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During cross country season, Kristen Imada is out on the course cheering for her runners. Unbeknownst to Imada, her ‘Iolani runners volunteered at the aid stations on Sunday and cheered for their coach when she ran by.
“I think it’s great for them to see me run, to cheer me on,” said Imada, a pharmacist and the top female kamaaina finisher in 3:21:21. “I think that serves as a good role model for them, but that pushes me a lot harder when I see them and they’re so excited to cheer me on and see me, which is what I do for them at their race. It’s very good to see the roles changed.”
Imada, the 26th female finisher, set a personal record for the Honolulu course and capped off a year in which she competed at the Boston and Chicago marathons.
“It’s an honor to make it to those kind of marathons — being in that setting, it’s unbelievable. You’re with top, elite, passionate runners.”
Zach Lee, a dentist from Aiea, won the kamaaina men’s award with a personal record 2:48. He said the heat didn’t bother him.
“I think the wind was more noticeable than the heat,” he said.
This was Lee’s 10th marathon. He has run Boston and Chicago, and Honolulu eight times.
Not bad for a guy who didn’t run cross country or track in high school at ‘Iolani, where he played soccer.
