On Saturday morning, June 27th, 2009, the first Kaua'i Mayor-a-thon was held at Kapa'a Beach Park, with about 500 walkers, strollers, runners, and bicyclists enjoying over 4 miles of Ke Ala Hele Makalae under clear, sunny skies.
The Mayor-a-thon was a free event, coordinated by the County of Kauai, Kauai Path, and Get Fit Kauai, with the purpose of encouraging physical health and fitness in island residents and celebrating the completion of Ke Ala Hele Makalae Phase II, which was blessed and officially opened for the public on June 26th.
The ever-effervescent Bev Brody, island coordinator for Get Fit Kauai, and Bernard Carvalho, Kauai county mayor, led event participants in a pre-event warm-up. All participants received a free Mayor-a-thon tank-top, courtesy of the County of Kauai.
Feedback came to us from Mr. Kimo Rosen:
“The Mayor-a-thon was a great success! Great event…everything was awesome, free tank-t-shirts and water bottles for everyone, great healthy breakfast provided by Papayas and Sweet Marie’s, free coffee from Kauai Coffee and free energy drinks along with numerous door prizes from Subway, Borders, and Starbucks. There was a hula hoop contest, balloon contest, and fun for all. Healthy fun with exercise and healthy food, hundreds of people participated along with our mayor and his wife. The pedestrian trail is the best usage of taxpayer money ever on our cosmic island, the more trails the better and today showed wide support with a huge turnout. Mahalos Mr. Mayor...you have my vote if you decide to run again!”
Water stations were positioned in various locations along the route, and Kauai Path volunteers set up a bike corral so cyclists could leave their bikes in a secure location while they enjoyed the event festivities.
Kauai Path board members Bev Brody and Kathy Leonard did an amazing job leading the team of many volunteers who organized the event and arranged for the extra shirts and breakfasts required when registrations passed 700 just a few days before the event. The original registration goal was 300.
At the start of the event, Kauai Path board members Thomas Noyes, Randy Blake, and Mark Olson—aided by additional volunteers—directed bicyclists and then runners northward, and walkers southward, to minimize congestion as the hundreds of participants moved onto the path.
Participants of all ages and fitness levels enjoyed the event. Some mainland visitors even scheduled their vacation around it. Overall the volunteer planners of the Mayor-a-thon are proud to have staged a very successful event—one that that demonstrated and promoted widespread enthusiasm for Ke Ala Hele Makalae and the active transportation, physical health, and fitness that it encourages.
The event planners are already preparing for the next Mayor-a-thon in 2010, and expect to make it even bigger and better. Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 26, 2010 for that event.
Photos courtesy of Dennis Fujimoto at The Garden Island Newspaper and event volunteer Jodi Drisko.
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