Birthday Run

As posted on the HURT site.

60 someting  lidat birthday run.  

On Friday November 9, health permitting, I will be heading out on another birthday run.   Last year I let the Peacock 100 function the dual purpose of race and birthday run. This year’s Tsunami edition limits my ability to revisit that artifice, and I find myself forced to actually run a birthday run, which is, to my understanding, beyond 100K yet not quite 100M.    

This run, as many of my past long runs will have a charity component. I have chosen to remember a long time friend and participant in our group, Pete Martinez, and to make a donation to a Suicide Prevention program in his memory. It is not particularly easy to find a specific local charity that serves this issue, but there are a few national charities that support local activity and direct funds into numerous needy areas such as Veterans Hotlines. I’ve chosen one that attempts to reach people within the broad parameters of our group demographic and also appears to limit its fundraising and administration in favor of a more lowkey ‘funds to the line’ approach.  


For years.Pete was a co-director of the Mango Madness Trail Series run.  He was also famous for his impromptu contributions of multiple large pizzas during other organized ultra events and long training runs. Pete was often at aid stations quietly helping out, whether it was a trail series or major ultra event. He was for years the infamous HURT 100 Parking Nazi--and when Pete told you you weren’t driving up the road one did not tend to question the decision.

Pete was an active runner for many years and in his time he was a hard competitor be it a training run or a race.  Ultimatlely he was forced to stop because of injury. He missed the running, but Pete loved the mountains,  and even after he had decided to end his running career he and I would often spend hours walking the trails and doing impromptu trail maintenance. Pete can be credited for the disappearance of many of the nasty steel spikes on the Maunawili Trail which were once famous for breaking many toes and causing serious spills. Some of these we found simply because we could both remember painful moments at certain spots and searched until we found the offending butcher nosing out of the ground.  He and I also did some significant and repeated repairs on the old chain link fence that marks the transition from the Old Pali Rd Nuuanuo Pali Trail between the Pali and the Hairpin.  Like many in our group, he often gave his time and effort to help others run the trails without any expectation recognition.  It was good enough to call it a successful day if we could get in a dozen trail miles and perhaps eliminate a broken toe or two or a scratched up face the next time the HURT gang ran through.    

To be honest, Pete and I hadn’t talked in quite some time before his passing, and I had simply put it down to the fact that it’s very hard for two irascible grumpy guys to maintain a friendship. It wasn’t until his unfortunate death that I realized that the symptoms of his problem were deep, long term and treatable.  Its one thing to talk of dealing with one’s serious problems with a bullet as you sit back and sip a few beers. I don’t think any man over sixty hasn’t contemplated his mortality and decided that going out fast  is a better alternative to the costly options of institutionalized suffering.  On the other hand, age has its benefits, and the everyday hassles of a cranky body, and life’s common problems  most often are secondary to the  freedom of an older life style.  frr

I don’t know if Pete would have used such a service as he was a pretty decisive kind of person, and when he made his mind up to something that was pretty much it.  But perhaps if a helping hand had had a chance to reach him he would would still be around running in the evenings and going wind surfing every time there is a big wind.  In any case a donation to a charity that deals with this terrible problem might help someone else.   Also, as we are all aware, this is a problem that is effecting a disproportionately large number of our service and returned service personnel.  I’d like to think that a donation to this cause in Pete’s name can help someone else avoid this terrible fate.   

I’ll be contributing a dollar a mile, plus I’ll add an additional $25 dollars for anyone that runs with me from start to finish.  (Though I often get the feeling that moany epople wneed the advice of a counselor after simply contemplating one of these runs. )

I also welcome and encourage contributions in Pete’s name from others in the HURT family, whether or not you can join me in the run. The online contribution screen is noted here:  
or you can write a check and mail it to:   or give me cash, which Iwould prefer you didnt]]’but,  will lump in one single donation from HURT runner’s.  

All that said, here is the Plan

The BS terms: This is a non sponsored, non support, no entry, no prizes, non timed,no rules, fulling individual risk== Rogue Running Event.  I will stock some water and minimal nutrition at key spots.  The plan is to water and eat at stores along the route. Each runner is responsible for their own needs and safety.    Reflective gearand lights are irecommended for the night run road sections.   Run whatever you want,however you want Suffer as much or as little as your like, its your decision and your responsibility.  .  


The Intended Route:

In Brief:     A HURT Night Loop, East Side (Kalanianeole)Loop with Makapu’u Light repeats, Waimanalo Ditch Trail O/B, Old Governmant Road/Olomana Farm Road Out and Back,  Maunawili Demonstration Trail  Back, Old Pali Road to Jackass, Jackass to Makiki.  


Leave from the Water Tank in Makiki at 6:00 PM for a HURT Trails Night Loop.  I plan to finish this loop about 1:00 AM  (7:00 Hours),   20M

Head out toward Hawaii Kai along Kalanianeole and around to Makapu;u (15, 30) and do a few repeats of the Lighthouse Road

Then, around dawn. back on the road to Waimanalo and cut back toward the Demonstration Trail.  First do a Ditch trail out and back, (5, 40)

Then follow this with a Government road and Olomana Farm road  to the Olomana Peak trail.  out and back. (10, 45)

Then we will head back toward the Pali on the Maunawili Trail.  (10, 50)

From the Pali we will head down the Old Pali Highway to the Nu’uanu Trall Head.

And finally back-up the Nuuanu trail to Kalawahine and down Nahuina and Center trial to the Tanks.  60+ Miles.  

The Result: It was a long hard slow slog last night. I was a bit slow at the start and saw the turn down into Manoa deteriorate into an unending bit of slipping and slidding. Coming out I just lacked the energy to make the climb a charge. Hitting the top I looked at my watch and realized I had been setting a very slow pace. It seemed I had fallen through some kind of time trap and lost at least an hour while getting nowhere. I finally had to make the decision to head up and along Manoa Cliffs if I was going to get off the mountain before next month. As I hit the gate at the top of Manoa Cliffs Trail it began to rain and it soaked me for at least a half and hour. I chilled and the going became even harder.

I have not been out on the Loop in a long while and that accounts for part of it, another aspect of the slowness was a cold that has been bothering me. I think I was weak to start out. Anyway it finally ended and I made it back to my car and home where I rewatered and sat for a bit. I was soaked and didn't have much to change into, and made the mistake of sticking with the wet stuff. I headed off to find Marian who was kind enough to join me at the other side of the University.

Marian pushed me out to Hawaii Kai, and we joined Judy who went with us out to Makapu'u Light where we watched the sun rise. Me, I made it part way up the hill, all the time looking for a place to lie down. I want back down the hill and found a place to collapse and slept for a while. It saved my ass.

It was obvious I was going no farther and followed the girls back to Hawaii Kai. There Judy offered me a ride home and that was the day. Nasty ass birthday gift that brah. lol