Ultimate Fun Run

Maui's annual Hana Relay is a day of teamwork, food and, most of all, good fun

A few people enter the Hana Relay for the intense competition, but most participants think those folks are missing the point.

The 35th annual 52-mile relay from Kahului to Hana, Maui, took place last weekend amid stunning cliffside views and entertaining stories to share for weeks around the office water cooler. Many vans were decorated with colorful (or a bit off-color, as the case may be) team names and sayings, and runners dressed up in costumes with one matching component: a pair of good running shoes.

Government employees from Oahu, for instance, adorned their car with the British flag and transformed themselves into Austin Powers and his entourage, complete with Dr. Evil in a full gray suit and latex bald head. "Our team name should have been 'The runner who shagged me,'" laughed teammate Andy Mitchell, dressed as Austin's father.

"The race is all about the sprit and the fun," said Fred Anast, dressed in a kilt and a Scottish hat and talking like the character Fat Bastard, even though he was part of another team. "When you get to Hana, it's so relaxing -- the feel of old Hawaii. And the party! It's just a great way to go to Hana rather than driving."

Teams of six runners divide 18 segments of varying distances -- between two and 3.5 miles -- in whatever order they choose. Ideally, each person runs three times, with plenty of rest in between.

To alleviate traffic congestion, teams start every 15 minutes or so, from 5:30 until 6:45 a.m. Each subsequent wave contains faster groups, allowing all athletes to interact with each other at some point during the trek. While one person is running, the van leapfrogs to the next transition area and attempts to park on the narrow road in the center of one massive, mobile perpetual party. This year, a record 115 teams entered.

Some groups ignite competition between colleagues for "bragging rights when they return to work." And fast men usually comprise one team seeking the record and the win.

Josphat Boit, a 22-year-old University of Arkansas runner originally from Kenya, flew out to Hawaii specifically for the race. With Boit and several of his fellow runners on the Hawaii Foodbank Team hammering out below-five-minute miles, it was no surprise that they won the event in 4 hours and 44 minutes, though they missed the coveted course record of 4:37.

KULA resident Erik Jorgenson participated because "my boss told me I had to run," he said. But is he a runner? "No," laughed the engineer. "I'm going to be paying the price tomorrow morning."

Even so, he added to the general spirit by wearing a shirt that read, "Save a horse: Ride a cowboy." The best part, he said, was "just the exercise and hanging out with friends."

"The Pirates of Hana Bay" adorned themselves with swashbuckling gear, patches over their eyes and swords in their makeshift belts. Every time they passed teams parked along the side of the road in transition areas, they bellowed, "Ahoy matey! Pirate booty!" and threw candy from their "pirate ship" for runners to gather.

Collecting goodies from the road was reason to cheer, as was seeing someone you remembered from last year's race. But a particularly fast athlete also deserved hoots and hollers and the shaka sign. As did someone running particularly slowly. Or wearing an outrageous costume. Or facing challenging circumstances.

One female masters team with Katy Bourne, Joanne Klinke and Terry Needles managed the 52 miles by themselves after three teammates dropped out days before the race. They said that other competitors, in gestures of sympathy and respect, offered water and Gatorade the entire way.

Bourne first entered the Hana Relay in 1980, and estimated she's done at least 20. "I love the mix," she said of the talented runners and the "people in underwear." And because people tend to return year after year, good-spirited rivalries develop.

"We see the Maui Tacos Team every year, and we've been neck and neck with them," said the 50-year-old Bourne, who has paddled from Molokai to Oahu about 20 times and whose longest solo running race was 52 miles. "One year, we stole the chili pepper off the top of their car and hid it for a couple of rounds."

NOT losing a night's sleep is considered another bonus in this event.

"You can do it in a day, fit in some beer drinking and get back to your life," said Bob Egbert, a veteran of many Ironman Triathlon (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, 26.2-mile run) and Ultraman (three times the distance of Ironman) events. "Running is such a solitary activity," he added, and traveling the entire distance in close proximity with people of all speeds makes this unique.

But there's more. "The coffee and scones in Paiea and the smoked marlin (from a roadside stand) are key. Plus, you get out of the van before it gets really ripe!" Egbert laughed.

It's not uncommon to scatter plumeria flowers inside the car to assuage the overpowering scent of sweaty athletes in a confined space. Most teams leave their side van doors open during the drive. Others in pickup trucks set up lawn chairs in the back, creating an open-air affair.

The "Tini Time" team featured a group of fit and fabulously dressed women in the back of a truck with a wooden structure built around its oversize bed. At every break the ladies danced to blaring music and warmed up their martini shakers. But they swore they would wait until the end of the race to indulge.

Honolulu attorney Wil Yamamoto participated in his first Hana Relay after finishing the Ironman Triathlon last year in 9 hours, 30 minutes. Passing runners in the car en route to the next transition, he said, "Hey, he's one of my consultants!" before hanging out the open side door to offer support.

Rain clouds wafted in and sprinkled the torch ginger and palm tress before disappearing just as quickly. Even when giving maximum effort to the cause, participants said they always found time for a wistful glance at the black-sand beaches and waterfalls along the way.

Runners were well rewarded at the end with a party in the park next to the Hotel Hana Maui. Grilled chicken and rice, dancing and perhaps an alcoholic beverage or two accompanied a band and intermittent cheers for teams as they crossed the finish line. Adventurous types hiked over to the rusty red-sand beach -- quite possibly one of the most exquisite places in Hawaii -- and cooled off in the pristine waters that probably remain deserted 364 days a year. Except, of course, when the Hana Relay is in town.