Absolutely No Question of Toughness

Aloha Athletes !

I'm sure by now that all of you have already read both Mike and Devon's race reports and hopefully understand how very tough the race conditions were on Saturday's Peacock 54, but even after all that, I still have doubts that you understand how tough it was to finish the damn thing. Rex called it the running equivalent of the Roughwater swim in '03, when so many of the swimmers had to be rescued. I was in awe as I watched runner after runner come into the aid station at the bottom of long road…most smiling…and head back out. I was starting to question their sanity. An amazing 17 runners finished ! My hat is off to all, especially to the select few that tackled this race as a PR for distance….and finished ! Wow ! What were you guys (and gal) thinking?

My hat is also off to the many very tough volunteers that helped make this race a success and braved some unpleasant weather in the process. First, what can I say that hasn't already been said about Gordon Lau. Gordon took this new baby under his wing and nurtured it into a fantastic race. And to think that this was his first effort as a race director. Thanks Gordon. Larry Inouye stepped up to the plate and was invaluable on the permitting side. Rob Lahoe volunteered for the tough job of providing a make-shift aid station on top of the mountain, which turned out to be a challenge under the conditions. As always, Cheryl "Catra" Loomis was in the thick of things from the start to the finish, providing invaluable help, plus giving all of us some great laughs with her Catra costume. Then there was Clem and Wah who worked their butts off from start to finish. No HURT event would ever be complete without the hard work and care from Mr. & Mrs. HURT, John and PJ Salmonson. Thanks so much !

So many other volunteers need mentioning, as they all were invaluable in making the race a success. Vanessa Huff brought 6 pizzas for the finishers and volunteers (watch out Pizza Pete); Ernest not only helped out but also loaned Huddy his light; Fish helped out in addition to pacing Marian: then there was Heather, Lola and Karen who did all they could to support the runners and the race. It was fun having friends stop by and visit…among those were Dorothy, Jet and Zachary Inouye…Pizza Pete and Arturs. Also, thanks goes to Karl Meltzer for motivating and training Devon. Karl, looking forward to seeing you at the HURT 100 in January. Also, thanks to my buddy Mike Muench for the distance and elevation charts which lifted several eyebrows. A big mahalo to all !

If I've missed anyone, and I probably have, please forgive me. Congratulations again to all the V-E-R-Y tough runners that participated in the first addition of the Peacock 54. I'm in awe !  Don