'Great Aloha Run' Calls Out
to Mainland Kama'ainaNichi Bei Times - August 2004
Local boy (turned San Francisco supportive housing finance director) Daryl Higashi a few weeks ago invited the Two Japanee Bruddahs for an exclusive meeting with Hawai'i celebrity Carole Kai Onouye at Stacey Welsh's posh Outer Richmond mansion to learn more about the Great Aloha Run.
Okay, actually, Daryl invited our alter egos to a gathering of 20 people: Bruddah Kyle because he's on the board of the Hawai'i Chamber of Commerce of Northern California; Bruddah Keet because … well, he's just lovable. (Stacey having one posh mansion - dat part iz true.)
It turns out that Daryl's cousin, Randy Hiraki (he denies the blood relationship), is on the board of Carole's charity that organizes the Great Aloha Run. They wanted to reach out to kama'aina on the Mainland to see what the Hawai'i Chamber and groups like Global Pau Hana could do to promote the run in the Bay Area.
The Great Aloha Run and Carole Kai are household names in Hawai'i. The eight-mile fun run starts at Aloha Tower in downtown Honolulu and ends up at Aloha Stadium. (In case you wuz tinking dis: no, not everytin' in Hawai'i has one name dat starts wit "aloha".)
The entry fee of $25, or $18 for children under 13 and seniors, gets you an "in-training" t-shirt and then a finisher's t-shirt if you make it to the tape. A portion of the proceeds from the run is then donated to nonprofit organizations in Hawai'i.
Since 1985, the Carole Kai Charities has given more than five million dollars to over 100 non-profit organizations in the state, such as Catholic Charities Hawaii, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Girl Scout Council, Hawaii Services on Deafness, Special Olympics and the YMCA.
Carole, who volunteers hundreds of hours to run her charity and the Great Aloha Run, says her upbringing is what drives her continued efforts. She honors her late parents, Ethel Shimizu-Akamine and Larry Shimizu through her community service.
"My mother instilled in me the Hawaiian value of 'ohana' or taking care of one another," said Carole. "I try to live every day with that attitude. Up until the very end of his life, my dad was a loyal, hard-working Great Aloha Run volunteer. He supported me in all that I did."
Similar sentiments run through the countless volunteers, corporate sponsors, and participants in the run, which this past February celebrated its 20th anniversary. More than 20,000 people - running, jogging and walking - crossed the finished line.
The event has literally become part of people's lives. Mililani resident Curt Muramoto was 11 years old when he finished the first run in 1985 with his father Melvin. The father-son duo have been in every run since. "It was good when I was growing up because we always did things together," said Curt.
Rae Dean Tomihama, who had a kidney transplant last August after three years on dialysis, set her sights on the Great Aloha Run as her first goal after the operation. She finished the run in February in about two-and-a-half hours. He son and husband ran with her.
And there's more to the run than just the route. Participants get to pick up their numbers at the Great Aloha Run Family Fitness Expo featuring "physical fitness, financial fitness and everything in-between."
The past expo included Hawaii's Strongest Man Competition (Bruddah Kyle came in sixth place; Keet wasn't allowed to enter for his own safety), gymnastics, cheerleading, wrestling, healthy cooking and even speed dating. There's also a big party at the stadium after the run.
Carole and the run have a long and close relationship with the military in Hawai'i. "Their sacrifices are monumental and we thank them for fighting to preserve our freedom," said Carole. "We will miss the troops … and pray for their safe return."
The next Great Aloha Run takes place on President's Day, February 21, 2005. People who submit their entries postmarked by December 8 will receive an "in-training" t-shirt. Entries by mail will be accepted up to a February 4 postmark.
Even if you're not planning on going to Hawai'i for that weekend, you can still make a $25 donation by December 8 and receive the t-shirt, knowing that your entry fee will go to terrific charitable causes in the Aloha State.
Email Bruddah Keet at keith@twojapaneebruddahs.com for more information on how to donate. Carole provided the Hawai'i Chamber with t-shirts to distribute locally in the Bay Area.
For more information on the run, visit www.greataloharun.com.
(Oh, and a plug for Eddie Onouye, Carole's husband, who is managing partner of Body Mint, makers of a 100-percent natural pill, taken daily like a vitamin, that helps to reduce body odors including breath, underarm and foot odors. Check out www.bodymint.com.)
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Keith Kamisugi and Kyle Tatsumoto are da Two Japanee Bruddahs. Visit them on the Web at www.twojapaneebruddahs.com. Or e-mail them at wot@twojapaneebruddahs.com.
