Kiawah Island Marathon becomes family affair

By: David Quick of The Post and Courier Staff
Originally Published on: 12/14/02
 

KIAWAH ISLAND- The Kiawah Island Marathon is known best for, well, its marathon, particularly as a "flat, fast course" ideal for qualifying for the Boston Marathon.      But it is the marathon's sister events, a 5K and a half-marathon, that has helped shape it into family-friendly event, where friends and family who may not be in shape to run 26.2 miles have the option to be participants in shorter runs, rather than be mere spectators.      One example is the Dawkins family from Jasper, Ind.      Brothers Adam, Todd and Zachary Dawkins signed up for today's marathon. Their sister Abby and Adam's wife, Amy, are running the 5K, while Todd's wife, Stacy, is taking on the half marathon. And friends James Arvin and Rodney Crawford are running the marathon and half-marathon, respectively.      In all, a contingent of about 15 are coming down, including parents Phil and Beth Dawkins, who will be riding bikes to spots along the marathon course to offer both words of encouragement and packets of energy gels called "Goo."      So many Dawkinses planned to come down to Kiawah this year that they decided to charter a plane. They flew down Friday and will jet out Sunday.      "We make a big weekend out of it," said Todd Dawkins, noting that Adam was the first to run and that with each year, more join in the fun. "It's a good excuse for a quick family vacation and a chance to enjoy some Lowcountry cuisine."      Unlike the Dawkinses, the Fowlers of Athens, Ga., have all entered one event, the half-marathon.      Todd, 50, and son Scott, 21, ran together last year and plan to do it again today. Mom Deborah, 49, and daughter Katherine, 19, decided not to stay on the sidelines this year and plan to run and walk the 13.1-mile course for the first time.      "It's a beautiful run," said Deborah Fowler. "Charleston is lovely, and the island is lovely. It's an excuse to come down."      Like many, Kiawah is becoming a family tradition. In fact, the Hines family of Somerset, Ky., have a ritual of sorts that includes visiting Charleston's Battery after the marathon on this afternoon and eating at The Trawler restaurant on Shem Creek tonight.      David Hines, who was stationed in Charleston when he was with the military, will run the marathon, while wife, Debbie, and sons Robert and Stephen, 19 and 15 respectively, are doing the 5K. They drove down from Kentucky Friday and planned to drive back Sunday.      Perhaps one of the biggest groups of family and friends running are the Cannons and McDonaghs of Charlotte. Most of them are running the 5K. The two families live in the same neighborhood.      In all, four Cannons and six McDonaghs are running. Dads John Cannon, 43, and Brian McDonagh, 38, are running the half, while Kaitlyn McDonagh, 27, is running the marathon.      "It's better than waiting at the finish line," said Eileen Cannon, who will be running her first 5K.      Kiawah celebrates its 25th year this year, though the event started as the Island Marathon on the Isle of Palms in 1978. Organizers ran into some island politics in 1987 and moved it to Kiawah that year. The event, which already featured a half-marathon, added a 5K in the early 1990s.      The event, limited to 3,000 participants, has become so popular that it fills up quickly. This year, registration started Sept. 12 and closed Oct. 3.

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