POIPU — There are times it helps to have someone at your side.
For Vanessa Duterte, one of those times was Sunday morning in the Koloa Plantation Days Family Fun Run 5K.
And the person at her side was Au’rai Fitness owner, coach, and chief motivator, Jacob “Smilie” Punzal.
“I thought I wasn’t going to make it,” Duterte said. “Without him, I wouldn’t have made it. With him, I made it.”
That she and Punzal were last, taking places 224th and 225th, in 1 hours, 20 minutes and 43 seconds, doesn’t matter. What matters is that one, she started; and two, she finished her first race.
And yes, that’s a big deal because she has diabetes and hasn’t been a runner. But at Punzal’s suggestion, call it insistence, she signed up for the 5K.
“When he asked me about it, I said, ‘I don’t want to. I’m a diabetic,’” Duterte said.
Punzal wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“You can,” he said.
And she did.
It was hard, the Kapahi woman said, and she struggled to keep going.
“But then he waited for me and walked with me and I felt better,” she said. “His encouragement made me through.”
With her commitment to diet and exercise, Duterte was feeling good at the finish line and may not be done with this sport.
“I might do it again,” she said, smiling.
About 400 runners and walkers completed either a 10 miler, a 10K, a 5K, or a one-mile keiki run that are part of Koloa Plantation Days on a sunny but breezy and relatively cool morning.
The races offered a bit of everything: tough competition, beautiful scenery, great support, friendly faces and lots of finish-line smiles, hugs and handshakes, to go along with awards and refreshments.
Among those celebrating were Kasey Ozaki of Lihue and Tommy Vidinha of Kalaheo, who do some training together.
They swapped a joyous high-five as they recounted their races, which went better than expected.
Ozaki finished second overall in the women’s field of the 10K, with a time of 48 minutes and 45 seconds.
Her runs of late have been a bit slower, she said, because she’s pregnant and she and husband Todd are expecting their baby in December. But Kasey has continued running and plans to run the Kauai Half Marathon on Sept. 2 before taking a break.
Sunday, she proved she’s still very much fleet of feet.
“I felt really good,” she said. “Racing instincts took over.”
Same for Vidinha.
“I felt really good,” he said.
He was expecting to finish in the 1 hour, 40 minute range for 10 miles but ripped off a time of 1:31:17.
“She said 1:30 and I did it,” said Vidinha, who plans to run the full Kauai Marathon.
Such was his spirit and strength on Sunday that on the hills of the course, which he has walked sometimes in past races, he kept charging.
“No sense walking,” he said. “I’m feeling good. Just do a slow run, hit the flat, and take it home.”
The overall winner of the 10 miler, Dennis Keith of Fircrest, Wash., did just that. He cruised, literally, to first place in a time of 1 hour and 8 seconds.
The Curtis High School graduate will be attending Olympic College, where he’ll be running cross country and track. So while vacationing on Kauai, he decided to get in a solid training run with the Koloa Plantation Days Family Fun Run.
On the second half of the race, as Keith was returning well ahead of the field, he was smiling, waving and encouraging runners still heading out.
“I was just cruising and having a good time,” he said.
Winning was a nice bonus.
“It’s pretty special. I’ll remember it for a long time,” he said. “I had a lot of fun with it.”
Kawaihoola Curnan of Kalaheo was second overall with a time of 1:06:56. He’s been training hard for the Kauai Marathon and it showed on Sunday.
“Trying to get faster every race, that’s all,” he said. “Try to keep going, get stronger and don’t get injured.”
It was a fast pace early and a group formed behind Keith. Eventually, Curnan broke away and held off Matthew Crownover of Sunnyvale, Texas, who finished in 1:07:03.
“At the end, give a little kick, whatever you got,” Curnan said.
Kauai women swept the top three spots in the 10 miler.
Dawn Worley of Kilauea was first in 1:09:03, followed by Melanie Cunningham of Kalaheo in 1:16:50 and Leigh Hicks of Anahola in 1:19:11.
Another woman who finished well and with much joy was Teza Pacol of Lihue, who joined hands with friend Lei Cadiz as they completed the 10K in just over an hour and 9 minutes.
Last year Pacol finished the 5K on crutches after spraining her ankle a few days before the race while working out at Au’rai Fitness
“I wasn’t going to give up and said I was going to do it anyway,” she said.
And while it wasn’t easy, it wasn’t too bad, either, Pacol said.
“I wasn’t the last,” she added with a smile.
Healthy and fit again this year, Pacol took on the 10K. No crutches, this time, either.
“It’s easier,” she said. “It feels good. When you love to run, you just have to run.”
••• Bill Buley, editor-in-chief, can be reached at 245-0457 or bbuley@thegardenisland.com.
