Sept. 8 Races To Help Windward Clubhouse

Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii's Windward Clubhouse welcomes all ages for its Sept. 8 annual benefit: a Half Marathon/5K and Keiki Race in Kailua. Three-year-olds in the 2012 keiki 100-yard dash (left) gave it their all. Photo from Maureen Purington.

The Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii – Windward Clubhouse will conduct its annual “Holokiki O ‘Alele,” Sept. 8, beginning at its headquarters on the Kailua Intermediate School campus.

The fundraiser includes the Windward Half Marathon, a 5K race and the Keiki 100-yard Dash. The half marathon starts at 6 a.m. followed by the 5K at 6:20 and the Keiki Dash at 8:30 a.m.

Race director Carole Iacovelli anticipates their largest turnout yet as 600 to 700 runners are expected. Fee is $45 for the half marathon, $30 for the 5K, and $15 for the keiki dash, which is for children ages 3 to 5.

“We want to thank the community for sharing the roads with our runners between 6 and 9:30 a.m.,” Iacovelli added.

For more information, call 263-0555 or visit bgchwindward.wordpress.com.

Sponsors this year include Castle Medical Center, Monsanto, SoulTrex, Be Fit Kailua and Sunrise Construction. All proceeds will go to programming at the Windward Clubhouse, which offers its members (ages 7 to 17) a variety of sports, arts, tutoring, leadership opportunities – or just a welcome, safe place to hang out. About 500 area children now are members, paying $1 per year in dues.

The Windward Half Marathon began in 1980 as a way to build relations between Kailua residents and Marines at Kaneohe Marine base. This is the eighth year that proceeds will benefit the Windward Clubhouse.