KAUPULEHU — The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai once again proved to be the ideal venue to bring the community together for the 26th anniversary Run for Hope, with all proceeds going to cancer research.
As part of its long-standing tradition in the fight against cancer, the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai continued the legacy of hosting a two-day, action-packed weekend for the Big Island. The weekend included a culinary evening and silent auction, followed by a day of running, golf, tennis and pickleball.
“We sponsor the event, and we have three different chairs who work together to put the whole weekend together, from the Taste of Hawaii Island to the Silent Auction, the Run for Hope 5K and 10K, the shotgun golf tournament, tennis and pickleball,” said Graham Williamson, resort manager at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. “This event started 26 years ago when the resort first opened. And every year since, with the exception of 2020, we have had a Run for Hope here. It’s to raise funds for cancer research here on the Big Island, and also for the American Cancer Society.”
The weekend kicked off Friday evening with the highly anticipated Taste of Hawaii Island culinary event. Talented chefs from across the Hawaiian islands showcased their best dishes, providing guests with an evening of exquisite cuisine, refreshing drinks and live entertainment by celebrated Hawaii artist Anuhea and her world-class band. The event also featured a silent auction that offered unique vacation packages and exclusive local products, which drew a lot of excitement from the crowd.
Saturday’s events began with the signature Run for Hope 10K and 5K run/walk and Keiki Dash, which allowed participants to take in the beautifully manicured landscapes of Hualalai.
Waikoloa’s Daniel Hill was the first to finish the 5K event in a fabulous time of 18 minutes and 45 seconds. Following Hill was Lance Pittman in 19:58, and Zefir Abouzamzam in third at 21:12.
First in the women’s division was Keili Dorn, who ran in a great time of 20:29. The next two podium spots went to Keauhou’s Rani Henderson and Nina Hasler with their times of 23:42 and 26:50 respectively.
In the 10K division, Kailua-Kona’s Danny Friebel easily defended his title with his time of 40:58. The 25-year old seahorse wrangler, employed at the Seahorse Farm at OTEC, said there was no question of competing in this race again.
“It’s so much fun!” Friebel said. “It was much better starting on time this year as I missed the start last year by 90 seconds and somehow ended up winning. Both years the course was great, everything is beautifully maintained, and well-staffed — I want to give a huge shoutout to the lady with pompoms as not every race has someone out there with pompoms!”
Friebel said he’s been running for the last 15 years, but when it comes down to it, he is a miler at heart.
“I’m a mid-distance runner,” Friebel said. “I’m trying the waters at the longer distance. I’d love to run the Run for Dry Forest coming up, so I’m hoping to be there.”
The next two finishers in the men’s division were Chris Auth in 42:34 and Bailey Langsner with his time of 46:51.
Janet Kendig won the women’s 10K title in a fabulous time of 52:07. Second and third place finishers went to Jennifer Lum and Elsa Kronen with their times of 53:29 and 53:52 respectively.
A delicious post-race breakfast buffet brought smiles to everyone’s faces at the Hoku Amphitheater, followed by the awards ceremony and the highly anticipated raffle drawing.
The excitement continued throughout the day with the annual shotgun golf tournament held at the world-renowned Hualalai Golf Course. Tennis and pickleball at the Hualalai Tennis Pavilion rounded out a weekend dedicated to raising funds for cancer research.
Williamson said that the annual Run for Hope event has raised over 3 million dollars since its inception.
“Today we had a little over 250 registrants, a little higher than normal so it’s a really good participation for this year,” Williamson said. “We are also going to have 72 golfers this afternoon, 42 tennis participants, and 60 pickleball players, and then we had about 330 at the Taste of Hawaii Island last night.
“This is something that really draws in the community and we loved seeing our locals come and be a part of the whole weekend. So many of us have been touched by cancer that people want to give back and want to be a part of this weekend for such an important cause. Beyond people who are on the island, we also have hotel guests who want to participate, and it also parallels nicely with the West Hawaii Cancer Symposium who are on the island and want to be a part of this as well. It brings people from all over the world together. I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who helped to put it together and who helped to support this weekend.”
