Tom Cross left his Waimea home at 4:30 a.m. and had a comfortable amount of time before the start of the half-marathon portion of the 18th annual Big Island International Marathon.
Tom Cross left his Waimea home at 4:30 a.m. and had a comfortable amount of time before the start of the half-marathon portion of the 18th annual Big Island International Marathon.
But when he unpacked his bag, Cross realized he forgot one thing: his shoes.
What’s a local guy supposed to do?
He ran in his “Locals” slippers and finished the half-marathon in 2 hours, 23 minutes and 22 seconds on Sunday at Hilo Bayfront, completing the first leg of the 2nd annual Half Marathon Triple Crown Series.
The second leg is the Kona marathon on June 28, and the third leg, Volcano, runs on Aug. 22. Medals are awarded for each race, and a nice one for completing the series.
Last year, Cross, 61, who works in the hotel industry, only did the Hilo and Volcano portions. He got two medals, but not the meaningful series completion one.
He was determined to cross the finish line, even without shoes.
Cross brought along socks, but that might have looked a little weird if he ran in slippers and socks.
But running in slippers? It’s the footwear of choice for our locals, so no big deal. He was like any other in the school of 446 half-marathon runners.
He fortunately brought Vasoline, just in case to rub between his toes to avoid a nasty blister. But it wasn’t needed. His toes were all good, and so was his attitude.
“I was determined to do this,” Cross said. “If I didn’t do this, I don’t get a medal and this is one of the things I wanted to do.
“It’s the first time I ran in slippers. My slippers were new. They’re definitely broken in now. I really wanted to finish because it’s good publicity for the Triple Crown.”
Cross has run in marathons, too. He’s competed in eight, including the last Honolulu Marathon in December, finishing in 5:25.
He started running about 30 years ago, and has completed about 20 half-marathons. He’s done the BIIM twice.
Last year, the Hilo race was water-logged, but Cross pointed out that the past Honolulu Marathon was worse.
“I ran with a trash bag for 6 or 8 miles (in Hilo). It was crazy,” he said. “It was the worst weather, until the Honolulu Marathon. That was worse.”
And the best part for him in his slipper adventure?
“It was finishing,” he said half-jokingly. “It was scenic. I like the surf area (near Honolii) and Banyan Drive. I like the layout. I just want to do it, finish the Triple Crown. I like to stay in shape and that motivates me.”
Marathon notes
The race didn’t crack the 1,000-participant barrier. There were 883 entries: 225 for the marathon, 446 for the half-marathon, and 212 for the 5K.
But a bigger prize was the weather, race director Bob Wedeman noted.
“It was a perfect Hilo day,” he said. “It was perfect weather.”
Even the news media had a blast. Trib photographer Hollyn Johnson and her visiting sister, Natalie Johnson, ran the half-marathon with sister tags and finished together in 2:18:38.