Running the Big Island

What happens when you’ve gone about as far as you can go? Turn back, of course. And that’s what I’m doing after three and a half miles southward, through the town of Kailua-Kona, at 4:30 AM. I had been looking for the Southern Cross, but it’s apparently obscured by clouds. At least I did get to see a few bright stars. I pick up the pace, trying to run each mile faster than the last one, no easy feat for someone who no longer runs so much. But I do manage to get back to the King Kamehameha Hotel in one piece, just as the rain begins.

The rain from this ‘Kona Cyclone’ would continue for days, but the bigger problem is that my back and hip began to hurt after this run. Probably something to do with carrying all this extra weight on these “runs.” Because of this, I take a day off in order to feel refreshed for my next run.

On the lanai after a Big-Island run

That next run is to the North, to Old Kona Airport Beach Park. It’s not far; Debbie and I had walked around here the day before. What better place to run than a ‘runway?’ The asphalt – and there’s a lot of it – is black and spooky-dark at this hour. It’s also crumbling away. The park is kind of cool, however, with a beach and a walking trail through some gardens. All I do this time is run to the end of the runway and back out. Maybe next time I’ll add in the nature trail.

I do a second run on this runway, but once again, I skip the nature trail. It's a neat place to run from Kona however. I'll keep it in mind.

Now it's time to move on to the Kohala region, where we will be staying for the second and final five days. It's only about 30 miles from Kona, but the resorts here are totally different. And not always in a good way. The Hilton Waikoloa Village is just too much. Too much of everything. Since my hip still aches, I only run three miles. It's not pretty. Oh, the area is, it's just that my run isn't.

I used to do some epic runs in this area. It was up, up, up, Waikoloa Road for seven-plus miles, before turning back. I used to be able to see four of the five Big Island Volcanoes, plus one on Maui, all while the sun was rising. We do drive this, and it's still awesome. It's just too bad that a 20-mile run is totally out of the question these days.

I do one short practice run to head towards Waikoloa Road before turning back. Looks like about two miles, just to get there. It's a couple more days before I venture up Waikoloa Road for real. Ready? Here goes.

~~~ NOTE - there was a description of a run here that I've rewritten for the MCRR Newsletter. Here is the new version. ~ Dan

Big Run on the Big Island

We’re headed home tomorrow, so this is my last run for this trip here on the Big Island of Hawaii. Venturing out of the Hilton Waikoloa Village in the early morning darkness, I decide to make it an epic one. I will consider it so if I can make it a mile or so up Waikoloa Road before turning back.

During past visits to the area (we’re talking over twelve years ago), I would run a couple miles over to Waikoloa Road, and then up, up, up for seven-ish miles each way for a total of twenty vertically challenging miles. What made these runs epic was not only the challenge of the mountain itself, but also the stunning scenery. If you look up the word awesome in the dictionary, they have a picture of the Big Island. Nothing – no place on Planet Earth – is more so.

Since I’m still recovering from surgery, I know that twenty, or even ten miles are out of the question today. But if I can just get a little way up this mountain (it’s called Hualalai), I will be satisfied.

After a couple miles on Waikoloa Beach Road, I run across Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway and onto  Waikoloa Road. Immediately, I’m going uphill. Although it’s not very steep, it is challenging because it’s non-stop. Consequently, I slow down (not that I was moving fast to begin with). Although it’s pitch dark, I am still aware of the lava flow on both sides of the road and on for miles all around. Without trees, buildings, or even shrubbery, I have a full view of a sky decorated with impossibly bright stars.

I look for the Southern Cross, and I eventually spot it, dancing across the Southern Horizon. But not before I also spot a couple meteors that I attribute to the upcoming Geminid Shower, and also the False Cross, which is also in the South and also consists of four stars in a diamond pattern. But once I see the Real Cross, there’s no mistaking it. It’s funny, but now I can’t seem to unsee it. For some reason, I consider this sighting (which we can’t do at our usual latitude) a good omen.

After a mile and a half (longer than planned), I begin to turn back, but I also actually stop to admire the pre-dawn view. This is something I almost never do on a solo run, but it's impossible not to. You see, now that it's beginning to get light, I am looking at five volcanoes: 8,271 foot Hualalai to my left, 13,679 foot Mauna Loa, the planet's most massive volcano behind it yet still visible, 13,803 foot Mauna Kea behind me (the Earth's tallest mountain, measured from its base, 5,480 foot extinct Kohala Volcano to my right, and across the sea beyond Kohala and barely visible, 10,023 foot Haleakala on Maui. The sweeping views also allow me to see the lights of the resort area far below as well as other towns up and down the coast.

Have you ever enjoyed a run so much, you wanted it to never stop? Me neither. But this run is as close as it gets. It's giving me chicken skin as I return to my resort. I've only run 7 1/2 miles (compared with those twenty-milers in years past), but it's every bit as awesome as any run I've ever done. Ever.

Running up Waikoloa Road

Here's a link to our travel blog post, in case you want to hear more about the Big Island.