Family, assisting others help motivate Muindi
By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer
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Five-time Honolulu Marathon winner Jimmy Muindi would be nowhere without his wife's beef soup.
Muindi — a self-professed family man — said he does better in races when he eats his wife Lucy's cooking and when he is able to be with Lucy, daughter Stella, 12, and son Kevin, 7.
To be away from them is draining, and for them to be in Honolulu is "a morale boost." It helped him last year when he won his third in a row.
They are back again to cheer on Muindi, who will have a chance to earn $40,000 as the winner — nearly three times the previous prize of $15,000.
"My family is happy, if I win money, and it's before Christmas so I can get gifts," he said.
Some of his winnings also would go to his community in Nairobi, Kenya, where he runs a family farm, producing milk, corn, and beans, and employs other residents.
Muindi helps out four orphans, and directs a running club where he provides food, clothing and training to 10 teenagers "who don't have anything" and aspire to be like him.
"My victory is a victory for many," he said. "In our country, as long as somebody has a life better than others, we assist the others. I'm just happy, It's a gift, and I give God the glory."
He hopes to turn his dedication to community service into a possible career after he is no longer competing.
"Some people ask me to elect me to be one of their leaders in one way or the other," he said. "I tell them to wait, because I'm still in my career. They normally trust me very much. I'm planning later, to get into politics."
Muindi trains in Kenya, where he is his own coach, and coaches his brother Nicholas Muindi and teammate Eric Nzioki. Both also will be in Sunday's race. He chooses to fly the 40-plus hours to Honolulu to compete, as opposed to training in the United States.
He counts Honolulu as his "second home." It is one of two marathons, along with Chicago, that he automatically puts on his list of three races each year.
It is the site of his first marathon, his first win, and where he holds the course record of 2 hours, 11 minutes and 12 seconds, set in 2004. He was inducted into the Honolulu Marathon Hall of Fame in 2003.
Running in Honolulu — his final race of the year — helps him test his level of conditioning for other races.
"If I run in Honolulu, that gives me a lot of confidence when I run another marathon," he said. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to fly."
He said the humidity, winds and hilly course in Honolulu make it "one of the hardest courses," which helps him to "build my mind and body.
"That's why if you don't know much about the course and you run it the first time, it can punish you," said Muindi, who was the pacesetter in 1993 and has run the race every year since. "But me, I know it."
His lifetime goal is to run a sub-2:06 marathon, and Honolulu helps him.
"If I run 2:11 here, I can go in the same shape and do 2:06 or 2:05 somewhere else," he said.
Muindi also is a student of the mental aspects of running and uses his knowledge of the course to his advantage.
"I like to test the guys," he said. "I'm tired like them, but I want to test the guys to know their level. I try to take the pace a little bit high. If you are tough, I try to run close to you. I listen to your breathing, I listen to your steps. Because if you get tired, you shorten your steps.
"Before I make a move, I'll make sure A and B and C (his closest competitors) are out."
