Nate Kahaiali'i: Running for Recovery
Nate Kahaiali'i is a middle school health and Japanese language teacher at Lahaina Intermediary School in Maui, Hawaii. Though he never saw himself as a serious runner, he ran the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon, fundraising for the Red Cross.
In August 2023, tragedy struck Lahaina on the day before the start of the school year when a downed power line ignited dry grass and fire quickly spread. When emergency officials ordered everyone to evacuate, Nathan grabbed a pair of running shoes, as he was training for the Chicago Marathon.
Those shoes would be his only possession to make it through the fire, as the home he shared with his parents was destroyed. “The shoes have come to symbolize my running journey and pre-wildfire life,” said Nate, 32.
Tragically, some students at Nate’s school didn’t survive the fires, including a student who was supposed to have been in his class. Part of Nate's purpose for running is to help those who lost their homes, as well as remembering those who were lost.
Nate wore the shoes as he ran Chicago while fundraising for lost and displaced members of his community. He’ll wear them again as he runs the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon. He’ll be running for Lahaina Strong, a grassroots organization dedicated to bringing awareness of the shortage of affordable housing on Maui for local residents.
“Running the TCS NYC Marathon will mean so much to me as I will be running for the Lahaina families and community,” said Nate, who currently lives in a FEMA-funded condo with his parents. “I hope that I can bring continued awareness of the healing and rebuilding efforts to a place that I call home.”
He adds, “You’re never prepared to experience something as traumatic as losing your entire hometown. But you can try to figure out how to move forward and heal, and running for Lahaina Strong is something that helps me figure that out.”
Nate’s fundraising page can be found on Instagram at @runforlahaina.
Nate is part of #TeamInspire, a diverse group of 26 entrants whose stories capture the power of running to change lives. Read other #TeamInspire stories at the links below.
