Chad Rowan was born May 8, 1969 in Waimanalo, Hawaii.  Rowan relocated to Japan early in 1988, joining the Azumazeki stable.  He made his sumo debut under the name Akebono in March 1988.  On January 27, 1993, Akebono became the first ever foreign born wrestler to reach Yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo.

Akebono retired from sumo after 13 years with a record of 566-198, winning 11 tournaments, which ranks 7th All-time.

Hawaii Athletes Status: Alii, 2009

Duke Kahanamoku was born August 24, 1890 in Honolulu, Hawaii, the first of nine siblings.  He is best known as the “Father of modern Surfing” and winner of five Olympic swimming medals.  He was the first person to be inducted into both the Swimming Hall of Fame and the Surfing Hall of Fame.  Also, he is a member of the US Olympic Hall of Fame.

In the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, Kahanamoku won the gold medal in the 100m freestyle and the silver in the 4x200m relay. World War I canceled the 1916 Olympics, but during the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, he won gold medals in both the 100m freestyle and the 4x200m relay. He won his last medal in the 100m freestyle, finishing second in the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Kahanamoku travelled around the globe, delighting crowds with swimming and surfing exhibitions.  Many people believe that these exhibitions were the main cause for increased popularity with modern surfing.

Duke Kahanamoku has a statue located on Kuhio Beach in Waikiki.

Medal Breakdown:
1912 – Gold, 100m freestyle
1912 – Silver, 4x200m relay
1920 – Gold, 100m freestyle
1920 – Gold, 4x200m relay
1924 – Silver, 100m freestyle

Hawaii Athletes Status: Alii, 2009

Here are a few pieces of information that I picked up during my first ever Honolulu Marathon. Maybe it’ll help you prepare for yours. If not, hopefully it’ll give you a laugh.

1. 26.2 miles is ridiculously long.
2. Don’t listen to people who haven’t ran a marathon. Like Fabolous said, “If you ain’t never went through it you ain’t really into it.” In other words, they don’t know what they’re talking about.
3. You should run at least 22-26 miles during a week before running the actual marathon if you expect to run the entire race.
4. Vasoline and Gels are overrated.
5. Buy new shoes and anti blister socks.
6. Don’t use anything you haven’t trained with.
7. Here’s the order of how things got sore: Arms, feet and calves, hip flexors a while later, then hamstrings, thighs, and lower back quickly thereafter. Since I had only trained up to 12 miles a week, my whole lower body locked up at 12 miles. Every step I took after that felt like it could be the one that pulled a muscle or caught a cramp.
8. Running outside isn’t that much different than running on the treadmill with an incline set to 1.
9. Don’t plan to do anything for the rest of the day.
10. When you finish, it’s the greatest feeling ever.

This was my first experience running a marathon and I have to say that I severely overestimated my abilities.  I hope all of you crazy marathon newbies take some of my advice so that your first marathon experience won’t leave you bed-ridden for two days!

GOOD LUCK!!!