Posted on: Tuesday, February 22, 2005
21ST GREAT ALOHA RUN
Michigan man takes holiday to victory
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| A participant in the 21st annual Great Aloha Run captures a moment prior to the start of the race.
Photos by Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser |
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By Oscar A. Hernandez
Special to The Advertiser
Taking a brief break from his Hawai'i vacation, James Lander, 26, of Rochester, Mich., was the first to finish overall in the 21st annual Great Aloha Run on Presidents Day, covering the 8.15-mile distance in 40 minutes and 41 seconds.
"I just happen to come out here and heard about it within the last week," Lander said. So, he said, "'What the heck.' It wasn't something I trained specifically for."
"It's an amazing race," Lander said. "I never knew there would be so many runners out here ... It's something I wish every town (on the Mainland) could have this much support."
Honolulu's Ngeiich, 22, a native of Kenya and cross-country runner for Hawai'i Pacific University, finished in 40:47. Ngeiich said his goal was to finish in the top 10.
"I wasn't expecting to be in the top three, so this was a surprise to me," said Ngeiich, a former runner for South Central Methodist University (Mo.). "Finishing second gave me a great feeling,"
Ngeiichi was the 2002 national indoor NAIA champion in the 5,000 meters.
Lander's training partner, Carl Rundell, 36, of Birmingham, Mich., was third in 41:00.
"Our goal was to finish in the Top 10," Rundell said. "We didn't know who was going to be out here, so James and I decided we were going to work together, and go out with whomever went out ... and just push in the end as hard as we could."
Rundell is a former Vanderbilt runner who finished 25th in the Olympic Marathon Trials in 2004.
"I'm actually a marathon runner, so an 8-mile race was a little short for me." Rundell said. "James definitely had the speed ... plus he is a little bit younger than I am."
WOMEN
In the women's open division, victory came as a surprise to Honolulu's Sayuri Kusutani, 45, who has been struggling with injuries and is training for the Boston Marathon in April. A native of Japan, Kusutani won in 48:31.
"It was hard, but at the last mile I was able to take the lead from Nina (Christensen)," Kusutani said.
Christensen, 30, of Honolulu, finished second. A native of Denmark, Christensen finished in 48:43.
Honolulu's Jeannie Wokasch was third, tumbling across the finish line with her trademark cartwheel in 51:00.
WHEELCHAIR DIVISION
In a demonstration of sportsmanship, John Greer, 40, of Kane'ohe, and Richard Julian, 33, of Niu Valley, crossed the finish together holding each other's raised hand. Greer was declared the winner by race officials in 45:32.
This was Julian's third year in the Great Aloha Run. "I usually do it for fun, and to hang out with friends," Richard said.
Greer made his return to racing this year, explaining that he stopped racing 20 years ago, and was playing tennis instead.
Dawna Zane, 23, of Honolulu, won the women's wheelchair division, finishing in one hour.
TOUGH BREAK
Last year's Great Aloha Run winner, Kalid Abdalah, of Oakland, Calif., withdrew before the start of the race because of an injury suffered during warmups.
"Before my warmup, I was already feeling some pain in my knee ... and when I began my warmup, the pain was so strong that I knew I wouldn't be able to run," Abdalah said. "Definitely I'm very disappointed, but I will try to come back next year."
Lander, a former runner at West Virginia, held off William Ngeiich by six seconds in the race that started at Aloha Tower and ended at Aloha Stadium. Lander earned $1,000 for finishing first. This was Lander's first Great Aloha Run, and he was impressed.
"I've always worried about her because I know she doesn't give up, and I don't give up," Christensen said. "It's always going to be a tough race."
A green turn signal illuminates the way for runners during the Great Aloha Run.
