BY DR. TARCISIUS KABUTAULAKA
TWO Solomon Islander women ran last Sunday’s 2024 Honolulu Marathon. They were Dr. Tammy Tabe and Fiorenzo Toncan, who became the first Solomon Islanders to participate in the annual event. This year it love attracted 36,122 participants from allover the world – the most participants since it started in 1995.
Dr. Tabe, from Wagina in the Choiseul Province, is an assistant professor in the Department of Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM). She ran the full marathon, a 26.2 mile (42 km) course from downtown Honolulu to Hawaii Kai, ending at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki.
Fiorenzo from Choiseul and Malaita Provinces is a second year MSc student in Nutritional Sciences. She ran the shorter 6.2 miles (10km) event.
Dr. Tabe is not new to Honolulu. She graduated with an MA in Pacific Islands Studies at UHM in 2011 before going to the University of Bergen in Norway where she completed a PhD in social anthropology in 2016.
“I have always wanted to run the Honolulu Marathon since I participated in the 10km for the Suva [Fiji] Marathon in 2018. It was something I wanted to do since I first heard about it when I was a student at UHM. I moved to Hawaiʻi in 2022, so I signed up for the 10km in 2022 and then the half marathon in 2023,” Dr. Tabe said.
This year she signed up for the full marathon. However, she admitted she, “had not been training, but during the week of the marathon, I decided that I should run the 10km with Fio, because it was her first time, and I had experienced how lonely it can be if you are on your own. I wanted to be there to support her, but instead it inspired me to do the full marathon.”
Dr. Tabe also said she had wanted to do the full marathon by the time she was 40-years-old. “I am 40 this year so it’s a great personal accomplishment for me.”
Fiorenzo said she first learned about the Honolulu Marathon when she came to Hawaiʻi in 2022. Her journey to participating in the event started “with realizing over the summer break that sometimes I did nothing with my evenings, so I decided to start walking/running . . . Shortly after that, I wanted to do run the Honolulu Marathon. I thought, why not?”
She started preparing in mid-September, running three to four times-a-week, starting with one mile and building up to 4 to 5 miles by November. “It’s my first time to ever do a marathon. I don’t think I ever run prior to 2024. Being a first timer I decided to do the shorter track – the 10km/6.2 miles.”
Dr. Tabe said she was motivated by, “The excitement from Fio participating in her first marathon inspired me to do the full marathon. It almost felt like a need for the experience, so it helps me share with other Pacific Islanders, in particular, students like Fio to prepare and anticipate in it. To share the experience that while it looks like a strenuous race, it can be made into a fun experience and encourage more participation from the Pacific Islands community.”
She said participating in the marathon taught her, “patience and endurance, and how to be gentle with myself when I’m running, and to run based on my capacity and pace.” She advised future participants to, “Treat it just like a long run without being pressured that it’s a marathon. This helps keep you calm and not nervous, because nervousness uses up a lot of energy.”
Dr. Tabe said, “Marathons are often described as daunting because of the distance, and not everyone likes or enjoys running. However, one doesn’t have to run the full marathon; you can also walk. I see it as a great way of building community and sharing the experience with those who may only get to do it once in their lifetime. Anyone can do a marathon and make it a creative and fun experience. It is also an important way to stay fit and to take care of our bodies and well-being.”
“I would encourage women and young people at home [Solomon Islands] to try and participate in these events when they get an opportunity.”
Dr. Tabe said, “running and completing the full marathon was a great accomplishment as a Solomon Islander, but also as a woman. It is transformative especially mentally and in terms of being mindful of how I take better care of myself and wellbeing. Running is also therapeutic.”
Meanwhile, Fiorenzo suggests furture Solomon Islands students to Hawaiʻi should consider doing the marathon. “Hawaii is such a beautiful place to do it, with great running places. It’s one of those things you can do to take a break from studying, and it’s a plus because it is a good leisure activity. And you get a medal for completing it. The satisfaction is great.”
Dr. Tabe and Fiorenzo said they will participate again in next year’s Honolulu Marathon.
This year, 39 percent of the participants were Hawaiʻi residents while 60 percent were visitors.
The race was won by 26-year-old Yemane Haileselassie from Eritrea who bagged the US$25,000 first-place prize plus a $1,000 bonus for breaking 2:12:00. He edged Kenya’s Reuben Kerio to the finish line by 17 seconds. Kerio was leading the race up to the halfway point.
