Maui Oceanfront Marathon: Race Report

A marathon in Maui in the middle of winter? Good idea! Mike and I landed on Saturday with plenty of time to pick up our race numbers, drive the course, and relax before the race on Sunday. Multiple distances were offered with about 1,500 runners total and 300 people participating in the regular marathon. Another 75 ran the full marathon but started an hour earlier so they could have extra time to finish. Packet pick-up was small but friendly in a meeting room in Lahaina, near the finish line.

Here I am, a little weary from the long plane ride but excited about the race:

Even though we had to get up really early for the race, it wasn’t an issue since we had the time change in our favor. We rode a shuttle bus to the start line and were treated to some locals performing… I don’t know exactly what they were doing. They were singing and chanting which I believe was meant to welcome us and wish us luck. I was in and out of the porta potty, so I missed the official explanation. It was very nice, though, and was fun to see.

The 300 runners that made up the full marathon field were like no other. The race director addressed the group before the start and listed off a dozen names of participants that had run 50 marathons in 50 states and more. Some had run well over 100 marathons. Looking around, lots of people were wearing Marathon Maniac shirts or 50 stater shirts. Everyone looked relaxed and like they were ready for just another training run. A few minutes before the 5:45 start, we moseyed down to the start line.

The first hour or so we ran in the dark, but there were street lights and enough runners had head lamps that it wasn’t an issue. This course was varied and challenging. Mile 9 was straight into fierce winds that were demoralizing and like a bad dream. Luckily, the only turn in the race turned us so that the wind would be mostly at our backs for the rest of the race. There were flat sections and incredibly hilly sections. For a person from Minnesota, the climbs from mile 11 through mile 17 seemed like mountain passes. The last 10 miles were not only deceptively hilly but it was also getting hot. For most of the course, beautiful ocean views are on the left but a highway with non-stop cars are on the right.

Although the course was tough and the race is no frills, I really enjoyed it. The people were interesting to watch and it was so different from every other race. As far as race organization, some of the water stops had a clear sports drink that was terrible. I don’t know what it was, but it was undrinkable. I ran with a water belt which was a good decision. I drank my own Gatorade for the first 10 miles and then was able to tolerate the purple sports drink that was at most of the stops. My other complaint was that the mile markers counted down instead of up. I know this was an attempt to help with the psychology of the race, but I hated it. It was confusing during the race and it made talking about the race confusing after. Remember that water stop at mile 7? Is that the real mile 7 or 7 miles to go? Geez, I don’t know. Too confusing! Besides those two negatives, the race organization was fine. We received lots of communication before race day and everyone was very nice and helpful. That said, this is a small race. With no medical support on the course, good water stops but virtually no other spectators on the course, and heavy traffic, I would not suggest this for a first marathon. As part of doing 50 states or just for fun on vacation it’s great, but I would suggest not taking it too seriously.

Blah, blah, blah. How did I do? I finished! I ran the first 18 miles including all of the mountainous hills very well. My fastest miles were actually through the big hills. Around mile 17, I started feeling hot and unmotivated. As soon as I hit mile 18, I started to walk. I wasn’t the only one. Very few people ran past me and I encountered a lot of walkers. We started passing a lot of marathoners who had started the hour earlier as well as people from the shorter races which started later. It was pretty hot out there. It had to be in the low to mid 80’s, but out on the highway with the cars it felt hotter.

I ran/walked through mile 23 and then I pretty much walked. I made an effort to run some of the last mile but it just wasn’t in me. I kept doing the math to make sure that I finished in under 5 hours, and I crossed the finish line in 4:54:11. While it was my second worst marathon time, I felt pretty good about it. It was only 22 minutes slower than MCM, a race for which I trained harder. MCM was a much easier course and had perfect weather. Considering I was worried about finishing before the 5:45 advertised cut-off, I was fine with my race.

Here I am at the finish:

Here is the traditional hotel room/medal photo:

Mike had a similar race, running well through the first 18 miles and then slowing down after that. He also finished about 30 minutes slower than his usual time. He said it was the toughest race he had ever done. Since this was his 19th marathon, that made me feel better about my race.

After the race, it was time for a little vacation. We only had another three days on Maui but fit in a lot. We went scuba diving, paddle boarding and whale watching. We took a tour of Haleakala which included a ride up to the top of the volcano and then coasting on bikes all of the way back down. We only had to pedal a few times and it was a lot of fun. Here we are afterwards:

Since we were there such a short time, we took a helicopter ride to see all of the beautiful waterfalls and lush valleys of Maui.

We flew to Honolulu on Thursday and stayed the night which worked out perfectly since we have friends living there on Hickam Airforce Base. Here we are before our quick tour of Pearl Harbor:

After a nice visit with friends it was time to come home. My quads were pretty sore for a few days after the race from all of the down hills, but now I’m feeling fine. I’m going to take another week to recover before I start doing some base training for Ironman. Until then, I’m looking forward to another week of having an excuse to take it easy.