Race details:
Honolulu, Hawaii
Run: 26.2 miles
Course Reported Finish:
Garmin Splits:
Heart Rate Zones:
Race Summary:
Well what a day this one was. I guess the only way to start is from the beginning...
The Honolulu Marathon is an early start, one of the earliest. The race starts at 5am sharp and that's painful for me because I'm not a morning person. I will say that by the end of the marathon I was glad this was the case because my time spent running in the hot, blazing sun was only a little more than an hour. But still, early start times are painful.
What amazed me is the number of people doing the race (about 30,000) and the many shapes, sizes, ages and costumes of runners. I didn't see any of the same costumed folk from the Merrie Mile, but there were many interesting ones here as well. There was a 5 pc band with a tuba, trombone, trumpet, drum and flute. There were futuristic, metallic outfits. I saw many puffy skirts and wigs. People were sporting their country shirts or jerseys from Denmark to Italy to Argentina and of course all over Japan. There was a diabetes group. There were several different "Aloha Runner" groups. Many Japanese tourist groups. I mean the sights of the runners reminded you that the finishing times will range from 2.5 hours all the way to last year's last finisher time of 14 hours, 11 minutes. Just ridiculous...
Speaking of that. The race is open to everyone, there's no signup limit and there's no finishing time limit. You could literally walk all 26.2 miles and there are many who do. The race director says it sticks to Hawaii's island vibe and that everyone will be allowed to finish as long as medically capable (I did see several folks get put onto ambulances). It's a pretty cool concept of inclusion but definitely makes for a crowded event. Thankfully, I ran at an above average time (despite being out of shape) so I never had to endure too big of a crowd or a lack of water or other racing resources.
One great thing about this race is the presentation. And nothing highlights this better than the starting gun being a huge fireworks show that wakes up all of Honolulu and Waikiki. And if you happen to be awake like my aunty and uncle who dropped me off, you can hear it in Pearl City too! Since it was a rolling start race, I was able to get a short video of it before I put my phone away and got to it. But it was pretty cool to get going with that!
The race itself is pretty iconic and familiar for a local (or former local). You start on Ala Moana Blvd in between the mall and the beach park. You thru Town and back before crossing the little bridge to Waikiki. You then continue along Kalakaua past the high end stores, The Duke and the Zoo. You climb the ocean side of Diamond Head before running towards, and on, the Kalanianaole Highway. The loop around Hawaii Kai gets you back onto the Highway, around Diamond Head again and finishing downhill into Kapiolani Park.
As evidenced by the data, this race generally went well and according to plan. While I didn't get the light rain that I wanted, the weather was generally cooler and lower humidity for most of the morning while the sun stayed hidden. I was able to keep my relaxed pace target of 10 to 10:30 miles for a lot of the race. And I was even able to keep a relatively good pace and cadence going up Diamond Head the first time. But as the sun came out around the 3 hour mark, the marathon started to get a bit grueling...
My legs felt heavier. I feared cramping and started taking salt pills every 20 min instead of every 30. The sun also beamed down and I could feel the heat. My back and neck started feeling tight and tense. My foot and ankle pain started to throb just a little bit more. And I generally felt hot. But the crowd energized me, the sights were beautiful and I kept pounding away. And while I didn't succumb to any major issues, the last ascent at Diamond Head got me...
I knew what was coming. I knew it was only a little more than 100ft of elevation gain. I knew that if I could just crest that gain, I'd have a 1.5 mile finish downhill towards the park. But despite all of that, my heavy legs and weak mind prevented me from going up hard. I succumbed to walking a decent amount of it. My fitness level just wasn't there and it mentally defeated me to walk it.
Alas, I started jogging to crest the final part. I made it to the top, breathed a sigh of relief and began my run downhill chasing helplessly at my goal time of 4.5 hours. By the end, I crossed the finish line happy to have it over, but staring at my failure time of 4:32... Missed it by 2 minutes... I just couldn't run hard enough early on to bank the right amount of time. My fitness level had fallen to a personal worst. And really just everything that I've been the last 2 years was gone. I really wanted to just go and have a mental breakdown in the finisher area as I tried to get my phone working for a finish line picture.
But after faking some smiles and walking out the physical pain, I got a call from my aunty and uncle. They made me laugh when they said they were at the finish line but somehow missed me coming down the final chute. The raised my spirits saying the time was "good" and that I crushed my oldest cousins time of 7 hours. Their happiness for me and their support of me just raised my spirits to where they should be. I didn't finish where I wanted. I almost finished an hour more than my marathon PR set just over a year ago. But I still did something most don't even think of doing and I still gave it my best shot.
With raised spirits I enjoyed the spoils of this race. You get a free picture printed right there in the finish festival area. You got a free malasada too and even asked for two instead of getting a banana! We slowly walked to my favorite drive-in spot (Rainbows) and I got the best plate lunch (Loco Moco, all rice with the over easy egg). And we even got my other cousins and their spouses out later that night for lunch at a local spot (the Aiea Bowl) for some Korean Fried Chicken and Kalbi and tons of dessert. It was great. Family is the best and I def miss them! My 92-year-old gramps even came to check up on me to make sure I finished and was still alive. Then he gave me a laugh, a congratulatory hug and asked if I was gonna run it again. This guy... This crazy, awesome, lovable guy. If only I could see him everyday, maybe I'd be this happy and fulfilled EVERY day of the year LOL.
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