Shortly after crossing the finish line in Poipu as the Kauai Marathon champion, I doubted I could be happier. A few minutes later I was told I earned a trip to represent Kauai in the town of Iwaki, Japan for a marathon in February. As it turned out, my day could have gotten better! Shortly thereafter, I purchased books on the Japanese culture and spoke with as many people as I could who had been to Japan about their experiences and advice. Everything I read and the experiences I’d heard spoke highly of the Japanese culture and their generosity. After experiencing the Aloha spirit on the island of Kauai, I was ready to visit their sister city of Iwaki, Japan!
On my visit I met some remarkable people. Michiru Umezu was extraordinarily helpful in explaining the Japanese culture and her experiences living in Japan and on Kauai. She was a great ambassador for Kauai with the Iwaki residents and government. Kahu Chuckie Chock perfectly represented the Kauai island spirit and performed several blessings that the Japanese residents enjoyed listening to. The folks at the Spa Resort Hawaiians made my stay very comfortable, fun, and filled with delicious food!”
When I toed the start line, albeit in temperatures below freezing, I felt the Aloha spirit and my newfound friends support behind me. During the race I visualized the experience of racing the Kauai Marathon and felt I wanted to win to honor everyone from Kauai. With less than two minutes of racing to go, I put in a strong finishing kick and pulled away from the second place runner. Running the last few steps of the marathon I knew victory was mine, so I raised my right arm up and gave the shaka sign to the cheering crowd. Memories of the Kauai Marathon win and the impending win was an unbelievable feeling that I will never forget.
Thank you to all of the fantastic people I have met on the island of Kauai and further across the Pacific Ocean in the town of Iwaki. If there is anything I learned from Iwaki is that the residents are some of the strongest willed and most determined people that I have ever met. Ten months prior the town was demolished by the tsunami, yet they recovered and rebuilt enough to host a marathon through the town. There are no signs of sadness or sympathy in the city, but rather a sense of accomplishment and courage that they were able to recover to host the Iwaki City Sunshine Marathon. Thank you to the Kauai-Iwaki Exchange Commission for the opportunity of a lifetime, new friends, and memories I will share with friends and family forever.