Healthy Kids Running Series draws over 175 participants at kickoff event

Hyze Min (left) and Jesse Tokanang power to the finish line during the 2- and 3-year-old boys race at the Healthy Kids Running Series on Sunday at Pōmaika‘i Elementary. Eli Pace/The Maui News

More than 175 keiki from 2 to 14 years old took off for the 2026 Healthy Kids Running Series’ kickoff event Sunday at Pōmaikaʻi Elementary.

On Sunday, a magic show, face-painting, airbrushed tattoos, children’s activities and vendors made the series feel more like a small festival than a race, and families enjoyed their time catching up with each other as children buzzed about the school’s ballfields.

At the center of it were the races, divided into age groups with the youngest division for 2- and 3-year-olds and the oldest extending to 14-year-olds. The series will continue April 12, 19 and 26 and May 3, sponsored by the local wing of the international running series created to inspire children to pursue healthy and active lifestyles.

Before each race, volunteers in bright yellow shirts led the children in light stretches and warmups, and a bubble machine producing fog-filled floating globes greeted the runners at the finish line.

Akio Umeno smiles at the finish line after competing in the 75-yard dash for 4- and 5-year-old boys. Eli Pace/The Maui News

“I’m so happy. It brings me so much joy just to see kids outside,” said Kelsey Maldonado, the race coordinator. “Especially with the weather, we’ve been cooped up inside, so just getting kids outside and moving — for some kids, this is their first introduction to sports — it’s great to see them coming out for the first time.”

Maldonado said 175 children were preregistered for the series’ kickoff event and five more signed up for single-day races, an option offered to families who might not be able to make all of the events in the series.

The distance of each race was adjusted for each age group. The youngest racers sprinted 50-yard dashes, and the oldest athletes completed half-mile and mile runs.

Runners take off at the start of the second and third grade girls half-mile race at the 2026 Healthy Kids Running Series kickoff event Sunday at Pōmaikaʻi Elementary School. The series will continue April 12 through May 3. Eli Pace/The Maui News

The series is part of a larger effort that spans the nation and beyond. This is Maldonado’s third season as the coordinator of the Maui races, and she has seen participation increase steadily over that time. She estimated that the races have grown from about 130 participants last year to nearly 200 this season.

The registration fee is $50 for the full series, and single-day registration is available the day of each event for $16. Runners receive a medal and T-shirt. Also, the top three finishers in each division are awarded trophies.

Maldonado said the local running series benefits from working with a variety of different vendors and groups to bring fun activities into the races, and their volunteers and sponsors make the series possible.

“We also have weekly giveaways,” she said. “We have great community partners. They help keep it fun for the kids.”

For Maldonado, it’s especially rewarding to see the youngest runners grow throughout the season.

“We have little pre-K kids that on the first day, maybe the first couple weeks, they’re crying, they don’t want to run,” she said. “Then by week five, they’re on their own running through, and some of them even win, so it’s great to see the growth and the confidence.

For more information, go to HealthyKidsRunningSeries.org.

Healthy Kids Running Series

Events are planned for the Healthy Kids Running Series on the dates below. The events are at 4 p.m. at Pōmaikaʻi Elementary School in Kahului. For more, go to HealthyKidsRunningSeries.org.

• March 29

• April 12

• April 19

• April 26

• May 3

Marcus Delos Santos runs in the quarter-mile race for kindergarten through first grade boys race. He finished at 1:34. Eli Pace/The Maui News
By Eli Pace
epace@mauinews.com