Carole Kai
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carole Kai is an entertainer and philanthropist from Hawaii. She is best known for being the co-founder of the Great Aloha Run, one of the largest road races and charity benefits in Hawaii.
Born Carole Shimizu in Honolulu, Hawaii, she was a graduate of McKinley High School in Honolulu. In the 1970s, she was one of the original members of the Hawaiian music group The Fabulous Krush. Later, in the late 1990s, she and local singers Loyal Garner, Melveen Leed, and Nohelani Cypriano performed Hawaiian music as a group. She was also co-host of the local TV show Hawaii Stars.
However, Kai is best known for her charitable work. She was the organizer and namesake of the first bed race in Hawaii, the Carole Kai Bed Race (later the Honolulu International Bed Race). It was an annual event benefiting the Variety Schools, a local school for children with special needs. Later, in 1985, she and local cardiologist Jack Scaff came up with the idea of organizing a road race between Aloha Tower in downtown Honolulu and Aloha Stadium. This race became the Great Aloha Run, and it is now one of the largest road races in Hawaii, attracting about 20,000 runners annually.
