The runners of Team Hawaii turned in a dominant performance at the 2023 Hapalua, claiming the top seven positions of “The Chase” at Hawaii’s most prominent half marathon.

This year’s race marks the first victory in “The Chase” for Team Hawaii since Punahou’s Eri Macdonald won the event back in 2014.

In The Chase, the top local runners from Hawaii begin with a head start, with some of the best professional runners in the world tasked with chasing them down to the finish line. Five professional runners took part in this year’s race. Molly Seidel, Jessa Hanson, Jacob Thomson, Matt Llano represented the United States, with Japanese runner Yuichi Jumonji rounding out the chasers.

Aiea’s Zachary Lee crossed the finish line first with a time of 1:16:10, followed by runner-up Davis “Ku” Kaahanui of Waianae and third-place Michael Chin of Honolulu. Fellow Hawaii runners Carey Colbert, Gabi Bedlion, Mikayla Fujiwara, Bree Wee claimed the next four places.

Lee began the race with a 14-minute head start over Thomson, Llano and Jumonji, and a seven-minute head start on Seidel and Hanson.

The chasers put on a valiant effort despite the disadvantage.

Thomson finished the race with a blazing 1:04:58. Although Thomson finished with a quicker time than Lee, the win went to the first to cross the finish line. Thomson led all chasers with an eighth-place finish, followed by Hanson in 13th, Llano in 17th, Jumonji in 20th, and Seidel in 22nd.