26 miles … one step at a time

One step … one block … one mile … one aid station at a time.

The toughest race that first-time marathoners often run is not against the other competitors.

It is against their minds.

All those questions doing laps.

What’s the weather going to be like?

What’s it like to be surrounded by thousands and thousands of other runners?

What am I thinking?

"It’s all in your head," Ashley Paniagua said. "But I’m super excited. I am trying to picture what it’s going to be like with all those people on the road.

"I can’t believe I’m doing this."

As of Dec. 1, the 24-year-old Paniagua was one of 8,879 first-timers in Sunday’s Honolulu Marathon. According to race officials, that was 42.3 percent of the 20,972 registered so far, with the majority (5,934) from Japan.

Paniagua’s longest run has been 14 miles. But she’s feeling good about Sunday for several reasons. Seven reasons, actually.

As part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team N Training — which raises funds for research and awareness of blood cancer — she has seven "honor teammates" she is running for. They range in ages from 4 to 12, children with whom she works through her job at HUGS (Help, Understanding & Group Support), an organization that supports families with children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses.

"They inspire me," Paniagua said.

Paniagua has nearly reached her fundraising goal of $5,000, with more than $4,000 pledged.

First-timer Holly Lebejko has exceeded her goal of $1,350 by $2,000 and has three honor teammates. One is Wayne Lee, who comes down with water and Gatorade for Lebejko’s Saturday Team N Training sessions run by Jonathan Lyau.

"It’s been so nice that he’s been involved, has volunteered, too, and we have that connection," Lebejko said of Lee. "I moved to Hawaii in June, heard about the Team N Training. It was a great way to get involved and meet people.

"I have friends who have run Boston (Marathon) and they are jealous that I’m running Honolulu. They are a little surprised, too. I’ve only been running for a couple of years, but I’m lucky to be with Jonathan. He’s run this course so many times and really helps to be mentally prepared for it."

The 32-year-old Lebejko, who has battled asthma since age 3, is dedicating her race to friend Kimberly French Warn, who lost her battle with lymphoma earlier this year. She said she "freaked out" at the last training session when she realized the marathon was less than 10 days away.

"Jonathan told us not to worry, that we’ll do well," she said. "He talked about not going out too fast, not to get overwhelmed at the start with the fireworks and the crowds. He advocates using gels, hydrating and how to deal with injuries. He’s had just about every kind."

Injury kept Lyau out of this race last year, just the fourth time since 1979 that he missed the Honolulu Marathon. His first was when he was 15. "I wanted to come back for this one," said Lyau, one of the top local runners since the late ’70s. "Finishing this one means I’ve run it in five different decades. I have run other marathons … New Zealand, Boston, Chicago … but this is my favorite because it’s home."

Nearing his 40th marathon, the 47-year-old said he hopes that he has a sub-3-hour race in him Sunday. He also said he enjoyed working with the first-timers over the past 18 weeks through the Team N Training.

"They see what the patients are going through and, when the going gets tough, they can think about their honor teammate and it really helps," said Lyau, who also works with runners through his Personal Best Training.

Norm Uyeda works with the beginners group at the Honolulu Marathon Clinic, which runs on Sundays from March through the Sunday before the marathon.

"We probably had 300 newbies this year, who drift in and out over the months," said Uyeda, a clinic group leader since 1993. "What we tell them is that pacing is important. Many of them do the Marathon Readiness Series, which is excellent training. It gets them used to being in a race.

"The clinic starts with a 4-mile run and we work up to 16 (miles). I get the most satisfaction out of seeing the progress they make from that first clinic, where they are wide-eyed over having to run 4 miles to seeing them at the finish line. That’s our graduation day."

Sunday will be the 64-year-old Uyeda’s 19th marathon.

"The goal is 20," he said. "All of us just want to finish."