Issued to Level Renner FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, September 2, 2012

Contact: Robin Jumper  at tyzaconsulting@gmail.com or (808) 635-­3053

2012 Kauai Marathon & Half Boasts Largest Field in Race History McCandless Repeats as Champion, Ely Breaks Women’s Record September 2, 2012

Start of the 2012 Kauai Marathon (photo credit: Jo Evans Photography, dakineimages.com)

The 4th Annual Kauai Marathon and Half Marathon featured almost 2,000 participants finishing in beautiful Poipu Beach. Kauai residents led the charge with 553 runners, the most ever in the event’s four-­‐year history. Beyond great local participation, the race proved to be a world-­‐class destination event as it featured 1,829 participants represented by 45 states, Puerto Rico and DC, as well as 15 countries.

The men’s marathon was controlled from the beginning by defending champion Tyler McCandless, barely missing his own course record and finishing in 2:23:52. McCandless, from Boulder, CO battled hills, slim competition and high humidity to grab his second victory. After his win McCandless said, “Last year I came to the Garden Isle of Kauai with a goal of winning the race. I ended the day with a win and course record. Today I ran as best I could and came up just off my course record, but did not come up short of an incredible experience. The aloha spirit of the race is unrivaled, and I’m very proud to be a two-­‐time Kauai Marathon Champion.”

2012 Female Champion Brett Ely (photo credit: Jo Evans Photography, dakineimages.com)

On the women’s side Brett Ely of Natick, MA smashed the women’s marathon course record by over 15 minutes finishing in 2:46:02. She was challenged by recent San Francisco Marathon champion, Devon Crosby-­‐Helms, who finished in 2nd with a time of 2:49:28. Ely stated, “This was the most challenging marathon course that I have run, but the most rewarding. The community support and aloha along the course was amazing with event volunteers, as well as residents in neighborhoods cheering on the runners. “

The men’s Half Marathon was won by Troy Harrison of Waterfall, PA with a time of 1:15:15 while the women were led by repeat champion Emily Shertzer of Jonestown, PA with a time of 1:21:19. Both Harrison and Shertzer were part of the Team National Guard, which had over 80 runners in the event.

Kauai’s top finishers were Mark Bogner and Brook Sugahara for the full marathon and Jordan Kahawai and Chelsea Smith-­‐Wishard for the half marathon.

Endurance sports celebrity Dean Karnazes and Runner’s World’s Chief Running Officer Bart Yasso were both on hand for the week’s festivities handing out tips and inspiration to all the runners. Yasso believes The Kauai Marathon is one of the best destination events because of the accessibility to his fellow running community through the Expo, pre race fun run and the finish line party. He loves the personal connections he makes and always looks forward to meeting the people of Kauai.

2012 Kauai Marathon Champion Tyler McCandless (photo credit: Jo Evans Photography, dakineimages.com)

Several sponsors made the event possible including: County of Kauai, Kauai Visitors Bureau, Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, Fresh Point, Kauai Coffee, Kalapaki Joe’s, Kauai Heritage Properties, Poipu Beach Resort Association and Holo Holo Boat Tours. Many other local businesses assisted by providing volunteer lunches, accommodations and supplies for the medical tent.

Over $7,000 was generously donated to numerous local non-­‐profit groups volunteering for race day activities. Niumalu Canoe Club, Kalaheo Elementary School, Koloa Elementary School, Kapaa High School Project Grad and the Waimea High School Project Grad are just a few. Other non-­‐profit groups attended the event including Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s ‘Team N Training” and A-­‐T. Collectively they raised over $270,000 for their respective charities.

To register for this world-­‐class event, The 5th Annual Kauai Marathon for September 1, 2013, visit www.thekauaimarathon.com.

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