Hawaii Pacific Health Great Aloha Run is the largest annual community footrace in the state of Hawaii and is the only race that solely raises money for Hawaii charities.
What drives people to wake up in the wee hours of the morning, on a holiday, and run 8.5 miles among a crowd of 15- to more than 20-thousand others?
We asked some of our seasoned race participants what motivates them to keep doing the annual Great Aloha Run.
Mr. Masuo Kino, Great Aloha Run Plank Owner (37-year Participant)
“I enjoy being fit, staying healthy! The Great Aloha Run is a culmination of a fitness regime: training throughout the year on the treadmill, walking at Hawaiian Memorial Park regularly, and completing the GAR in 2 hours and 25 minutes. Last year (2020) my daughter joined me, then my granddaughter. For 2021, 10 people joined me including relatives from Philadelphia!
So, I will keep walking, training and hope to complete the 38th Great Aloha Run and many more in the future.”
Renee Omori-Kudo, James B. Castle High School Great Aloha Run High School Challenge Coordinator
I want to give my students an opportunity to show school spirit, build relationships, and be healthy! Especially after this past year (2020), we need to help each other heal and focus on our well-being.
Johnathan Lyau, Great Aloha Run Plank Owner (37-year Participant)
37 years has flown by! The GAR is always something I plan my weekend around and I’ve done it each year because of the excitement and celebration I have with many of my fellow friends who also participate! It’s really a fun atmosphere from start to finish!
My two wins were exciting, but it’s just as exciting when my wife and son run it as they did last year! It was my son’s first GAR in 2020 and I look forward to having him with me each year as I continue the streak!
Ben Gutierrez, Hawaii News Now Reporter and Weather Anchor
The Great Aloha Run was my first timed, longer-distance event in 2012 and it was so much fun that I’ve done it every year since then. It’s not only fun, it’s also benefiting so many Hawaii organizations and the people they serve, so it’s even more important that I participate this year (2020) — even if I don’t get the taiko drummers beneath the H-1 airport viaduct!
Carolyn Kargol and Missy Lange, Great Aloha Run Plank Owners (37-year Participants)
We enjoy doing the Great Aloha Run because it gets us up and out to enjoy a beautiful (rain or shine) morning along with thousands of others. We do the GAR to support many local charities and to feel the true spirit of aloha. We have a tradition to walk down our street the night before and see the stadium all lit up knowing the many hands that work so hard to make it a successful event.
COWMAN AH MOO HA – Great Aloha Run Plank Owner (37-year Participant)
Living aloha through the Aloha Run!
