TS Restaurants to Sponsor XTERRA Kapalua Trail Runs

Photo Courtesy XTERRA.

By Sonia Isotov

TS Restaurants has been selected as the new title sponsor for the XTERRA Kapalua Trail Runs being held October 22, in conjunction with the XTERRA World Championship on October 23.

After 15 years in the Wailea/Makena area, the XTERRA World Championship moves to Kapalua and is the pinnacle event of more than 100 off-road triathlons held in 14 countries, and brings more than 600 athletes to Maui. Last year’s field represented 30 countries and 35 states.

In conjunction, the Kapalua Train Runs will feature a new title sponsor in TS Restaurants and four new Kapalua Trail Runs:

Hula Grill XTERRA 5K Trail Run
Duke’s Beach House XTERRA 10K Trail Run
Kimo’s XTERRA Keiki Run
Leilani’s XTERRA Run Course and Leilani’s Run Prime Awards

“We at T. S. Restaurants are pleased to support such a world class organization as XTERRA on our home turf in West Maui,” said Ross Anderson, Vice President of Hawaii Operations for T S Restaurants, in a written statement. “We feel like our beachfront restaurants are a natural fit for the XTERRA athletes and their families.”

The Hula Grill XTERRA 5K Trail Run and Duke’s Beach House XTERRA 10K Trail Run are open to runners of all ages and skill levels, and online registration is available at http://www.xterraplanet.com/maui/mauiTrailRun.html.

This is the first year these trail runs will be staged in Kapalua, and the runners will go from the beach, up to the mountains, and back to the beach.

Photo Courtesy XTERRA.

The male and female winners of the Duke’s Beach House XTERRA 10K Trail Run will each receive a round-trip airfare to Hawaii from the West Coast, courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines. The male and female winners of the Hula Grill XTERRA 5K Trail Run will each receive a pair of XTERRA footwear. Medals and other prizes will also be awarded to the top age-group finishers in both races.

These two trail runs will also serve as a benefit for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maui organization. In addition, a Paul Mitchell cut-a-thon will be held at the site of the race. Runners and their families can get their hair cut by professional Paul Mitchell stylists, with donations benefitting the Challenged Athlete Foundation.

The Kimo’s XTERRA Keiki Run is for boys and girls ages 10 and younger. It is free. Race distances will vary from 100 yards to 1 kilometer, depending on the age of the child.

The Leilani’s XTERRA Run Course will be part of the XTERRA World Championship triathlon. The Leilani’s Run Prime Awards will go to the competitors with the fastest times on the Leilani’s XTERRA Run Course during the triathlon. Gift certificates from Leilani’s restaurant will be awarded to the fastest male and female in three categories – professionals, age-group amateurs, and Maui residents – for a total of six certificates.

File photo.

At last year’s XTERRA World Championship triathlon, French professionals Nicolas Lebrun (men) and Marion Lorblanchet (women) posted the fastest run splits on the 12-kilometer course. Lebrun had a time of 44 minutes, 1 second, while Lorblanchet posted a time of 48:39. The fastest age-group amateurs were Fred Smith of Tennessee and Elizabeth Orchard from Australia, while the fastest Maui-resident competitors were Joseph Alueta of Lahaina and Rebecca Woodburn of Kahului.