Candice Box
Joyful, enthusiastic and wise, Candace was so committed to her personal training that she rarely missed a workout, doing them on her own even when she was unable to attend our sessions because of her busy work schedule. She introduced her husband, Isaac, to the group and he taught us the principles and practice of Yin Yoga—a way of gentle, pain-free stretching that Candace had been using to correct postural imbalances in her running.
Shawna Ryan
A dedicated mother of a youngster, Shawna was able to hold her commitment to training in perspective with her family duties. A writer by profession, she was okay with the solitary pursuit of training on her own when necessary. She had recently trained for and completed the Honolulu Marathon with little programmatic support, and was enthusiastic about taking another step, training for the Hapalua half marathon in our program.
Colette Corbin
Colette started a couple weeks late, but used patience and a clear vision of her fitness goals to gradually and persistently get in shape during the training. A little faster than Ada, she nonetheless was willing to keep her company for the sake of group process and support. Another recent BC veteran, Colette was courageous enough to articulate difficult ideas even though she knew The Coach might be critical of her thinking.
Ada-Marie Pollard
Our slowest athlete (at 18-minutes per mile), Ada demonstrated a constant willingness to apply her knowledge to her training, using her heart rate monitor, for instance, to adjust her pace to an optimal level so she could finish long workouts on hilly courses with an ease that belied her conditioning at the start of the training. A veteran of several other hybrid BC Endurance programs, Ada was a veteran in our system and an inspiration to us all.
Sheri Fitzgerald
Our fastest athlete and one of our most experienced, Sheri was eager to learn new ideas to improve her racing ability. She had no compunction about revealing her weaknesses, whether with her footfall or prerace mental preparation. She trained as an elite athlete, doing off-day workouts on her own, and enjoying it all, including the program mid-workout stretching and core strengthening exercises. Sheri was focused and competitive, but also supportive of her teammates.
Maiju Kutty
A leader in every way, Maiju was always willing to share his experience and knowledge of training and racing, offering fresh perspectives that enlightened and motivated us to learn more. Caring and humble, he put the interests of the group ahead of his own ego, accepting new ideas even if they contradicted his own. In the process, Maiju learned as much about training and racing as he shared with us. No one served the group as much as he.
Mark Valencia
A veteran of Brian’s recent marathon training programs when he was at his best, Mark found it difficult going uphill with the added weight he was carrying during this training. A hard-working lawyer and a dedicated military man, he fit his training in as well as he could, knowing how important his personal fitness would be to raising a second family with a new and younger wife. Initially motivated primarily to get in shape for the military fitness test, he incorporated half-marathoning as well.
Karen Kau
A novice at the start of the pandemic, Karen had done two virtual marathons by the time she entered this program. Unassuming by nature, she was our most coachable athlete, working constantly on her stride and her pacing as she garnered the endurance to hang with the stronger ladies. Throughout, Karen was willing to share her experience, her frailties, and knowledge, all with a humble attitude but an inherent aplomb and constant smile.
Evelyn Chock
The only one in the group who wasn’t able to train with us on the weeknights, Evelyn was invariably there in person on the weekend runs, bringing a smile on her face and an eagerness for learning a new game that she obviously loved playing. Where others may have dropped out, she surprised the coach with her dedication to the training and the races, not to mention her family, including her high-school-age son who had recently picked up the running bug, too.
