Banana Chasing

I chased a banana around Ala Moana Park this morning.

True story.

I woke up before the sun rose (a difficult thing to do seeing as how the sun here rises unusually early), put on my trainers, and drove to Honolulu to participate in the fourth annual Jamba Juice BananaMan 5K.

I got the crazy idea last night as I was surfing the internet for summer running/swimming races in Hawaii.

This little banana race just caught my eye and I thought, why not? I have plenty of time during the day to take a nap (or two) and decided waking up at 5am wasn't that bad of an idea. Plus, the thought of running a Jamba Juice sponsored race sounded appealing and it would make my buddy Harmon (a Jamba crazed fool) very proud.

Runners. We're odd.

I arrived at Ala Moana Park around 6:15am and joined the throngs of other crazy runners heading for the registration tents. I paid my race-day registration fee (money went toward the Muscular Dystrophy Association - another good reason to run - a worthy cause), pinned badge #333 on the front of my tank, and curiously velcroed the timing chip to my ankle (a Hawaiian running thing, I suppose).

The running crowd was smaller than what I had expected. But thanks to a DJ pumping out dance party music, those of us weary folks who just moments ago were struggling to pin on our bibs were now energized and raring to go.

And then we were off.

Now, the premise of the race was to chase bananas. No, really. There were 6 or 7 runners wearing lightweight banana costumes (I say lightweight since most of them could easily out-run me and the thought of a person in a 60+ pound chicken-like banana suit beating me at a 3 mile race, is just, well, sad). I'm not too sure what was to happen if you actually "caught" one, but needless to say the race volunteers were over-enthusiastically cheering us to "catch" the bananas.

I never caught a running banana.

Nor in all honesty, did I even try. But the absurdity of the whole race kept me thoroughly entertained as I circled through the park breathing in the salty-ocean air and catching glimpses of the Pacific Ocean and my favorite Banyan trees while I "zoomed" by.

30 minutes and 3.1 miles later and the race for moui was finished.

I thankfully gulped down a few bottles of free water, grabbed two bananas (the fruit, not the runners), and headed for the Jamba Juice line. What would a Jamba sponsored race be without free Jamba Juice? Gotta love the perks of races - free food, free t-shirts, and course, paying money to run.

With my green-tea Jamba in hand, I strolled over to Waikiki beach and cooled off with a little morning dip in the ocean.

Not a bad finish to a fun banana-chasing race on the island.