Marathon Continues To Grow
Congratulations to everyone who took part in the Kauai Marathon and Half Marathon Aug. 31. This year’s sixth annual run featured nearly 2,000 participants from around the world, including more than 900 from Hawaii, of which almost 700 were from Kauai. I always am amazed by the athletic ability and endurance of marathoners, and give a special nod to The Garden Isle‘s top finishers: Derrick Ledesma and Jennifer Tone for the full marathon, and Joseph Kali and Brooke Sugahara for the half marathon. It’s also great that a wahine won the full marathon — Nicole Chyr of Engelwood, Colo., with a time of 3:00:24 (that’s an average pace of less than 7 minutes per mile!). And I also must acknowledge Tyler McCandless of Boulder, Colo., who won the half marathon with a time of 1:07:17 — that’s an unbelievable average pace of about 5 minutes per mile! All-in-all, the event was a success and I’m sure everyone is already looking forward to the seventh year…
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- (from left) Battalion Chief Jason Ornellas, Firefighter III Bryan Doo, Capt. Gordon Tamura, Chief Bob Westerman, Firefighter II Aaron Hawthorne, Firefighter II Adam Hussey, Air 1 pilot Clifton Cates and Deputy Chief John Blalock | Photo from Ben Franklin
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- The start of the sixth Kauai Marathon and Half Marathon. Photo from Kauai Marathon
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- A lion dance was part of the reopening celebration for McDonald’s at Waipouli. Photo from McDonald’s of Hawaii
McDonald’s of Waipouli recently celebrated its grand reopening. The eatery underwent an entire interior and exterior renovation, converting into a new, modern look. The celebration kicked off with a blessing by kumu Sabra Kauka and included a performance by Hawaii Lion Dance Association and an appearance by Ronald McDonald. The Kupuna Singers also performed, while families enjoyed games and prizes, as well as discounted treats. There are 75 McDonald’s fast-food restaurants in Hawaii …
Firefighters Bryan Doo, Aaron Hawthorne, Adam Hussey, Capt. Gordon Tamura and Air 1 rescue pilot Clifton Cates recently were awarded the 2014 International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)/Motorola Solutions’ Benjamin Franklin Fire Service Award for Valor for their rescue efforts April 6, when 121 hikers became stranded in Kalalau Valley after Hanakapiai Stream became too unsafe to cross. Fire Chief Robert Westerman also was lauded during the annual Fire-Rescue International conference in Dallas, Texas, with the Ben Franklin Leadership Award …
The community is invited to learn more about Kauai Fire Department throughout this month in a series of workshops hosted by Kauai Planning and Action Alliance. The department is gathering community members to help identify its strengths, challenges, key issues and opportunities, so the information may be used in the preparation of a new strategic plan. The meetings are slated for 6-8 p.m. as follows: Thursday (Sept. 11) at Koloa Neighborhood Center, Sept. 16 at Kilauea Neighborhood Center, Sept. 22 in the meeting room at Lihue Public Library, and Sept. 24 at Kekaha Neighborhood Center. Call KPAA at 632-2005 for more information.
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