduled for Saturday, March 14 — has been postponed due to the threat of stormy weather expected to move through West 91Ö±²¥ over the weekend.

With the weather conditions uncertain and the 31st Annual Kona Brewers Festival also opting to reschedule, race organizers felt it was the right call to shift the run to a future date rather than risk a soggy, potentially unsafe morning along the course.

“Unfortunately, we had to make the tough decision to postpone this weekend’s Run for Hops race,” said race director, Kelly Hudik. “With the threat of thunderstorms forecasted for Saturday, we couldn’t risk the safety of our athletes, volunteers and participants so we made the decision to reschedule the event.”

The popular running event, which typically draws several hundred runners and walkers to the BMW of 91Ö±²¥ venue in Kailua-Kona, has now been moved to Saturday, April 11. The start times will remain the same, with the 10K beginning at 7:30 a.m. and the 5K following just a few minutes later at 7:35 AM. The Kona Brewers Festival was also rescheduled to April 4th.

“We look forward to holding the race on Saturday, April 11th at BMW,” Hudik said. “Athletes who already registered will automatically be transferred over to the new date as we won’t provide refunds for the race. We thank everyone for their understanding of the decision and support of this PATH fundraiser. For those athletes who would like to pick up their race shirts, we will still be holding packet pickup on Friday, March 13 from 9 AM till 6 PM in front of Big Island Running Company.”

The race remains capped at 600 participants, with registration set at $40 for anyone wanting to register for the April 11th date. Additional information on the rescheduled event will be sent to participants by email in the coming weeks.

Now in its 18th year, Run for Hops is presented by People for Active Transportation 91Ö±²¥ (PATH) and BMW of 91Ö±²¥. Proceeds from the event support PATH’s bicycle education programs and its ongoing efforts to improve road safety across 91Ö±²¥ Island.