Tahiti, in French Polynesia, Wants to Introduce More Runners to Her Islands
The first marathon of French Polynesia was held in 1971, during the fourth 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.

"La 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. 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 eleven to fifteen years old, formed nineteen teams with an average of 21 runners per team covering a 2 km 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 footwear 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 twelfth 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, just as the awards ceremony began. A wonderful concert on Temae Beach by Polynesian artists followed, and the evening came to a climactic 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. After dinner, we 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.

Local Geography. Tahiti and Her Islands (THI) are located in the southern hemisphere about halfway between South America and Australia, with Hawaii 2,300 miles to the north. Tahiti and Her Islands represent 35 islands and 83 atolls that add up to a land area of 1,544 square miles. This area is divided up among five archipelagoes that are spread out over an "exclusive economic zone" ocean area of 1.93 million square miles. Nearly all of Tahiti's islands and atolls are protected from the ocean by a coral reef, which often has one or more passes leading into a sheltered and relatively shallow lagoon.

Culture. The people of THI have preserved a lifestyle that is still linked closely to nature. Outside the island of Tahiti's urban zone, the people's daily activities are highlighted by fishing, food and flower plantations, and simple clothing styles of shorts and pareu. In the outer islands, life revolves around a village, often the only one on the island or atoll. The outrigger canoe, Tahiti's cultural emblem, is used throughout the islands.

Cuisine & Fruit. As you would expect, there is an abundance of fruit and seafood. The legendary breadfruit, the dozen varieties of bananas including the unique orange-skinned "fei," and the various starchy root crops are the basis of the islanders' cuisine. Papayas, mangoes, pineapples, watermelons, grapefruit, and limes together with a vanilla pod make for the juiciest of fruit salads. Raw tuna marinated in coconut cream with limes is a taste beyond compare. There is also an abundance of perch, chrysophris, and parrot fish.

Visitor Activities. Nature has blessed these islands with amazing features. The spectacle of secret valleys with their cool waters, their stones, their abundant flora, and canyons leading up to their peaks and ridges show quite another face of Polynesian beauty. There are weekly cruise ships departing for the outer islands and to the leeward islands. Sailing catamarans with cabins offer weekly cruises in the leeward islands as well as liveboard diving cruises. There are over twenty scuba diving clubs operating in THI, of which one-third are found on the island of Tahiti. The lagoons and surrounding ocean of THI offer exceptional diving opportunities and sights. Tahiti, Moorea, and the leeward islands offer car rentals, excursions in 4WD vehicles or on foot, deep-sea fishing, and horseback riding. Other activities include bike tours, canyoning, hiking, nautical activities, helicopter tours, glass bottom boats, snorkeling, shark feeding, dolphin interactive programs, water skiing, jet skiing, parasailing, and more. The island of Tahiti also has an 18-hole international golf course.

Accommodations. Hotels of every type can be found that combine quality with marvelous integration into natural sites, whether it be on a hillside or above lagoons. Classical hotels, with all the modern-day necessities, exist for the business traveler. There is also the Polynesian style hotel with each room a separate building, and the ultimate and unique hotel experience- a full luxury bungalow built over the waters of the turquoise lagoon and its many colored fishes. There are one thousand Tahitian accommodation units in the form of small hotels and a family pension, or home stay. Some offer full board (pension) including meals prepared with local specialties, while others have their own kitchens or shared facilities. However, all of them are on quiet sites, a few accessible only by motor boat on secluded sections of the islands where you are free to explore the uncommercialized version of the islands. Polynesian hospitality is to be experienced in this style of accommodation and is perfectly expressed in the Small Hotel Federation's motto "Haere Mai," which means "come to us."

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