I will start out by saying that this is by far the most difficult but rewarding course on Maui. The race is very popular and caps racers at about 200, so it is very small. Proceeds are donated to an organization that is restoring the Hawaiian Congregational Church in Kahakuloa. For any runner looking for a challenge and to run for a cause I highly recommend this race to you. The race offers a solo half marathon, 2 person relay team, and a 4 person relay team. So there is distance levels for any runner.

Expo: I wasn't able to make it to the expo due to my job. However because the race is so small it is more like a packet pick-up than expo. It was conveniently located at Sports Authority (one of the last ones around) so you could grab any last minute fuel or gear at the same time.

T-shirt: The shirt was not a tech shirt losing a star for that, but the design and color were very unique this year. The shirt is a dark teal with graphic of Maui and the Hawaiian Congregational Church on it, the same symbol as the medal.

Aid Stations: There were seven of them on the course each with water and Gatorade. They were spaced out based on distance, but some of them just felt like they were in the right spot. Meaning that some were right before a big hill to keep you hydrated on your way up, and others were at the top of the hill as a reward for your efforts.

Course Scenery: The race starts at DT Fleming Beach Park and merges to Route 30. From there we follow the road up north all the way to Kahakuloa, very straight forward course. Once you cross onto route 30 the Plantation Golf Course is on the right, the #1 ranked golf course on Hawaii, and the ocean on your left - the ocean is almost always within view during the entire race. After the first of many hills you come up on Makuleia Bay on the left, commonly referred to as Slaughterhouse Beach, a small hidden beach. Then you come to the southern tip of Honolua Bay - a Marine Sanctuary that's a prized snorkel destination - heading down hill you come to a single car bridge inside a canopy of trees then once you get to the top of the north side you get to see the full view of the bay that is stunning. The next stop is Honokohau Bay which has the steepest hills of the course, both down and up. Once you get to the top for the next few miles it is a lot of twisty hills that aren't so so steep but consistent. The next amazing spectacle is Poelua Bay (see my picture). The next few miles are blessed with either views up the mountain or down to the ocean, so even if you start bogging at the hill at this point you cannot help but enjoy yourself. Then around mile 12 the road get kinda tricky, it narrows down to a single lane road with the rock wall on one side and the no guardrail cliff on the other. Cars need to be very careful at this point because there are only certain points where there is enough space to pass, which might mean backing up the hill to a safe spot. As a runner at this point you are zigzagging between cars where there is space to do so. Some cars do get a little to uncomfortably close to you but as you're on the home stretch you just keep trucking on forward.Coming to the crest of the last hill you can see the finish line at the bottom right by the church making your goal in sight for the final downhill.

Elevation Difficulty: As described it is all hills where the down hills are almost more taxing than the uphills. My app tracked an 1150 foot elevation climb between all the hills.

Parking: DT Fleming Beach Park has tons of free parking, more than enough. The race also provided shuttles back to the start from Kahakuloa. Most people car pool on the way back, especially the relay racers because they have a car at the finish.

Race Management: This race is very organized, Rudy is an amazing Race Director. He is very responsive via email and willing to answer any questions. He really thinks of everything, so when you run a Runner's Paradise race you know it is well managed.

My final comments are that you should definitely run this race at least once. The scenery alone should be enough to convince anyone. Yes the road can be driven, but by actually running it you get a better sense of the area and can really appreciate everything. Don't worry about the hills, walk if you have to but don't miss this race!