Evangeline Yacuk had just finished her first Hawaiian Telcom Great Aloha Run when she put her hand over the heart of runner Scott Tanikawa and prayed for his life.

Yacuk, of Lahaina, Maui, found Tanikawa sitting on the ground next to a women's bathroom at the end of Monday's race with "his head tilted a little funny," Yacuk said yesterday.

She felt for a heartbeat and a pulse with no luck, then put her hand under Tanikawa's nose to try to find signs of breathing, which also weren't there.

When moisture started to fall from Tanikawa's nose, Yacuk reached for his hand and called out, "Please God, please God! Don't let this man be dead."

An autopsy by the Honolulu medical examiner's office yesterday found that Tanikawa, 58, of Makiki, died of a heart attack.

His death was the first in the 25-year history of the Great Aloha Run.

"We are deeply saddened about this tragic event, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the runner's family," said race co-founder Carole Kai.

Tanikawa ran six days a week and was participating in at least his sixth Great Aloha Run, his daughter, Lisa, said yesterday.

"He didn't have any heart problems," she said. "It was a complete shock. He watched what he ate all the time. He was super fit."

Tanikawa retired three years ago after more than 30 years at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, mostly working on submarines, according to his union, the Hawaii Federal Employees Metal Trades Council.

"Scotty was a hard worker," said acting union president Don Bongo, 47, who was mentored by Tanikawa as a young apprentice. "He was one of the go-to guys as far as experience."

Tanikawa always seemed to watch what he ate and could often be found working out in the weight room in back of the electrical shop before work or during his lunch break, Bongo said.

'SHOCK' AT SHIPYARD

Tanikawa kept his personal life private, but co-workers knew he liked to run in local races.

So as news of his death spread around the shipyard, the universal reaction was "shock," Bongo said.

"Even the guys who briefly knew him are surprised," Bongo said. "He seemed really healthy."

As he left his job of 30 years, Tanikawa told co-workers that "he wanted to retire while he was still young and could enjoy life," Bongo said.

On Monday, Tanikawa was the last person in a row of runners who sat down near the Anuenue snack stand following the race.

He sat down in a spot right after the place where runners received their bottled water and bananas — and before the place where they could pick up their Great Aloha Run T-shirts.

Yacuk, 44, was headed to the women's bathroom when "my eyes went straight toward this man. His head was tilted a little funny. I just focused on him."

She touched Tanikawa's shoulder and said, "Are you OK? Sir, please answer me, please."

After checking for signs of life, Yacuk turned to no one in particular and shouted, "I need help, I need help."

She then tore off identification information from Tanikawa's race number that listed his name, address and a phone number and called Tanikawa's wife. "I said, 'I'm sorry, he's very ill.' "

As medical attention began to arrive, people around Tanikawa began holding hands and praying out loud, Yacuk said.

"I just want the family to know," she said, "that people came together to be there for him."