The 27th Annual Straub/Kapi'olani Women's 10K takes place on March 7, and despite completing her first 100-mile ultra-marathon, Yasuda will join 1,500 other women at the start.

"It will be my 23rd time running it," said the 44-year-old Palolo Valley resident. "It has a special feel. Almost every female runner in Hawai'i will be there."

Billed as "Hawai'i's Premiere Women's Race," it is the lone female-only sanctioned race in the state. Participation is the goal.

"It attracts levels that are highly competitive as well as those who do it for the camaraderie and commitment to health and wellness," said Claire Tong, Straub's marketing and communications manager.

Yasuda once was a highly competitive runner but this year she's just hoping to have a good time since she's still recovering from her latest athletic endeavor.

She and husband, Neal Yasuda, both ultra-marathoners, reached a major goal together three weeks ago. They traveled to Huntsville, Texas, to run their first 100-mile race — The Rocky Raccoon 100-Mile Trail Run. Prior to that, their longest event was 100 kilometers, or 62 miles.

Despite less than desirable conditions, they completed the race together. "It was quite challenging," she said.

Ultra-marathoners are normally weighed down with basic supplies such as hydration packs and food, but the weather made things a little more difficult. The nighttime temperature dropped to about 29-degrees. Soup and hot cocoa sustained them when their energy gels froze.

"We wore seven layers (of clothing) and hand warmers," said the 5-foot, 110-pound Yasuda.

She said the last three miles were the hardest.

"Partly because I knew we were so close. I was worried at one point (wondering) if we had enough time. I knew we had to pick up the pace and keep moving well."

Thanks to training partner, Kelley Hupp, who ran the last 40 miles with them and provided much-needed moral support, they finished the race in 29 hours, 36 minutes, beating the event's 30-hour time limit.

Yasuda undertakes all of her goals with discipline and determination. An accomplished woodworker by trade, she takes her passions seriously.

She wakes up at 4:30 each morning to work out, then is at her Iwilei workshop by 7 a.m. Pieces of wood and woodworking tools fill her brightly lit studio as she works on multiple projects. All of her projects are commissioned. Her work is in demand and it is demanding work.

One would never guess that Yasuda's career in woodworking evolved from an unexpected turn.

After graduating from Punahou, Yasuda attended the University of Hawai'i, working toward an advertising career. A student exchange program at the State University of New York, College of Buffalo, changed her plans.

"When I went to the Mainland I wanted to try things I had no exposure to here and one of those things was furniture making and I just fell in love with it," she said.

Upon returning to the Islands with some basic woodworking skills, Yasuda landed a part-time job at a cabinet shop while finishing her senior year at UH.

She opened her own business in 1987, Yasuda Designs in Wood. Today she is an award-winning, well-respected artisan in a male-dominated field. Her pieces have won top honors in local and Mainland competitions and she has been featured on Home and Garden Television's Modern Masters.

"There's nothing that says this is a man's job or a man's sport," she said. "I think it's really important for young women to be exposed to lots of things. You'll never know what you're going to like."