As the saying/cliche goes, you never forget your first, which I think is even truer for Marathons. It was a memorable experience that I will always reflect upon. I was stoked when I found out that the Expo would be at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa, as that is right next to where I work. Therefore I was able to sneak over on my lunch break and check it out. It was very organized with lots of variety, however the only reason for the missing star was that it felt very claustrophobic with so many vendors packed into the ballroom.

Race morning I had not a worry on my mind, only anticipation. It was finally race morning, and all this training was going to pay off when I crossed the finish line. The race provided shuttles to the race start on the other side of the island, so awesome of them since I live on the finish side of the island and wouldn't have to worry about leaving my car anywhere.

I ended up with 45 minutes before race start so I took that time to center myself and really stretch everything out. Our MC for the race start had a local Zumba group lead everyone in some warm up moves, which looked like so much fun. But to me was a bit to intense to do right before running for 4+ hours.

Some light sprinkles greeted us at the start and throughout the first mile, which really kept us cool with the gentle breeze. I was keeping my pace conservative, as my friends warned me not to start too fast due to race excitement. Once we turned on to Kuihelani Highway it was total cruise mode on the 6 mile stretch. This was one of the best views during the race; we were in the valley between the mountains and got to watch the sun rise over the east mountains.

At mile 9 things got a little interesting. We were entering what we call the Pali, which is the single lane zig zagging road that takes you to the west side. The Pali not only zig zags left and right but up and down, aka tons of little hills. The wind was really whipping at this point, nearly stealing my hat. It was a joyous sight once we hit Ukumehame Beach. I knew it would be relatively flat for the remainder of the race.

From miles 12 through 22 was another challenge entirely. The wind had come to a halt and the sun was beating down hard on us. I trained in these conditions so I continued trucking along. Then at mile 22 we turned down Front Street which was totally shut down just for us. Then it happened, the unthinkable, I hit the wall and bonked so hard. For the remaining miles I struggled between jogging, walking, and trying to get my leg muscles to work again. Although I was exhausted and legs barely working I was proud that I finished. My best friend and running buddy, Alicia was waiting for me at the finish with a celebratory lei, which really made my day! My goal was somewhere close to 4 hours and I finished in 5+ hours. Somehow I placed second in my age division which I don't think was deserving at all haha.

Thinking about the race as a whole it was a lot of fun, and a great experience. Will I run it again? Heck yes, I need to come back with a vengeance especially on my home turf!