The 2001 Tahiti Nui Marathon
The first marathon of French Polynesia was held in 1971, during the 4th edition of the South Pacific Games. In 1981, the first international marathon was organized in Tahiti. From 1981 to 1985 this event was held in Tahiti's two districts of Papara and Pirae. In 1988 the marathon was moved and the Tahiti Nui Marathon International, held on the island of Moorea, was born.

Approximately eighty runners from the United States, forty runners from France, many from French Polynesia, and a number of runners from Asia and Europe journeyed to Tahiti to compete in the marathon, half-marathon, or 7K fun run on Moorea, one of Tahiti's beautiful islands. "Ia Ora, Maeva, and Manava," are the French Polynesians' words for "greetings and welcome" that upon arrival each visitor is indeed welcomed with, sung with accompaniment of guitar, drum, and ukulele, along with the presentation of the tiare, the national Tahitian flower. According to race director Vaitia Buchin, the goal of these events, held each year in February, is not only to promote the sport of running and fitness but equally important to showcase to the world the beauty and aura of Tahiti and Her Islands.

This year's marathon was held on February 10, started at 5 am (7 am Pacific time, 10 am Eastern time). A light rain was falling, and the temperature was in the low 60s. The early-morning rain shower was normal it seemed, at least for the few mornings leading up to the marathon. Whether this is common or not, it was of benefit to the runners knowing that uncomfortable marathon temperatures would not be a problem, at least during the early hours. It was evident that running is a pure form of sport and lifestyle in the islands.

This was illustrated most notably by the running of the marathon relay. Four hundred young runners, ranging from 11 to 15 years old, formed 19 teams with an average of 21 runners per team covering a 2km distance each. There was pure enjoyment on the faces of the young athletes.

The 7K fun run certainly lived up to its name. This event attracted many locals, some of whom were running for apparently no other reason than to be a part of the festivities and to be seen by their friends and family. A fair number of these friends had a great view of the race - on their bicycles moving alongside their favorite runners.

From the middle of the pack to the very back of the pack, the mode of running apparel ranged from tanks tops and running shorts to oversized football jerseys and basketball shorts. Some of the shorts stretched from the waist to below the knees. Running shoes ranged from brand names to well worn no-name athletic shoes to sandals to bare feet!

It should be noted that throughout the islands sandals are by far the most common form of footware worn by the locals in everyday life. They are worn casually for walking in the villages, very adeptly on hiking trails, and apparently quite comfortably running in a 7K road race.

In the marathon, twenty Americans completed the event. First American was Louis Tomsic (Honolulu HI) who finished 12th overall in 3:03:34. He was slightly disappointed with his time, citing the cooler temperatures. "You would think the weather in Tahiti is like Hawaii, but it's not. It's cooler. I like hot." Asked about his overall experience in the Tahiti Marathon, he replied, "This race is class, it is so Tahiti; it's awesome. The Tahitian people are very friendly, just like I knew they would be. You're running, and on the side of the road are people on their bikes, you wave to them. All Polynesian people are very friendly. I am coming back, without a doubt."

Judith Hernandez, from San Bernardino CA, ran the marathon with fellow Loma Linda club members Meri Butler and Lillian Miller. "What can I say about the view? It was gorgeous. In fact, Meri and I loved it so much we ran the half-marathon in the afternoon with our husbands! Our whole experience in Moorea was truly wonderful. We were well taken care of, our village was beautiful, and everyone was so nice." Second American male in the marathon was James Russell, another Californian. Because of his winning performance in the LA Marathon (3:02) he was awarded his trip to Tahiti. After cruising through the half-marathon mark in 1:30, he faded to a finish of 3:24:12. "I just wasn't ready today," Jim remarked with a smile on his face. "But the marathon is only part of the experience."

The finish area at Temae Beach was beautiful with lush greenery and bright colored flowers covered the finish stanchion. Lovely Polynesian girls adorned each male finisher with a lei, while handsome Polynesian young men did the same for each female finisher - and everyone received a kiss on both cheeks.

It was a long, ambitious day for the race organizers with the marathon starting at 5:00 am, the marathon relay at 1:30 pm, the 7K Fun Run at 4:00 pm, and lastly the half marathon at 4:10 pm. The first male marathoner to cross the finish line was Fumio Yamane of Japan in 2:32 53; Japanese Atsuko Sugawara made it a sweep, leading the women marathoners in her time of 3:04:57.

At approximately 7:30 pm the last of the half-marathon walkers finished at 7:30 pm, just as the awards ceremony began. A wonderful concert on Temae Beach by Polynesian artists followed, and the evening came to a climatic end with a brilliant fireworks display.

Although the running events had ended, the celebration continued the following afternoon with a fabulous Ahima'a feast - Tahitian Underground Oven. Tickets were available for purchase for those wanting to partake of traditional seafood and fruit native to the islands. The only utensils available were those to dish out the prepared food onto your plate. After that, you were on your own! It was a real finger-food feast in real Tahitian tradition. Following you were treated to an hour of traditional polynesian dances and music. The dances were performed by women only (o'te'a vahine), men only (o'te'a tane) or mixed (o'te'a) in a colorful array of various skirts, wraps, head pieces, necklaces, and feathers. The musicians accompanied the dancers on various drum and stringed instruments - a perfect finale.

American runners may make package travel arrangements through Way Beyond Travel in Los Angeles, CA. Tel 310-641-8673; toll-free 877-230-2495; fax: 310-342-0667; www.wayb.com; waybeyond@usa.com.

This is a web version of this article. For the complete story be sure to check out the May/June 2001 issue of Flroida Running & Triathlon.

Click here for more Tahiti Marathon photos.