Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.

Tuesday, April 18, 2000

Payton Hawaii’s
first to finish in
Boston Marathon

A warm, cheering crowd inspires
the contingent of island
marathon runners

HAWAII FINISHERS

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

Sean Payton, 31, of Lahaina was the top Hawaii finisher in the 104th Boston Marathon yesterday, finishing 462nd in an official time of 2:50:17.

On an overcast day with a chilly headwind, Payton went through 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in 37:42 and hit 20 kilometers at 1:15:20.

The Boston Marathon uses the ChampionChip microchip system which records the net time it took each runner to move between the starting mat in Hopkinton, Mass. and finish mat in downtown Boston.

Official time is the time elapsed between the firing of the starter's gun and the finish. This includes the time it took to cross the starting line.

For some reason, Payton did not record a net time, so it's likely he actually ran a few minutes faster than his official time.

Of 33 Hawaii runners registered for yesterday's 26.2-mile trek, 23 actually finished.

One runner, Toni Romp-Friesen, 49, of Honaunau, recorded splits up to the 20-kilometer mark (2:46:22).

But no finishing time was recorded, so it's possible she dropped out

Jon Schmeiser, 51, of Aiea, running his last of three Boston Marathons due to a worsening knee injury, said, "This was a nice way to retire."

"The headwind was a little bit of a challenge but I was well-dressed for it," said Schmeiser, who clocked a net time of 3:47:39.

"It's a fantastic race because about a million people turn out all along the course. It's inspiring, it's rewarding, and it's unlike any other marathon in the world."

Peggy Regentine, 50, an associate professor at Windward Community College, said she was thrilled with her net time of 3:42:07.

"The difficult part was the last six miles," said Regentine, who knew she was the oldest of 12 Hawaii women running and didn't want to be last.

"I really pushed because I didn't want to be oldest and slowest."

Regentine said that the deafening cheers of the coeds at Wellesley College at the half-marathon mark "brought tears to my eyes."

Mickey Campaniello, 46, of Honolulu, said "the cold and the headwinds" were the most difficult part of the race. But the New England native said the fans teeming along the roadsides created all the warmth he needed to make it to Boston.

The oldest Hawaii finisher yesterday was 65-year-old retired Marine Corps general Dick Vercauteren whose net time was 3:51:06.

"Even though I was born in New Hampshire, I found the cold to be biting," said Vercauteren, who has run 20 marathons. "It wasn't so much the temperature (high 40s, low 50s) but the wind was directly in our faces. A lot of folks starting cramping by the end of the race. I almost did, but I managed."

HAWAII FINISHERS IN THE
104TH BOSTON MARATHON

Sean Payton, 31, Lahaina: 2:50:17 (official time); no net time.
Gene Robinson, 43, Aiea: 3:09:16 (official time); 3:06:16 (net time)
Jon Schmeiser, 51, Aiea: 3:52:17 (official time); 3:47:39 (net time)
Wil Friesen, 50, Honaunau: 3:42:34 (official time); 3:36:35 (net time)
Micky Campaniello, 46, Honolulu: 3:29:40 (official); 3:26:32 (net time)
John Cogan, 53, Honolulu: 3:30:54 (official time); 3:28:36 (net time)
Shoko Koyama, 35, Honolulu: 4:17:50 (official time); 4:10:35 (net time)
Greg Matson, 35, Honolulu: 3:17:52 (official time); 3:15:23 (net time)
Peggy Regentine, 50, Honolulu: 3:49:22 (official time); 3:42:07 (net time)
Sarah Rogers, 41, Honolulu: 3:52:25 (official time); 3:45:11 (net time)
Christopher "Kit" Smith, 65, Honolulu: 3:59:13 (official time); 3:52:05 (net time)
Yasuko Teshima, 41, Honolulu: 3:56:50 (official time); 3:49:36 (net time).
Dick Vercauteren, 55, Honolulu: 3:56:11 (official time); 3:51:06 (net time).
Mark Baker, 44, Kailua: 3:10:21 (official time); 3:07:58 (net time).
Peter Gibson, 42, Kaneohe: 3:30:57 (official time); 3:27:53 (net time).
Maria Ginnebaugh, 42, Kihei: 3:34:40 (official time); 3:28:22 (net time)
Ray Lavigne, 55, Kihei: 3:44:23 (official time); 3:40:00 (net time)
Shelly Schimpf, 27, Lahaina: 4:45:23 (official time); 4:39:28 (net time)
Mina Casey, 26, Mililani: 3:31:37 (official time); 3:27:20 (net time)
Bradley Lau, 41, Mililani: 4:28:12 (official time); 4:25:44 (net time)
Lyman Perry, 33, Volcano: 3:23:13 (official time); 3:21:15 (net time)
Jennifer Burtner, 30, Waialua: 3:37:26 (official time); 3:32:23 (net time)
Sandy DowningPanzo, 43, Wailuku: 4:21:50 (official time); 4:16:01 (net time)