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48th Annual Hawaiʻi Pacific Health Women's 10K & 5K Fun Run Brings Out Women and Girls of All Ages, Skills

Published Jan. 25, 2026

HPH Women's 10K top three finishers standing on winner podiums.

Music and cheers fueled an energetic start to the 48th annual Hawaiʻi Pacific Health (HPH) Women's 10K & 5K Fun Run at Kapiʻolani Park. This year's race had nearly 1,400 registered participants of all ages and skill levels who came together for an event that's all about fitness, fun and female empowerment.

The HPH Women's 10K & 5K Fun Run is the only all-female sanctioned race in Hawaiʻi. The 10K started at 7 a.m., with runners, joggers and walkers making their way up the scenic route along Diamond Head overlooking the ocean, then doing a loop in Kahala before returning to Kapiʻolani Park. The 5K started at 7:20 a.m. and followed a similar but shorter course.

The races featured everyone from experienced runners attempting to set new personal records to casual runners participating in their first-ever race. There were mothers pushing their children in strollers, runners with their dogs, and women who signed up as a team to power through the course together.

The first runner to finish the 10K was Lisa Swartzfager, who is from the Ala Moana area. The first-time HPH Women's 10K participant completed the 6.2-mile race in 41 minutes and 13 seconds.

"I was really excited to do an all-women's race, so I registered this morning to come out and do it," Swartzfager said.

Sara Sunada was the first HPH employee to complete the 10K with a time of 47 minutes and 33 seconds. She was awarded the Martha B. Smith Award, named after the late HPH executive vice president of Oʻahu operations and CEO of Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children, Pali Momi Medical Center and Straub Benioff Medical Center.

On the left, a woman in a pink athletic outfit smiles as she crosses the finish line and receives a rose. On the right a young girls proudly holds up her race finisher medal.

The winner of the 5K was a familiar face. Mililani High School freshman Hailey Taira won for the second year in a row, running the 3.1 miles in 22 minutes and 39 seconds.

"It's very cheerful and energetic, everyone was really hyped up," Taira said. "This race always brings a smile to my face."

In race tradition, all participants received a rose after crossing the finish line. They also received a commemorative medal, a special race T-shirt and a drawstring bag for various other post-race gifts.

A large group of people gathered in front of a gazebo in a sunny park. Vibrant trees behind them. The atmosphere is cheerful and communal.
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Media Contact Liz Chun Uyehara

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