Kevin Schlag at Haleakala summitKevin Schlag of Laie, an otherwise seemingly mild-mannered Internet web and technology manager at BYU-Hawaii, proved he's also a bit of a superman on March 15 when he won the individual Run to the Sun ultra marathon on Maui.

"This was my first ultra marathon, so I was a bit nervous as to how I'd do," said Schlag, who finished the 36.4 mile event in 5 hours 28 minutes and 38 seconds — 40 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor and the best finishing time in 13 years. The annual Run to the Sun begins within a few feet of sea level at the Maui Mall in Kahului and ends near the summit of 10,023-foot Haleakala.

Schlag, who recently came in first in his age group in the Great Aloha Run, said he had never been to Maui before, "and hadn't seen 10,000 feet since I'd lived in Colorado many years ago. My goal was to finish in 8 hours or so, and have fun."

 "It was a wonderful experience," he said, "and I don't think I'll ever do it again."

Kevin and Nan Schlag, Haleakala, Naui

Kevin and Nan Schlag at the end of the 'Run to the Sun'
ultra marathon on Maui. They're wearing blankets because
the 10,023-foot Haleakala has snow on top this time of year.