Scherf has distance running down to a science

Lindsey Scherf enters Sunday’s Honolulu Marathon fresh off a record-setting, half-marathon victory and just a few days of rest.

The 30-year-old broke the women’s half-marathon record at the Dec. 4 Singapore Marathon, finishing the 13.1-mile course in 1 hour, 14 minutes and 27 seconds. Several days later, she caught a 17-hour flight from Singapore to Manila to Honolulu for tomorrow’s 26.2-mile race.

It’s a quick turnaround, but Scherf is ready. She understands the science behind the sport, examined times from last year, looking at mile splits and figuring out what her body needs to do. Scherf’s cerebral approach to running reflects her background, an independent consultant who works in the wearables industry combining athletics, science and technology.

Diagnosed as dyslexic as a child, her peers didn’t think she’d attend college. When Duke didn’t grant early acceptance, Scherf applied to Harvard and completed her undergraduate work in psychology while running there. She completed her graduate work in kinesiology at Michigan.

“I think my main thing is try to go and run with an effort within myself, think about what I can maintain for the duration of time it takes me to complete a marathon,” Scherf said.

A late addition to the race, Scherf initially didn’t have Honolulu in her racing plans. But she feels comfortable running in Honolulu’s heat and humidity. Coming from Singapore, where she recently relocated, Honolulu’s weather isn’t much different to what she’s trained in.

“Racing in heat and humidity is a competitive equalizer for me,” Scherf said. “I run very strong in those conditions. A lot of people tack on minutes to their times. In all my races, I like to perform as well as possible and finish as highly as I can against top-flight competition. For me, I show my best colors in heat and humidity so that swayed my selection.”

Scherf’s approaching the 5 a.m. start as an evening race, rather than a morning race. Her routine for evening races is to sleep 13 to 14 hours the night before and wake up after lunch. After midnight, she does what she calls a “shake-out run” to get ready.

“I’ve worked on products with biomechanics and physiology, and studies have shown that you’re actually in a sort of a body temperature and hormonal status for peak athletic performance about 12 hours after you’ve been awake,” she explained.

Running and her inquisitive nature have interwoven into her athletic and professional pursuits. She does consulting work in the wearables industry, a sector that includes devices like FitBits and sensors that gauge athletic performance and injuries. The work encompasses her passion for running and her background in psychology, kinesiology and physiology.

“You can think something but then when you enact it, it turns on extra ‘aha’ moments and you can really sort of integrate theory into practice,” Scherf said. “With some of the products I’ve been working on, wearables, it’s advantageous to straddle both being someone who understands the science but also someone who can implement the utility of it.

“You collect all this data on how someone moves and the psychology of it but then you have to have the practical application, a little bit of knowledge of psychology and not just physiology.”

A connection to Hawaii gave Scherf incentive to return this week. Her great aunt lived here until 100 years old, and Scherf visited the state twice during her childhood. Scherf’s mother would tell her about the excitement of visiting Hawaii as a 6-year-old.

“I stayed up (after landing in Honolulu) and as I saw the sun rise, I saw the view of Diamond Head and I was jumping up and down and shrieking and I woke up all my family,” Scherf said. “I’m like ‘look, look,’ it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in the entire world. I know we’ll be running by that in the race twice. I’m enthusiastic about the race.”

Two-time champion Joyce Chepkirui of Kenya isn’t in this year’s field. Since last December’s win, she placed third at the Boston Marathon and fourth in the New York City Marathon.

Buzunesh Deba, a 29-year-old Ethiopian living in the Bronx, will make her Honolulu debut. She was one of the favorites for November’s New York City Marathon but dropped out after 15 miles. Deba has five top-10 finishes in New York, including runner-up finishes in 2011 and 2013. She finished seventh at April’s Boston Marathon, and was promoted to the 2014 Boston champion and course record-holder after winner Rita Jeptoo was disqualified for doping.

Brigid Jepcheschir Kosgei of Kenya makes her Honolulu debut behind runner-up finishes at the Lisbon and Milan marathon. She also won two half-marathons this year.

China’s Zhang Yingying and Japan’s Eri Okubo return to Honolulu. Zhang placed fourth last year and has two top-three finishes in marathons this year. The 33-year-old Okubo finished sixth here in 2011 and ninth in 2014.

Louder fireworks expected

Marathon officials are advising the public of louder than usual fireworks at Sunday’s 5 a.m. start. A projected lack of tradewinds won’t carry the sound away from land.

HONOLULU MARATHON

When: Sunday, 5 a.m.

Where: The 26.2-mile route starts from Ala Moana to Kakaako to downtown and continues through Ala Moana, Waikiki, Diamond Head, Kahala and into East Honolulu. Runners turn around in Hawaii Kai and head back to finish line at Kapiolani Park.

Registration: Walk-in registration at marathon expo at Hawaii Convention Center. Expo runs today through Saturday at 5 p.m.

Traffic: Advisory on closures and detours at http://808ne.ws/2h4Z9fo

Online: honolulumarathon.org