Marathon clinics help runners get into shape
• Training groups assist runners
By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Herman Stern, center, leads a group of runners around Kapi'olani Park in a Honolulu Marathon Clinic. Beginning runners are taught how to adapt to the rigors of long-distance events, while seasoned runners learn to improve their performance.
Deborah Booker The Honolulu Advertiser Honolulu Marathon Clinic Informative talks about mara-thon training and related subjects followed by group training runs (beginner, intermediate and advanced) led by experienced volunteers 7:30 a.m., Sundays (except for three-day weekends) Kapi'olani Park across from Paki Hale at 3833 Paki Ave. Free Note: For several years, the Mid Pacific Road Runners Club has offered a Marathon Preparedness Series to help runners with different goals and abilities in the months leading up to the Dec. 8 race. For an updated list of MPRRC events, call 295-6777 or pick up a copy of Hawaii Race magazine, free at most sporting goods stores or online at hawaiirace.com. |
"It was my New Year's resolution to do a marathon," Kawana explained. "But I couldn't get anyone to do it with me."
So Kawana did what thousands of other Hawai'i runners have done over the years. She showed up at Kapi'olani Park bright and early one Sunday morning and cast her long-distance lot with the Honolulu Marathon Clinic.
In nine months with the clinic, Kawana transformed herself from a wanna-be to the best sort of also-ran: a marathon finisher.
But that was in 1982. In the two decades since, Kawana, 44, has undertaken other ambitious displays of endurance, such as raising three daughters, but not another marathon.
That could change this year. Kawana and her family — husband Sanford and daughters Sabrina, Melissa and Jessica — were among the more than 100 people who showed up at Kapi'olani Park Sunday for the first Honolulu Marathon Clinic of the 2002 season.
"We're doing it as a family thing," Kawana said.
The most enthusiastic runner in the family is 11-year-old Melissa, who has already racked up an impressive number of age-group wins at various road races.
"Running is challenging for me and fun for Melissa," says Kawana, who, as a rule of thumb, is happy if she only doubles Melissa's finish times.
Born out of the running boom of the 1970s, the Honolulu Marathon Clinic (officially a program under the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation) has helped generations of local runners reach the marathon finish line, with hands raised, and smiling. The free clinic was founded by Dr. Jack Scaff, a cardiologist and accomplished marathoner, and has served as a model for similar programs around the world.
Scaff continues his involvement with the clinic with weekly pre-run talks on all things running, from proper hydration and injury prevention to the nutritional merits of beer, and how to smile for the marathon photographer.
After Scaff's informative, occasionally hilarious monologues, runners break up into beginner, intermediate and advanced groups and, under the watchful eye of marathon-tested volunteers, head out on the road.
Many designate the Sunday training sessions as their weekly "long run," upon which the preparatory regimen is built. The clinic stresses safe and patient progress. Volunteer coaches carefully teach beginning runners how to adapt themselves to the rigors of long-distance running.
"When I first started, I couldn't run 15 minutes without gasping," said Nadine Owen, 36, of Kaimuki.
Owen joined the clinic last year as a way to get in shape and lose weight. She didn't think she'd actually run the marathon itself, but the training went well and, with the support of her coaches and fellow runners, Owen was able to finish the race.
"Now the challenge is to beat my time," she said.
Like Owen, Susan Kawamoto of Kane'ohe joined the clinic to improve her health but quickly found herself drawn to the collective energy of the group.
Walking and running her way through four marathons, Kawamoto, 54, has managed to increase her HDL ("good" cholesterol), decrease her need for hypertension medication and enhance her self-esteem.
David Kamiya, 24, and Liane Sugimoto, 23, are second-generation clinic participants. Both of their fathers run with the clinic. If all goes well this season, they'll also be second-generation marathon finishers.
"We've done races before," Sugimoto said. "But nothing nearly this long."
Jordan and Fern Ige of Palolo are also preparing for their first marathon. Jordan said he was attracted to the clinic's structured conditioning program. Fern Ige, a beginning runner, said she enjoys being able to train with people of the same fitness level.
"Everyone is really friendly," Fern Ige said. "It's not intimidating at all."
Jordan Ige and son Leighton used to volunteer on the marathon's "sag wagon," picking up injured or exhausted runners from the course. With Leighton now in college, Jordan Ige said the time was right for him and his wife to try it for themselves.
"I hope they still have that van handy," Fern Ige said.
For years, clinic participants have gleaned the methods of marathon madness from a core of longtime volunteers, including Peter Garcia, Roger Kobayashi and Norm Uyeda. And each year, the roster of volunteers grows, as marathon graduates return to share what they've learned.
Sandi Kauahikaua, 55, of Waimanalo, got her first lessons in long-distance running from Garcia 11 years ago.
"It didn't occur to me that you had to learn how to run," Kauahikaua said. "Peter was my mentor. He showed me how to stand and how to move.
"The marathon was always like an unattainable dream for me," she said. "At first, I just wanted to do one. But then I joined the clinic and I loved it. I got hooked."
Indeed. Kauahikaua has finished 10 Honolulu Marathons, and, for a more intense challenge, four Kilauea Volcano Wilderness Marathons.
As they endure the rigors of marathon training each weekend, participants often forge close friendships with each other. Kauahikaua said that's what keeps her coming out every Sunday.
"All of my friends are younger than me," she said. "But age doesn't matter because we have our running in common."
Sometimes the friendships blossom into something deeper.
Fiona and Blair Hoashi of Palolo met at the clinic four years ago. As they got to know each other, they began meeting during the week after work to run. They finished their first marathon hand-in-hand — a sign of things to come.
Married now, the two show up together but often run separately.
"She's gotten a lot faster than me," Blair Hoashi said.
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Training groups assist runners
There's no standard formula for training your body to run 26.2 miles, but experts agree that consistent effort, avoidance of injury, and progressive, incremental conditioning are key.
The Honolulu Marathon Clinic is designed to help beginning runners complete their first marathon safely and to assist seasoned runners in improving their performance. Meeting once a week for a maximum distance run — the cornerstone of most marathon regimens — participants train in groups while receiving individual attention.
Other training groups offer more specialized training and attention, usually for a moderate fee.
Before you start any sort of training program, it's advisable to consult with your physician. For more information on the Honolulu Marathon, which is scheduled for Dec. 8, visit honolulumarathon.org or phone 732-7200.
