The sunrise was perfect for the return of the in-person Kauai Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday, September 4, 2022. A record number 2282 participants registered for the 13th annual event.
Runners from 42 States and 15 countries enjoyed the magic of the Garden Isle. The Aloha State was well represented with 996 local registrants of whom 698 were from Kauai.
Additionally, there were 42 participants who ran the full or half marathon for the 13th year in a row.
The performance of the day went to overall winner and top male finisher Pedro Paulino Pais Abreu of Sunnyvale, CA. He completed the full marathon in an impressive 2:59:54. Abreu shared the excitement of his victory: “The course was really challenging with the changing weather and elevation, but so gorgeous and fun. There were even a few
rainbows.” Second place was Christian Lackinger of Vienna, Austria clocking in at 3:03:52
followed by Robert Ramirez of Santa Ana, California in a time of 3:12:22.
The first-place finisher in the women’s field for the full marathon was Reilly Whittaker of Calgary, Canada with a time of 3:16:53 followed by Lindsey Wood of Murray, UT coming in at 3:25:50. Third place was Chino Hills, CA resident Dolores Valencia finishing at 3:27:43.
Fort Collins Colorado’s Tyler McCandless won the Half Marathon for the seventh year in a row in a record time of 1:06:10. Redwood City’s Liam Clifford placed second with a time of 1:22:29 followed by Gordon Vaught with a time of 1:23:19.
Tiffany McHowell of Honolulu, HI won the women’s Half Marathon crossing the finish at 1:32:27. The battle for second was between Jaclyn Fike-Taveras of El Paso TX with a time of 1:36:52 and Kaitlin Fanikos of Kailua, HI crossing the finish at 1:37:45.
Kauai’s top finishers were James Lloyd and Jaylieen Cesneros for the Full Marathon and Brennen Corregedore and Carolyn Price in the Half Marathon.
The 2022 event featured far more than the successful running of the Marathon and Half Marathon.TheworldclassWilcoxHealthSportsandFitnessExpoprovidedabackdropfor runners to meet new friends, as well as partake in informative health and wellness seminars inthedaysleading uptotherace.
The Fun Run on Saturday morning brought runners together for a casual “shake out” morning adventure. And finally, the Ninth Annual Keiki Run sponsored by Wilcox Health energized a record number 183 children from the ages of 2 to 12 with exciting races at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa.
Several sponsors made the event possible including: Hawaii Tourism Authority, Kauai Visitors Bureau, Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, Kauai Coffee, Koloa Landing Resort, Brennecke’s Beach Broiler, Nukumoi Surf Co., Wilcox Health, Puka Dogs and Alaska Airlines. Many other local businesses assisted by providing in-kind services, accommodations, and supplies for the medical tent.
The event was honored and privileged to have Kauai’s Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leinā‘ala, the overall winners of the prestigious Merrie Monarch Festival, as part of this year’s race festivities. They shared their dedication to the perpetuation of their beloved Hawaiian culture through the sacred traditions of hula throughout the race-course for this year’s event. They also were there to welcome participants at the start, and lei greet finishers with a medal at the finish line.
Over $7,000 was generously donated to numerous local non-profit groups volunteering for race day activities. Kauai High Cross Country, Waimea HS Project Grad, and The Koloa Early School are just a few.
For 2022 results and more information, visit www.thekauaimarathon.com.
