Honolulu Marathon Event
This all started with running.
Long before rows of greens and harvest bins, there were early miles, long runs, and a simple realization: if I wanted to keep running, I had to learn how to eat. Learning how to fuel myself — intentionally, locally, seasonally — became the foundation for everything that followed. That curiosity turned into study. Study turned into growing. And growing turned into feeding others.
This year’s Honolulu Marathon weekend brought that full circle.
Race morning arrived wrapped in unexpected rain. The kind that soaks through singlets and tests resolve. I had plans to run this year. I wanted to toe the line. But once the event started taking shape — once the menus were drafted, the produce harvested, the tables planned — I understood something clearly: in this season of life, the farmer had to outshine the runner.
And I was at peace with that.
With the help of our friends at Cosmos Juice in Tokyo, we invited our international running family from Paramount Running and AFE Tokyo to refuel the proper way — with a chef-curated, farm-to-table meal after they had given everything to the course.
The rain didn’t let up. So we pivoted.
We adjusted timing. We moved with the weather. We leaned into warmth, color, and nourishment. Chef @rebelkimmay brought vibrancy and care to every plate — grounding bowls built from just-harvested produce, thoughtful seasoning, and the kind of food that replenishes more than glycogen.
There is a specific joy in feeding runners after a marathon. Their bodies are open. Their spirits are cracked wide. They’ve pushed through doubt, weather, fatigue, and distance. To place a plate of living food in front of someone in that state — food grown in our soil, harvested days before — feels sacred.
The vinyl spun all evening. Knox Robinson, Paramount Running founder and Cosmos Juice Tomigaya owner @lono3, and Rocio @wyldeflower Contreras of KCRW kept the room warm while rain tapped the roof outside. The storm softened into background noise. Laughter grew louder. Plates emptied. Bowls were scraped clean.
Huge mahalo to Beer Lab HI, Invisible Massive, @soleyfaye, and everyone who showed up through the storm.
Running built this life. Farming sustains it.
And on marathon weekend, I was reminded that sometimes the most powerful way to participate in the race… is to feed the finishers.
Arigato.
