Malcolm Campbell is back in Hawai‘i for his fourth dose of Great Aloha.
The 30-year-old Scot is the favorite to win tomorrow’s Great Aloha Run, traditionally one of the largest races in the United States.
Campbell, who lives in Georgia, has won the last three Aloha runs, with his best time (41 minutes) coming in 1999. He will get all the competition he can handle from Chris Cook of Great Britain, local runner Jonathan Lyau and a pair of elite Korean runners.
Heather Jorris is also expected to be at the start line to defend her women’s title. The race hasn’t seen a women’s champion repeat since Darlene Mota capped her amazing run of five in a row in 1996. Jorris finished last year’s race in 48:41. She will be challenged by fellow Hawai‘i runner Rachel Graybill.
As of yesterday, more than 21,400 runners and walkers had entered the race, with another 1,000 expected to sign up before tomorrow’s 6:59 a.m. start, said race director Alan Sunio.
"We just hope it’s not as windy as it’s been," Sunio said.
The 8.15-mile race course begins at Aloha Tower on Nimitz Highway and ends inside Aloha Stadium.
The Great Aloha Run was conceived by Buck Buchwach, former editor-in-chief of The Honolulu Advertiser, and was co-founded by Carole Kai and Dr. Jack Scaff. Now in its 17th year, the race has raised more than $4.8 million for some 114 community groups and non-profit organizations in Hawai‘i.
