Pahoa cross-country coach Patrick Baker did his Daggers a solid: He scored them top-of-the-line running shoes and even better he got them a world class motivational speaker.
Pahoa cross-country coach Patrick Baker did his Daggers a solid: He scored them top-of-the-line running shoes and even better he got them a world class motivational speaker.
The Newton Running Team, led by Olympic marathon qualifier Tyler McCandless, will visit the school Wednesday to donate running shoes, and talk and run with the Daggers.
There are 17 Daggers on the roster, and all the boys and girls will receive not one but two pairs of Newton Running Shoes, which go for roughly $155 a pair.
Beyond the new shoes, Baker is hoping his Daggers take McCandless’ inspirational message to heart. His website is tylermccandless.com.
“They’ve done this before. They’ve donated 400 shoes to Kauai, and it’s not cheap either,” Baker said. “Tyler and I spoke about the hardships about Tropical Storm Iselle, that the first three weeks of the season there was no electricity. Now with the lava, a lot of the parents are moving. It’s a distracting season to say the least.
“But our runners have done great. This past week at Keaau High School, they did awesome. They all pretty much PR’d (personal record). It’s really good timing to run with the team and talk to them. Tyler said if you’re committed and run for at least two seasons you’re destined to have a healthier, happier team. They’ll learn some values and life lessons from his talk.”
In the Big Island’s three degrees of everyone knows everyone circle, Baker connected with McCandless when he ordered T-shirts for his team from the Big Island Running Company.
Jason Braswell, the company president, helps with the Ironman World Championship, and so does McCandless, who flies in on a charitable venture, inspiring youngsters to get into running and living healthy.
McCandless recently competed in a USA Marathon Championship in Minnesota, where he finished in 2 hours and 15 minutes, the Olympic trials qualifying time.
When McCandless and his team drive to Pahoa, they’ll see the same grim things the Daggers worry about every day.
“In the background, the lava is 1.6 miles away from Pahoa town,” Baker said. “Once it passes the highway, that changes everything – travel, commuting time. A lot of parents are stressed out. A couple of runners’ parents are packed up and planning to move to Hilo. Lava is always in the background. We train on the track at our campus and you see the smoke. Some days coming up it’s hazy and there’s vog.”
There is one thing more powerful than an impending lava flow: Pahoa’s inspirational spirit.
At Saturday’s BIIF cross country meet at Keaau, five of Pahoa’s boys finished in the top 50.
“That was a first for Pahoa in a long time,” Baker said.
Leading the way was senior Rio Scotti, in 23rd at 18:29; followed by sophomore Govar Strayhorn, 24th, 18:30; twin brother Giri Strayhorn, 47th, 19:33; senior Hoku Kahookaulana, 48th, 19:35; and junior Kobe Miller, 49th, 19:41.
For the girls, there’s sophomore Stella Javier, who was fifth in the three-mile race in 22:22. Last season as a freshman, she qualified for the Hawaii High School Athletic Association state meet and was 95th in 22:11 on Kauai.
However, what’s life without an obstacle or two thrown in the way?
“Last year after cross country, she broke her ankle during soccer season,” Baker said. “She’s made a great comeback and is finally healthy. At the beginning of the season, I had to keep her out of a couple of races because she was in a lot of pain.
“But she’s mentally tough, and she’s finally getting back to form. She should be able to make states, no problem.
The BIIF regular-season meets are basically tune-ups. It’s a one-shot deal at the BIIF championships, scheduled for Friday, Oct. 24 at Hawaii Prep. The top 44 boys and 42 girls earn state berths.
Javier and the twin Strayhorn brothers are from Hawaii Academy of Arts & Science.
If Javier needs inspiration or motivation, she can always think about her brother Jerry Javier, a 2014 HAAS graduate. He also qualified for states and was 150th in 19:39.
“He graduated last year as a junior, and has an academic scholarship to UC Berkeley,” Baker said. “She’s also a top-of-the-line student at HAAS. She’s one of the leaders for the student group Hope for HAAS. It’s on the web (hopeforhaas.org), to fund-raise money for the school to move its campus because of the lava.”
Then there’s someone like senior Marilu Mendoza, who was 33rd in 26:18. She’s one of those that every coach and school proudly points to as five-star Example A.
“She’s class president, a great student and terrific person,” Baker said. “She has strong character and her leadership on the team is very consistent. She’s always very positive, very supportive to all the students. You can tell she’s a great student and scholar, and all-around solid person. That leadership comes through to the other runners.”
There are at least two more races for the Daggers, this Saturday’s meet at Kamehameha, then the BIIF championships.
Who knows what happens between now and then with the lava flow?
Asked what message he hopes his Daggers take to heart from the Newton Running Team, Baker gave a pretty good inspirational speech with his answer.
“I hope they get the message that running teaches you to focus during hard challenges,” Baker said. “That through commitment and hard work you can live a fulfilling life, and there are valuable life lessons from running. Everything you do, you’re running through some obstacle whether it’s physical or mental. It’s a metaphor for life that you can overcome any obstacle.”