Island Of Trials http://bit.ly/JrJ3SW

The island of Oahu has long been the land of warriors. Home to the warrior god Ku, it is said that the island is even haunted by the huaka’i po, the ghosts of ancient warriors called night marchers.

How fitting then that Dr. Hall during his days in the military, would train with five of his military peers to tackle the challenge of The Oahu Perimeter Run. Designed as a team relay race run in legs, the grueling event begins in the dead of night and finishes well into the next day. The course stretches a staggering 134 miles around the entirety of the volcanic island.

Setting The Stage

 In 1968 a contingent of New Zealand sailors docked their ship, the Blackpool, in Oahu. One thing led to another, as they always do. The New Zealand sailors after a series of hazy events, perhaps in the local pubs, had challenged the local runners club of Oahu to a race around the island. Despite being planned as a charity event the New Zealand sailors, with their flair for the dramatic, declared that the event would be “for blood or money”.

 Teams from all branches of the United States military, the Mid-Pacific Road Runners Club, and a hodgepodge team of civilians and reservist lead by Johnny Faerber answered the challenge from the sailors of the Blackpool. Starting at 3AM, during the first full moon in February, the race lasted 15 hours and Faerber’s ragtag crew claimed victory with Johnny running the anchor leg.

Kaena Point

The racecourse itself is broken into stages that are roughly run in alternating seven-mile legs by the teams of runners. The race has monitoring stations set up where teams check in periodically and hand off to their teammates. Traversing between the roads and beaches there is one stage of the race that must bear careful consideration, Kaena Point.

This portion of the race can only be run during daylight hours as it is treacherous and requires that the runners be able to judge their footing and path. There is a one-hour grace period so teams have to time when they are going to arrive at Kaena Point. If your team has to wait two hours because it arrived too early before sunrise, that team will only have one hour removed from their posted time and penalized the other hour. Dr. Hall stated that this was one of the most key elements to the team strategy of the race.

The Grandfather Of Endurance

Ironically, it was at the awards ceremony for the 1977 Oahu Perimeter Relay that birthed the original concept of the Ironman Triathlon. A heated debate developed between the Waikiki Swim Club and the Mid-Pacific Runners Club over which athletes had the superior physical conditioning, runners or swimmers.  In stepped Commander John Collins noting that a Belgian bicyclist had the highest reported VO2 Max, or oxygen capacity, of any recorded athlete that year and that it was truly cyclists who were the more rugged athletes.

After what can only be imagined as a lengthy discussion, it was determined that the only solution was a race that combined three annual races into one event. In order, it was to be; The Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 miles), Around Oahu Bike Race (115 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). This would resolve who could declare supreme athletic prowess. Commander Collins titled the race after the nickname of a local runner with a notorious reputation for being excruciatingly demanding during his workouts, The Ironman. While the Oahu Perimeter Relay is still the longest and oldest footrace on the island, it has the honor of being the great grandfather of the toughest sports relays in modern times.

The Spirit Of Oahu

When asked how he became involved in such a rugged endeavor as the Oahu Perimeter Relay, Dr. Hall sheepishly admitted that he had spent much of his time in Hawaii repelling, hitching rides on military helicopters, and being a little too “gung ho” for his own good. He and his fellow colleagues were apparently the most athletic team dentists on the entirety of the island.

Admittedly, Dr. Hall most enjoyed the legs of the race he ran at night. “It was very tranquil, just you and the island. The only soul to share the majestic experience with would be the occasional runner.” And the warrior spirit of Hawaii.

Dr. Andrew Hall is a Colorado Springs dentist who lived in Hawaii during his military career.  Bo Colen writes for e-Marketing Partner that provides web design in Greeley Colorado.