KAILUA-KONA — The 30th and final Kona Brewers Festival kicked off in style Saturday morning with the highly-anticipated PATH (People for Active Transportation Hawaii) Run for Hops, drawing 371 participants to the starting line at the BMW of Hawaii dealership on Loloku Street.
Since its inception in 2008, the Run for Hops has been a popular event of the festival. Initially it started off with just a 5K (3.1-mile) race, then evolved to both 10K (6.2-mile) and 5K races as part of the community fundraising celebration. However, with the Kona Brewers Festival concluding after 30 years, this year’s Run for Hops also marked its final chapter, making the event both a memorable and bittersweet farewell for participants.
“I’m happy with how the 17th annual Run for Hops turned out,” Kelly Hudik, PATH’s chief operations officer, and race director, said. “We had a beautiful day for the final event and a great crowd that came out to celebrate with us this morning. With the Kona Brewfest hosting its last event this year, this will be the final Run for Hops as it’s associated with the Brewfest. We had a total of 371 athletes join us to toast the last event and to help support PATH.”
Hudik added that it was also great to see PATH return to organizing community racing events again.
“I think it’s important for us to get our name out in the public and let people know what we do,” Hudik said. “People may be aware of PATH on some level, whether it’s the HIBIKE bikeshare, our bike education programs, or our work promoting safe walking and riding. But people may not have an idea that it’s the same small non-profit that does this, or that it’s even PATH. Events like Run for Hops are a great way to let the athletic community know who we are and bring faces to the organization that’s organizing and benefiting from the race.”
With clear, sunny skies, runners and walkers embarked on a scenic yet challenging course that took them north toward the Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area runway strip. Participants then transitioned to the Makaeo Walking Path, followed by a stretch along Makala Boulevard and Luhia Street, before turning on Loloku Street to cross the finish line back at the BMW dealership.
The 10K race saw an exciting repeat victory in the men’s division, as defending champion Joe Skurski of San Francisco outpaced the competition, shaving 11 seconds off his winning time from last year to finish in 35 minutes and 50 seconds. Close behind was Kailua-Kona’s James Eggimann, securing second place with a 36:25 finish, followed by Jantzen Hing, also from Kailua-Kona, in third with a time of 36:40.
In the women’s 10K division, Holualoa’s Laura Ankrum once again defended her title in a stellar time of 42:24. The next two female podium spots went to Nicole Lewien and Natalie Abele with times of 44:49 and 47:15 respectively.
The 5K race brought its share of excitement, as Kailua-Kona’s Kevin Starbuck blazed through the course in 18 minutes and 35 seconds to secure a dominant victory. Joshua Robinson of Ookala took second place in 20:45, followed closely by Holualoa’s Adam Ankrum, who finished in 20:53 to claim the final podium spot in the men’s division.
On the women’s side, visiting runner Anna Miller from De Pere, Wisconsin, made her mark by winning the 5K in 20:51. Kailua-Kona’s Jessie Fairchild (21:10) and Winona Chen (21:48) delivered strong efforts to complete the women’s podium.
Saturday’s races served as a fitting farewell and finish line of both the Run for Hops and the Kona Brewers Festival’s milestone 30th anniversary. Both events will always be remembered for celebrating fitness, community, and the some of the finest craft brews Hawaii has to offer.
