Off to the Races

Nearly half the runners say this was their first try at the 26.2-mile challenge

Never mind pushing for a record, setting the pace or even keeping track of time.

For most of the 25,022 people who stood in line at 5 a.m. yesterday with nothing but 26.2 miles of hot asphalt and gusty tradewinds before them, the Honolulu Marathon once again proved to be about determination and survival.

"I've always wanted to do it and finally I can say I did it," Michele Ross, 36, of San Leandro, Calif., put it triumphantly when crossing the finish line, more than 8 1/2 hours after she took her first step. "It was painful."

Like Ross, nearly half of all participants -- 46.8 percent -- declared themselves first-time marathoners. And talk about an impressive finish rate: 24,572 entrants completed the journey.

Throughout the morning and into the night, runners, joggers and, eventually, walkers, reached the end of the course at Kapiolani Park -- greeted by fans holding signs and clapping -- after they overcame the steep Diamond Head hills and the windy flats of Kalanianaole Highway under 84-degree weather.

By the end of the day, the park resembled a war zone, with the last participants staggering in from the shower section almost zombielike, then managing a few, stiff steps before collapsing onto the ground strewn with cups and power-bar wrappers.

Among the fallen was Kemp Nussbaum, 42, of Savannah, Ga. Although he flew to Hawaii strictly for his marathon debut, he couldn't resist seeing U2 play its last Vertigo tour concert at Aloha Stadium just hours before the race began.

"So we did this on two hours of sleep -- went to bed at 1 and got up at 3," said Nussbaum, who entered with four friends. "I was in pain all the time so I just had to keep working through the pain."

Amid the smell of analgesic rubbing gel, people tried to stretch out cramps while others sank their blistered feet into ice buckets. Some called relatives or friends to brag about their feat or slept with towels covering their faces.

But all shared a smile.

The exhaustion was so intense for Michelle Hope, 34, that she had trouble remembering the hardest part of the circuit after completing it in 5 hours and 2 minutes.

"The last hill coming up, or maybe the really long stretch going out, I don't know, it was just hot," said the emergency room nurse from Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. "It's all just a blur now and my legs are a bit tight."

By midafternoon, about 16 participants had been sent to local hospitals, a number at least twice as high as was reported last year, according to Laurence Rotkin, the event's medical director. The most serious case involved a Japanese man who blacked out near the end and was brought to the medical tent already without a pulse. He was later revived and sent to Straub Clinic & Hospital, Rotkin said.

"That was a big save," he said. "It was scary."

Vangela Wade, a 44-year-old lawyer from Ridgeland, Miss., was getting a foot massage from husband Thandi while she built up courage to stand on her sore feet once again.

When Wade recently decided to run her first marathon, she said Hawaii, with its balmy weather, swaying palm trees and inviting surf, was the only place she thought she would able to go through so much physically. She logged a time of 4 hours, 54 minutes and 51 seconds.

"If you gotta do a marathon and put your body through 26.2 miles, you might as well do it in paradise," she said. "You know, for inspiration."

Another inspiring sight at yesterday's 34th installment of the race was 88-year-old Gladys Burrill. She crossed the end line in 8 hours, 36 minutes and 25 seconds, shaving some 20 minutes off the personal record she set last year.

In an interview from her hotel room following the race, the part-time island resident originally from Prospect, Ore., said it was a piece of cake. Her secret? Walk a little bit every day.

"It was easy," said Burrill, who celebrated her birthday during Thanksgiving. "I felt in better condition this year than I did last year. I just felt great the whole way."

Then, about a half-hour later, Summer Hartzfeld, a Canadian woman who lost both eyes to cancer at a young age, conquered her first marathon, passing under the digital clock as it registered 9 hours, 17 minutes and 8 seconds.

"It was very long. And I got a bunch of nasty foot blisters," said Hartzfeld, 32, who was accompanied by a guide. "His feet are beat up, too," she laughed.

She finished several hours before the final participant crossed the line: Phil Ni, a 58-year-old Michigan man who used walking sticks to close the 34th annual race in 15 hours, 40 minutes, a record for slowest last-place finish.

It wasn't as painful for Joe Pennock, who finished in a little more than 5 hours. Pennock, who was visiting from Grand Rapids, Mich., with friend Matt Wallace, leaned on a plastic bag filled with ice and started working on an apple -- one of 30,000 distributed.

"We are not used to running in the heat like that," Pennock said. "You know, we have 6 inches of snow up there."

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Marathon volunteer dies, finisher collapses

It was a dramatic finish for one runner and a loss for the family and friends of a volunteer at the Honolulu Marathon.

Jonah Pak of Kaneohe was identified yesterday by the Honolulu Medical Examiner's office as the man who collapsed and later died while volunteering at the marathon. In a separate incident, a Japanese runner had to be resuscitated after crossing the finish line.

"He's a good person and so young and dedicated," said Stephanie Gonsalves, a board member of the Honolulu Kiwanis Club, where Pak served as treasurer. "When I heard the news, I was devastated. It's going to be such a loss to our club. It's going to leave a big hole for us."

Pak, a 55-year-old Realtor, had been volunteering at a water relief station from 3:30 a.m. yesterday before collapsing, a friend said.

About 8:20 a.m., paramedics responded to help Pak, who police said was suffering from chest pains.

Paramedics took Pak to Straub Clinic and Hospital in critical condition where he later died, said Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the Honolulu Emergency Services. An autopsy is pending.

Pak, a Farrington High School graduate, also served three years as president of the Honolulu Kiwanis Club, a community service organization.

He is survived by his wife and daughter.*

"It's an unspeakable tragedy," said Honolulu Marathon President Jim Barahal. "Our hearts go out to the family. You're always aware there could be (a medical emergency), you're just not expecting it in a volunteer."

JUST AFTER crossing the finish line, a 47-year-old Japanese man collapsed into the arms of a medic.

"It was relatively early. He came across the finish line and collapsed in the arms of our doctor, who lowered him onto the ground. He went unconscious immediately," said Laurence Rotkin, the marathon's medical director.

Rotkin said the man had no pulse and needed to be shocked twice with an automated external defibrillator. Medics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the man and were able to revive him before he was taken to Straub Clinic and Hospital.

CORRECTION Thursday, December 14, 2006 » Jonah Pak , who collapsed while volunteering at the Honolulu Marathon and later died, is survived by a wife, a daughter, and a son. A story on page A12 Monday incorrectly said he was survived by two daughters. Please see the applicable Corrections Page for more information.