Eric did this: Honolulu Ekiden 2015
When you have to wake up at 3 a.m., going to sleep at midnight is a bad idea. I oozed out of bed Sunday morning when my alarm went off, regretting ever saying yes to being a part of the Ekiden media race team. I said I would, though, so I stepped into my running shoes and groggily drove to meet the team at Kapiolani Park. The sun wasn’t even out as I swatted away flying bugs attracted to the lamps lighting up the park.
It was all worth it.
The race began at 5:30 a.m. and the first-leg runners were off. The Ekiden is a Japanese relay race composed of six legs, roughly 4 to 5 miles each. Runners pass off a sash to the next runner at the end of each leg. I had the fourth leg, from Sandy Beach to Hawaii Kai. The race is meant to foster cooperation and teamwork among team members and the rest of the community.
I was killing time, walking around the park at Sandy Beach when I noticed my third-leg runner zoom past me. I started running hard to catch up. I ran an extra 100 yards, caught up, grabbed the sash and was off. Not a good start, I admit. Once I was off, I enjoyed the scenic view of the ocean and cliffs. Lucky we live Hawaii.
At the end of it all, we shared in a fun and uplifting experience with other runners from Hawaii, Japan and all over the world. A music festival at Kapiolani Park at the end of the race featured vendors, food booths and games. Local musicians and dancers performed, and there was a special appearance by Japanese idol group Up Up Girls.
Special thanks to the Ekiden 2015 Media Race Team: Toby Tamaye, Natsumi Ikeda, Jason Nishimura, Nicole Velasco, Kasey Rieta.
