Clare Seeger Albino
Meet the Event Director: Clare Seeger Albino
The Molokai Holo Fun Run is guided by a lifetime of elite athletic endurance and a fierce passion for equal access in sports. Event Director Clare Albino’s journey as a distance runner began with a historic, headline-making milestone.
In April 1981, at just 15 years old, a computer registration error allowed Clare to enter the very first London Marathon. Just five days before the race, officials realized she was technically under the age limit and tried to bar her from competing. Determined to run, Clare completed the course unofficially with only six weeks of training. Upon reaching the finish line, she refused to step over as she was told not to cross, as she was underage. When the race organizers and sponsors saw the massive commotion caused by her refusal to cross, they stepped in and made her cross the line—stopping the clock at an incredible 3 hours and 47 minutes.
The finish line was swarming with press, and Clare boldly stated to the national media: "It does not seem fair that girls have to be 21 and boys 18 to run." Her defiance ignited a massive media storm that captured the hearts of the public. Later that same year, the Athletic Association officially changed the rules, making the age limits equal between boys and girls and opening marathon distance running to the next generation of young women.
Though she was considered "defiant" by the running establishment at the time, Clare went on to be selected for the Olympic Windsurfing Squad, dominating the professional international windsurfing circuit before making Molokai her home in 1993.
For the past 28 years, Clare has poured that same fierce, youth-first energy into Youth in Motion, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit built to ensure local keiki have zero barriers to sports, land, and ocean activities. By keeping all youth entry fees and beach camping 100% free at the Molokai Holo Fun Run, Clare continues the exact mission she started as a 15-year-old schoolgirl in London: making sure the next generation always has a fair, open lane to run, thrive, and lead.
The Molokai Holo Fun Run is guided by a lifetime of elite athletic endurance and a fierce passion for equal access in sports. Event Director Clare Albino’s journey as a distance runner began with a historic, headline-making milestone.
In April 1981, at just 15 years old, a computer registration error allowed Clare to enter the very first London Marathon. Just five days before the race, officials realized she was technically under the age limit and tried to bar her from competing. Determined to run, Clare completed the course unofficially with only six weeks of training. Upon reaching the finish line, she refused to step over as she was told not to cross, as she was underage. When the race organizers and sponsors saw the massive commotion caused by her refusal to cross, they stepped in and made her cross the line—stopping the clock at an incredible 3 hours and 47 minutes.
The finish line was swarming with press, and Clare boldly stated to the national media: "It does not seem fair that girls have to be 21 and boys 18 to run." Her defiance ignited a massive media storm that captured the hearts of the public. Later that same year, the Athletic Association officially changed the rules, making the age limits equal between boys and girls and opening marathon distance running to the next generation of young women.
Though she was considered "defiant" by the running establishment at the time, Clare went on to be selected for the Olympic Windsurfing Squad, dominating the professional international windsurfing circuit before making Molokai her home in 1993.
For the past 28 years, Clare has poured that same fierce, youth-first energy into Youth in Motion, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit built to ensure local keiki have zero barriers to sports, land, and ocean activities. By keeping all youth entry fees and beach camping 100% free at the Molokai Holo Fun Run, Clare continues the exact mission she started as a 15-year-old schoolgirl in London: making sure the next generation always has a fair, open lane to run, thrive, and lead.
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