Emma’s Marathon for Maui

It has been nearly two months since the wild fires tore through Lahaina and burned this beautiful town to the ground. Many of my friends and family have lost their homes, jobs, or both. Some barely escaped the fires with just the clothes on their backs. As heartbreaking as it has been for me to watch the place I called home completely vanish, I cannot even imagine the pain my friends and family have endured by being there in person. Seeing so many people post their own fundraiser pages, the type of people that would never ask for assistance, left me feeling utterly helpless. While I want to provide aid to as many people as I can, I singlehandedly do not have the means to do that. So I have decided to train for the Honolulu Marathon on December 10 and start my own Marathon fund for my friends and family. Rather than officially running for charity, 100% of these funds will be given directly to many people that I love.

News coverage has died down, but so many people are still struggling. Lahaina has been one of the most amazing communities I have ever been apart of. While I may have left in the end of March, knowing Maui was just a 30 minute flight away provided me with comfort and acted as a safety blanket as I moved on to my next adventure. My mom fondly talks about the ‘hanabata days’ running around Lahaina town. She grew up there and some of my mom’s side of the family lives in Honokowai, which is just north of Lahaina. It will be a long and steady processes to rebuild Lahaina, but this community’s strength and resiliency through this devastation has been truly inspiring.