Connie Comiso

hirunning on March 11, 2022

Connie Comiso, aka Connie del Rosario and Connie Comiso-Fanelli, has been running nearly 45 years and has been called the most prolific female runner in Hawai‘i. She sang and danced hula and Tahitian with the Kailua High School Madrigal Singers. In 1978, at the University of Hawaii (UH) School of Nursing, Connie started running to lose weight. Three months and thirty pounds later, she entered her first race, the Hilo marathon, finishing in 3:47. She started attending the Honolulu Marathon clinic, joined Hash House Harriers, the Mid-Pacific Road Runners Club (MPRRC), and was a walk-on in her senior year to the UH Cross Country team coached by Johnny Faerber. After graduating from the UH School of Nursing, she asked Coach Johnny if he would continue to coach her. He agreed, and the Faerber’s Flyers was born.         

Locally, Connie has won many major road races:

  • MPRRC Outstanding Female Runner of the Year x 16 years; 1985, 1986, 1987, 2001-2013
  • Won the first Great Aloha Run in 1985
  • Honolulu Quarterback Club Senior Female Athlete of the Year Finalist 2005
  • Won Hilo Marathon 7 years in a row; 1980-1987
  • Won Kona Marathon x 2, 2nd x 1, 3rd x 4
  • Won Run to the Sun Ultramarathon x 7; 37.5 miles from sea level to 10,000 feet to the summit of Haleakala Crater on Maui
  • Won MPRRC Marathon Readiness Series Overall Female winner 2004
  • Won Volcano 10 miler x 2 in Volcano National Park on the Big Island, 1980, 1984
  • Won Hawaii State Championships in the 5K, 10K, 15K, 30K
  • Won the Windward Half Marathon x 2, Val Nolasco Half Marathon x 2
  • First Kamaina female finisher in Honolulu Marathon 1991
  • Maui Marathon 2nd and 3rd place overall female x 2
  • Age division winner, Kaua‘i Marathon, 50-54 and 55-59
  • Age division winner, Maui Marathon x 3, 40-44, 45-49 x 3, 50-54 x 1
  • Age division winner, Honolulu Marathon x 1, 30-34, 35-39 x 2, 3rd place 40-44
  • Ran on winning/record setting teams: O‘ahu Perimeter Relays, Hana Relays, Primo Relays and Manoa Relays in Hawaii; Hood to Coast Relays in Oregon.

Her personal best times:

  • One mile: 5:04 in the Cherry Street Mile in Tulsa OK
  • 5K: 17:34 in the Terry Fox 5K in Philadelphia
  • 10K: 37:17 in the Hawai‘i State Championships in Kaneohe
  • 15K: 57:20 in the Hickam State Championships on Hickam AFB
  • 10 Miles: 1:04 at Runners Life 10-Miler at Schofield Barracks, Wahiawa, HI
  • Half Marathon: 1:21 in the Val Nolasco Half in Hawai‘i Kai and Ichinoseki, Japan
  • 30K: 2:01 in the Honsport State Championships in Honolulu
  • Marathon: 2:53 in the Manila International Marathon
  • Ultramarathon 37.5 miles: 6:00 in Haleakala Run to the Sun, Maui, HI

On the Mainland and Internationally, Connie was invited to compete in or qualified for: San Francisco Marathon (x 2), NYC Marathon (x 2), Boston Marathon (x 2), Philadelphia Marathon (2nd overall female), Broad Street 10 Mile in Philadelphia (x 2, age division winner), Jamaica Marathon (x 2), Jamaica 10K, Vancouver, BC International Marathon (x 2, 3rd and 4th female overall), Manila International Marathon (x 2, 3rd and 4th female overall), Ichinoseki, Japan Half Marathon (x 15, 2nd female overall x 1), Anchorage, Alaska All Women’s 10K representing Hawaii.

Coaching experience:

  • Assistant Cross Country Coach at UH with Head Coach Johnny Faerber x 2 years;
  • Assistant Cross Country Coach with PAC-5 x 2 years
  • Assistant Cross Country Boy’s JV/VARS, Head Coach Michael Georgi at Punahou HS x 10 yrs
  • Assistant Cross Country, Track Coach Girls intermediate, JV, VARS, Sacred Hearts  x 9 years currently

Sponsorships include: Nike Hawai‘i (x 10 years), Running Room (x 5 years), Fleet Feet (Philadelphia x 2 years; Hawai‘i x 2 years), Runners HI (x 5 years), Hawaiian Airlines (x 2 years), Honolulu Club (x 1 year), Gold’s Gym (x 3 years).

Literary and media contributions: Runners Life Magazine (x 10 years), Hawai‘i Race Magazine (x 5 years), MDA co-chair in the Love Run Program (x 2 with Super Bowl champ Russ Francis & Kelly Beck), ABC TV and KITV-4 Color Commentary coverage for Diet Pepsi 10K, Tinman Triathlon and Honolulu Marathon (x 4 years), KKUA AM radio Weekend Running Report with Connie (x 2 years).

Club contributions: Started Faerber’s Flyers Women’s Running Club in 1980, later in 2000, club became co-ed; started Beer & Nachos Track Club in 1983; first woman to join Honolulu Hawai‘i Hash House Harriers in 1980; member of Mid-Pacific Road Runners Club (x 40 years; lifetime member x 25 years; ; current Board member, and Social Director x 4 years); Board member of the Hawai‘i Running Hall of Fame.

Race Director and Emcee: Johnny Faerber All Men’s 10K (x 10 years, later became coed, current race director); Hawaiian Style 8K (x 10 years); Race Against Violence (x 10 years); Mahalo to Tesh 5K (to honor and thank photographer Uriel Teshima for his thousands of pictures he took and mailed to runners for 25 years); Aloha for Japan 5K (benefit for the victims of the Sendai Tsunami in 2011). Connie has her BSN in Nursing from UH, is a Certified Case Manager, Certified Childbirth Educator, Licensed Massage Therapist, and Hypnotherapist. She works at Kapi‘olani Medical Center and coaches at Sacred Hearts Academy. She lives in Manoa with her running husband/surfer Craig Knohl and their dog, Casey. She has a 26-year-old son, Gary Fanelli Jr, and 26-year-old stepdaughter, Nasia Knohl, who all run.