How did the Perimeter Run Start?
A2. To be accurate, the first Oahu Perimeter Relay was more than 31 years ago. In 1968, sailors of the New Zealand ship Blackpool, docked for a time in Honolulu, challenged the Oahu running community to a race around the island “for blood and money” – a fundraiser for charity. The challenge was taken up by teams from the Army, Navy, and Marines, as well as two teams from Mid-Pacific Road Runners Club: a civilian team and a military reserve team headed by Johnny Faerber. The race started at 3 am from Pearl Harbor, and the first runner crossed the finish line exactly 15 hours later. Johnny Faerber’s team won the first event and he ran the anchor leg! During the first running of the race, all legs were 7 miles. Since then, the race has been refined and improved, and has also weathered a few storms including a flood, a washout at Kaena Point, and cancellation a couple of years during the ’80s due to lack of insurance coverage.