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STARS TO SIGN AUTOGRAPHS
Actors and University of Hawai'i football players will sign autographs at The Honolulu Marathon Expo at the Hawai'i Convention Center, 1801 Kalakaua Ave. The expo — open from Wednesday through Saturday — drew more than 62,000 people last year. Actors who will be signing autographs will be "Lost" actress Yunjin Kim (Friday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.), "Lost" actor Naveen Andrews (Saturday 2 to 4 p.m.), and actress Kelly Hu (Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.). Football players will be Leonard Peters, Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullins. The session is free and will be held Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Pictured autograph cards will be made available for free. Peters and Bess are all-Western Athletic Conference first-team selections. The Honolulu Marathon starts at 5 a.m. on Dec. 10, beginning at the intersection of Ala Moana Boulevard and Queen Street extension. Here is their schedule of events: FRIDAY Honolulu Marathon Expo, Hawai'i Convention Center, 1801 Kalakaua Ave. Mandatory packet pickup; Late entry registration, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Expo courtesy shuttle: Waikiki/Hawai'i Convention Center: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Legends of Running autograph session, at Convention Center. 10 a.m. to noon. (Frank Shorter, Kip Keino, Meb Keflezighi, Patti Dillon, Carla Beurskens, Ian Stewart, Greg Meyer, Alberto Salazar, Cosmas Ndeti) Univesity of Hawai'i football players Leonard Peters, Davone Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullins, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., at Convention Center. Actress Yunjin Kim ("Lost") autograph session, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., at Convention Center. Souvenir Sales, Kapi'olani Park noon to 9 p.m. Clothing check-in, Kapi'olani Park, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Honolulu Marathon concert/luau Jake Shimabukuro and Gavin DeGraw at Waikiki Shell; gates open at 4 p.m., concert begins at 6:30 p.m. Food service ends at 7:15 p.m. Honolulu Marathon Expo, Hawai'i Convention Center, 1801 Kalakaua Ave. Mandatory packet pickup; Late entry registration, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Expo courtesy shuttle Waikiki/Hawai'i Convention Center: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Kelly Hu (movie/TV actress) autograph session, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Naveen Andrews ("Lost" actor) autograph session, 2 to 4 p.m., at Convention Center. Souvenir Sales, Kapi'olani Park 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Clothing check-in, Kapi'olani Park, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bus transportation to start area, Kapi'olani Park. 2 to 4 a.m. Honolulu Marathon start, 5 a.m., Queen Street extension near Ala Moana Beach Park. Race Day Walk, start, 5:25 a.m., Queen Street extension near Ala Moana Beach Park Finish line/area services, Kapi'olani Park, 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free concert at Kapi'olani Bandstand 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring Jake Shimabukuro Awards ceremony, Kapi'olani Park Bandstand, 1 p.m. Souvenir sales, Kapi'olani Park 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. Finisher certificate pick-up, Kapi'olani Park 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Souvenir sales, Kapi'olani Park 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Souvenir sales, Kapi'olani Park 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
TOP MEN'S CONTENDERS
JIMMY MUINDI
Age: 33
Country: Kenya
Lifetime best: 2:07:49 (Rotterdam 2005)
Best Honolulu Marathon finish: First (1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005)
2005 finish: First (2:12:00)
Bib number: 1
MBARAK HUSSEIN
Age: 41
Country: United States
Lifetime best: 2:08:10 (Seoul, 2004)
Best Honolulu Marathon finish: First (1998, 2001, 2002)
2005 finish: Second (2:15:06)
Bib number: 2
ERIC NZIOKI
Age: 28
Country: Kenya
Lifetime best: 2:10:34 (Zurich, 2005)
Best Honolulu Marathon finish: First (1998, 2001, 2002)
2005 finish: Third (2:16:24)
Bib number: 3
NICHOLAS MUINDI
Age: 23
Country: Kenya
Lifetime best: 2:15:59 (Dubai, 2004)
Best Honolulu Marathon finish: Pacemaker in 2004
Bib number: 5
AMBESSE TOLOSSA
Age: 29
Country: Ethiopia
Lifetime best: 2:08:58 (Tokyo International, 2006)
Best Honolulu Marathon finish: Race debut
Bib number: 6
TARIKU ABOSET
Age: 28
Country: Kenya
Lifetime best: n/a
Best Honolulu Marathon finish: Race debut
Bib number: 9
BELAY WALASHA
Age: 37
Country: Ethiopia
Lifetime best: 2:10:57 (Paris, 1993)
Best Honolulu Marathon finish: Race debut
Bib number: 10
ARAYA HAREGOT
Age: 25
Country: Ethiopia
Lifetime best: 2:11:56 (Seoul, 2006)
Best Honolulu Marathon finish: Race debut
Bib number: 11
SIMON KIPROP
Age: 28
Country: Kenya
Lifetime best: 1:01:53 (Half Marathon, Spain 2005)
Best Honolulu Marathon finish: Race debut
Bib number: 13
ERIC WAINANA
Age: 32
Country: Kenya
Lifetime best: 2:10:08 (Fukuoka, 2002)
Best Honolulu Marathon finish: Race debut
Bib number: 14
Tomorrow: Top women's contenders
Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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