Lee Cataluna’s column on the last Honolulu Marathon finisher is a great bit of writing that leaves you, well, feeling good (“Last person to finish marathon makes friends along the way”).
She tells the story of an 81 year-old visitor from Japan, Ayako Hayashi, and the assortment of people who saw her struggling to finish the marathon course and assisted her for the nearly six more hours it took her to reach the finish line.
We’ve watched the stragglers pass our house, often staggering or limping, and shake our heads wondering why they struggle on. These folks jumped in to help, assuring her safety, offering encouragement and assistance, then falling back so that she could cross the finish line alone. Total time, Cataluna reports, 16 hours, 23 minutes and 9 seconds.
It’s a short, simple story, very well told.
Thank you, Lee, for that glimpse of Hawaii’s people at their best.
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I was fortunate to see Ayako Hayashi as she made her way through Maunalua (Hawaii Kai). Those with her were so loving and caring in how they encouraged her while keeping her safe. It is one of my favorite 2017 holiday mental snapshot memories (…it also served as inspiration to dust off my walking shoes)!