The Maui Oceanfront Marathon is truly a difficult race to evaluate. In essence this race is spectacular, cool, and unique. It has small event charm, is personable, and will appeal to many half and full marathon runners. There are also options at the 5K, 10K, and 15K if that is your preference and you happen to be vacationing at the same time. The scenic point-to-point course from Wailea to Lahaina is truly beautiful and as the sun rises over the view of the oceans and beaches, it is unlikely that I will encounter such a sight again during a marathon, or any race for that matter.

But, there is some hesitation, this race while fabulous on the surface comes with challenges. Notably, the heat and humidity is to be expected - this is Maui of course. But, the difficulty of the course is deceiving with a solid, almost 2 mile, climb early into the race that takes it's toll in the later stages. The main highway that comprises the final 18-19 miles is also rolling, with some steep sections as the road meanders the cliffs heading north to Lahaina. By mile 20-21 the course does flatten but not after some steep sections that combined with the intense sun, left me wanting to throw myself in the ocean by the time I got to the final 3 miles. By then, the beauty of the course was long gone as I focused everything I had on reaching the finish line.

The early stages leaving Wailea are fabulous. The race started after a traditional Hawaiian blessing in the darkness at 5:00 am, and the email prompts from the RD urging runners to bring headlamps were well founded. Once we left the small town, the darkness of the early morning was surreal with the sound of the ocean hitting the beaches. This was my favorite part of the race. Heading out into the still, warm air in what seemed like the middle of the night was a great experience and I don't mind admitting that I felt badass for a couple of miles!

After the long climb up to the main highway, it wasn't long before the sun rose as we headed into Maalaea Bay. The drop to the bay was much appreciated after the previous couple miles, but it was followed immediately by a steep climb out of the harbor to rejoin the highway. I thought I might have an hour or so before the sun really started having an affect - make that more like 15 minutes. The humidity continued to build and combined with the hills and the baking effect of the sun the race became exponentially more difficult after mile 15.

Another challenge was that this race is run on the shoulder, or bike lane, of the main highway 30 that is not closed to traffic. By the time we hit the middle miles, the oncoming traffic was building with vacationers heading to beaches and restaurants. Additionally, the 10K and half-marathon runners started from the finish line and headed into the marathon course for an out-and-back, so by mile 20.5 everyone is merged and at times heading in opposite directions. For the most part it was ok, but there were some spots where I felt traffic was dangerously close and in my fatigued state in the latter miles it would have been easy to sidestep into the road, especially when trying to make my way through the half-marathon walkers.

My final time of 4:28:54 was 29 minutes over my PR, but I never expected a PR on this course, especially with my training plan abbreviated by the cold dark winter and storms of the Pacific Northwest. I was disappointed with how I broke down in the final 5-6 miles; I truly had some horrendous splits in the final section, but overall, I'm happy with the effort given the course and conditions. I admit that I seriously under-estimated the difficulty of this course.

My wife ran the half and had a decent race but experienced some similar challenges. We chose this race because it coincided with a pre-paid vacation to Maui that we had to use by end of February. We are also on a 50-state running journey so everything aligned for us in terms of schedule.

If I had to do it again, to be honest, I wouldn't. I would look at Honolulu for a bigger event. Or maybe Kona or the other Maui Marathon that is hosted in October. To be fair though, I only ran the marathon because of my 50 state quest. If I race again in HI it will be at a shorter event. My advice for this race is if you happen to be there and want to squeeze in a running event, you will likely enjoy the experience if you pick one of the shorter distances. I gave this race as 'yes' for recommended - but for the shorter options.