Mimi Beams was recently featured on the cover of MidWeek in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Hawaii Pacific Health Women’s 10K, a race Mimi co-founded in 1978. On March 5th, some 1,500 women gathered for this 6.2-mile run from Kapiolani Park through Diamond Head, Kahala and back. As Mimi puts it, the race is all about “women empowering women” and was conceived as a way for women to be able to cross the finish line and win at a time when women's athletics was just taking off.
Today, the race is sponsored by Straub Medical Center and places a special emphasis on women's health. Proceeds from the race go to women’s programs at hospitals, and informational booths at the race distribute reminders about cancer screenings and other women's health issues.