Rain Forest Runs
RACE BACKGROUND

Before the 2010 Volcano Art Center Rain Forest Runs were created, there was the annual Kilauea Volcano Runs. Here is its story.... The Runs started in 1983, when park ranger Dan Sholly of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park wanted to toughen up his staff by training them to run the back country. The Volcano Art Center welcomed over 1,000 participants from all over the world in what became the largest trail run in Hawai'i state. Many runners returned year after year to scramble over cooled lava fields, climb up and down crater walls, and pass through the tropical rainforest in the panoramic setting of Kilauea.

This event not only allowed athletes from near and far a chance to run (and walk) in a spectacular volcanic landscape but was also a major yearly fundraising event. Also known as "Athletes for the Arts," the event benefited the many arts, cultural, and educational programs offered by the nonprofit Volcano Art Center. Artists who exhibit at the Volcano Art Center Gallery donated artwork as prizes for the top finishers. Refreshments, entertainment, an awards ceremony, and a great sense of accomplishment and camaraderie were shared by participants, volunteers, family, and friends. Four separate events made up the Kilauea Volcano Runs. The events took place mostly on lava or dirt trails, rather than pavement. For the hardy, the 26.2 mile Volcano Marathon was known as one of the "world's toughest measured marathons." The Rim Run was a 10 mile course encircling the caldera of Kilauea. The 5 mile Kilauea Caldera Run and the 5 mile, non-competitive Kilauea Caldera Walk took participants across the caldera floor.

In 2008, the Volcano Art Center and Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park announced that 2008 would mark the final Kilauea Volcano Runs within the park. The necessity and appropriateness of the race being held within the national park had been under discussion between the two agencies for several years. The event, conducted under a federal special use permit, required strict compliance to ensure protection of the park's natural and cultural resources and adherence to national park policy and law, and wilderness regulations. The summit eruption of Halema'uma'u Crater that began in March 2008 nearly forced the cancellation of the race the last year it was held, but park officials and race organizers worked together to reroute the marathon and 10-mile course to avoid the volcanic fumes and fallout. Sulfur dioxide gas and ash from the ongoing eruption continues to inundate several miles of the former race routes.

Former VAC Executive Director Phyllis Segawa said, "The park and the art center received many letters and phone calls about the status of the race. The uniqueness of the runs being held in the park was its biggest draw, but we fully understand the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park's concern and desire to protect the environment. The cooperation and help we enjoyed over the past 26 years from the park has been outstanding." 2009 marked the first year in over a quarter of a century that the art center did not hold a summer running event. In 2010, a new race was born: the Volcano Art Center Rain Forest Runs. This event is held in Volcano Village, located about a mile from the entrance to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.