VOLCANO — John Benner, who moved to the Big Island in May, is already making himself feel right at home, easily winning the 2nd annual Ohia Lehua half-marathon on Saturday at Volcano Village, flying away from 2019 champion Billy “The Ghost” Barnett.
Benner, 23, finished the 13.1-mile, hilly, and challenging course in one hour, 10 minutes, 16 seconds. Barnett, who lives in Volcano, finished in 1:16:21 while Patrick Stover, of Kailua-Kona, was third in 1:21.25.
Barnett, 37, and Stover, 32, were no match for Benner, who started training for the half-marathon when he arrived on the Big Island in May. It was also the first half-marathon for Benner, who’s from Massachusetts.
Amanda Marks, 53, won the female division in 1:38:39, Marta Caproni, 44, was second in 1:39.22, and Skye Ombac, 25, was third in 1:41:53.
David Woodward, 37, captured the 5K race in 17:27, John Marrack, 18, was second in 19:33, and Rogelio Doratt, 13, was third in 19:48.
Kiralyn Kuramoto, 14, took the women’s 5K division title in 22:27 while “The Ghost’s” wife, Alyx Barnett, 33, was second in 23:58, and Ella Johnson, 18 was third in 24:24.
Race director Keely McGhee was smiling under her mask about the way everything turned out, OVERSET FOLLOWS:especially sticking to safety protocols.
“The race went really well,” she said. “We had a scare earlier this week because of the high (COVID-19) numbers, so we did age-group starts and did social distancing. Everyone wore their masks.
“This morning was rainy as always in Volcano, but by the afternoon it was beautiful. The sun came out, the sky was blue, and you couldn’t ask for better weather.”
Benner works in plant research for the Volcano parks service and lives in Volcano. One of the first people he met was Barnett, nicknamed “The Ghost” because he easily outpaced everyone at the Hilo marathon long ago and vanished like a ghost.
“That happened to me, too,” Benner said. “I tried to find him, but he was gone.”
Of course, eventually, Benner caught and passed “The Ghost.”
“He’s better at the longer stuff,” Benner said. “If it were a marathon, he would definitely get me. I don’t do long stuff. I’ve got a lot of respect for Billy. I met him at a Kilauea Iki crater run and talked to him and Alyx. It’s nice that when I came here I had a running community.”
Growing up in Massachusetts, he did what most kids do: skate. He was a speed skater, like former Olympian Apolo Ohno.
“Same sport,” Benner said. “I played soccer, too, in the midfield, and I loved it because it was so much running. I liked running more and started doing track.”
He was born with running genes. His mom, Kim, ran in the marathon Olympic trials, and his dad, Rich, once ran a 4:08 in the mile. Growing up Benner’s sports hero was Roger Bannister.
“He was the first to break the four-minute mile,” Benner said. “People said it was physically impossible but he proved them wrong.”
Benner eventually landed at the University of Vermont, where he ran cross-country and track, and holds the school record in the mile and 3K.
He came here for a job but found the environment much to his liking. Sunshine trumps snow any day of the week. Benner also enjoys rain forest running.
“I really love it here. It’s a cool place to live,” he said. “It’s very different. The rain forest is different. It’s so lush, and there are awesome trails. It’s way better than where I’m from.”
Benner’s goal is not to run marathons but to be like Bannister. Benner’s best time in the mile is 4:05. Bannister, from Britain, ran a 3:58 in Vancouver in 1954.
“I need to take a few seconds off. I’m close, he said. “I have to put in good training and be consistent.”
Benner has also made himself at home with the local grinds. He’s a big fan of poke, had a loco moco and spam musubi. He likes the Korean BBQ platter at Hawaiian Style Cafe and the Sumo pancake at Ken’s.
He doesn’t need to worry about gaining weight because he burns it off when he trains. But he’ll cut back during Christmas break. That’s when his family will visit.
“It’ll be the first time my family has been to Hawaii,” said Benner, who’s also in Hawaii for the first time. “They’ll be on the Big Island for 10 days. I’ll take them to Green Sand Beach, Punaluu, Waipio and give them the full tour of the island. It’ll be awesome.”
Benner is sounding like someone who feels right at home.