City’s annual marathon enriches us in many ways

My son arrived home after a visit to the dentist a few weeks ago and announced that he had signed us up for the Honolulu Marathon. This summer we completed our first Tin Man Triathlon, but we had never run a full marathon. Martial arts training helps us maintain our cardio condition, but our morning runs to the top of Hahaione Valley weren’t meant to prepare us to replicate Phidippides’ historic effort to announce Greek victory against the Persians in the Battle of Marathon.

Almost 20,000 of us shared palpable exhilaration and anticipation while waiting at the starting line on Ala Moana Boulevard at 4:30 a.m. I wasn’t sure how long my son could keep up his lively pace when he began to pull away from me shortly after the gun. He is still 14 and had never run more than 10 miles. That pace lasted until mile 22 when he "hit the wall" and dropped to squat on the ground. Thinking his body was finished and starting to walk, a voice behind him said, "Hey, buddy. You look like you could run faster than me. Come on." He picked himself up again and raced to the finish line, completing the race in great time.

The Honolulu Marathon is filled with stories of people overcoming physical and mental barriers to become first-time "finishers" or to beat their personal records. People run to see what they are made of, to prove to themselves that they are not too young or too old to go the distance. They want to know that they can cross that finish line despite their cancer, their grief or their financial losses in a tough economy. A few elite runners compete to win and bring home a cash prize.

Reliably bringing in more than $100 million each year, this event is always a shot in the arm for Hawaii. Yet the marathon brings so much more to our island society than money. It opens the door to the power of possibility for individuals and for families, and cultivates generosity of spirit in our community.

Thousands fly to Oahu from throughout the world. Roughly two-thirds of the runners this year were from Japan. Our two great peoples have shared intense relations throughout history. As I ran among them I couldn’t help but think about Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, the 442nd and the 100th soldiers, and of Fukushima. Somehow, the long, gut-wrenching run put us all on a level playing field and reminded each of us that we are simply human.

The Honolulu Marathon is also as green as can be. In this age of global warming, the only footprints we made last Sunday were by taking one stride after the other toward the finish line.

Kudos to Dr. Jim Barahal, president of the annual event, organizers and volunteers who maintain the vision of the Honolulu Marathon and the wealth of health it brings to Hawaii every year.

Ira Zunin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., is medical director of Manakai o Malama Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global Advisory Services Inc. Please submit your questions to info@manakaiomalama.com.