The Hapalua - 2019
Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places on earth. And its not as expensive as you may think to get to! Why not make your next race-cation The Hapalua? 13.1 miles of everything that makes Honolulu beautiful - sandy beaches, sparkling blue water, historical landmarks & a nice downhill right before the finish. And you'll appreciate that downhill after having climbed around Diamond Head - a volcanic crater created over 300,000 years ago.
Packet Pick Up The Expo was held at the Honolulu Convention Center. Bib PickUp was so fast that I had plenty of time to walk around the expo & grab some breakfast afterwards. After getting my bib, shirt & tote - I took pictures with the Instagram board & checked out the vendors. I cannot say enough about the tote bag that we received! It held all of my expo purchases & now I use it whenever I am traveling. Tip: Be sure to check out the Virtual Goodie Bag for discounts at the Expo!
Course Route/Elevation Parts of this course are also apart of the Honolulu Marathon. Not quite ready for 26.2 Miles? Try your hand at the Hapalua (which means Half) as practice before the big Honolulu Marathon in December.
The majority of the Hapalua is pretty flat, starting at Kuhio Park & making your way around Honolulu. But around Mile 9 you begin to climb Diamond Head - which will be the most difficult yet most rewarding part of the course. Once you hear the sounds of the drummers, you know you are almost to the top! Once there, you can pause at the lookout spot with other runners to take it all in. Then, start your decent to the Finish Line!
Swag/Extras (Beer Party) At the end of the race you are greeted with cold showers, food, photo opportunities. A few days after the race, we received links to each of the Finish Line videos - which had all been uploaded to YouTube! This way you can save the video of you crossing the Finish Line - for free!
Medal It spins! This year’s medal featured the same logo as the T-Shirt & Tote Bag. The part that spins kinda reminds me of military dog tags.
Runners come from all over the world to run The Hapalua. If you are looking for a race with plenty of spectators (many willing to feed you & hose you down with water) & a challenging yet beautiful course - make plans to get to Honolulu the 2nd Sunday in April! Its an unforgettable experience!