Danl J. Mate, Vicki Yake, Sheryl Buhr, Nate Stanis and Ellis Andrews celebrate after Stanis finished her run around the island Tuesday in Kona. (Karin Stanton | Hawaii 24/7)

Karin Stanton | Hawaii 24/7 Editor

Nate Stanis wanted to see more of the Big Island, so she ran around it. Completely around it.

Stanis, who moved to Kona from California about six months ago, figured she likes running and she likes being outdoors and she wanted to meet some of the island’s residents, so the best way to do that was on foot.

Stanis took nine days to complete the 240-mile trek, running north from Kona into Kohala, through Hamakua and down into Hilo, then across Puna and Ka‘u back to Kona.

“I’m on cloud nine and feeling fine,” she said. “My body feels great, and I’m so thankful that I took an extra day and finished running strong into Kona. My friend, Ellis accompanied me the final 15 miles, and we ran 8 1/2 minute miles at the finish.”

Stanis said exploring the island step by step was an obvious choice for her.

“I run marathons, so this was just the next step. Everything flowed. I got support and sponsors,” she said. “Thank you to all my friends and supportive folks along the way who helped make the journey possible.”

In addition to seeing the entire island and meeting a host of new people, Stanis wanted to raise money for PATH and Hawaii Conservation Alliance.

“My passion is in environmental health, so I wanted to support these two organizations,” she said.

Running an average of 20 to 30 miles a day on public roads, she also found an extra reason to support PATH programs.

“I expected to get tired, but I wasn’t prepared for how mentally exhausting it was dealing with the traffic,” she said. “You constantly have to be aware. Hawaii is a great place to be outdoors, but we need more safe places for kids to ride their bikes and for runners to get out and see the island. It’s an amazing place.”

Because the idea came to her quite quickly and she off and running with little planning, Stanis said she will host an evening to share her experiences and hopefully raise some more money.

“We don’t have that planned yet,” she said, “but stay tuned.”

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