This is one of the most consistently organized races on Maui! Race Director Rudy clearly knows what he is doing. This was the 7th annual Valley to the Sea event and was just as good as last year.

Expo: It was more of a packet pickup than an expo. It was held at our Sports Authority so we did get discount coupons to use in the store for the day which was a bonus. We were able to get stocked on our energy gels much cheaper than we expected. Slightly disappointed in the t-shirt, it was cotton verse a tech shirt but it's gray with the logo. Was hoping for a brighter color like last year's light blue.

Race Morning: Management was pretty awesome in the sense that they provided a shuttle to the start line from the finish. So we were able to park along the street at the finish and have our car once we were done and not have to take a shuttle back to the start. You did have to RSVP for a shuttle seat but it was via email and very easy to do. More impressive was that the shuttle were charter buses not school buses, which made for a more comfortable ride.

Race Start: Once we arrived at start line in Iao Valley, Rudy got on the bus to give us some last minute info. Where the port-a-potties were, where bag drop was with a free Gu too, where the start line was, and the best news ever that the final .25 miles through the sand had been canceled and was all on pavement. There were only 5 port-a-potties for 300 runners but there was enough time for everyone to us them. We all lined up and synchronized our start with the Marathon start back in Kihei.

Race Course: Contrary to what it may appear, Iao Valley is actually pretty high up elevation wise. That's good for us as the first 2 miles were all down hill. Wet roads from the morning sprinkle made running downhill a little scary but all was good. After an uphill climb it was another mile of downhill until we hit Route 30 in Wailuku, this part had by far the best views of the race due to the elevation. The next mile or so was relatively flat as we approached Waikapu. Then we were in for a long gradual uphill for about 2.5 miles, which plateaued at Kahili Golf Course. Miles 7 and 8 were back to a gradual downhill until we hit North Kihei Road. At North Kihei Road we crossed the street with the help of a traffic cop and now ran with traffic until the finish. Mile 9 was an even steeper downhill grade which eventually plateaued for the remainder of the race. Miles 10, 11, and 12 were very scenic as we were running right by the ocean. The final mile was a little more car traffic heavy but there were cones to give up a bigger shoulder. The final leg we had to run across a small water bridge and then make a sharp right turn into the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary parking lot where the finish was.

Course Support: Aid stations were every 2 miles stocked with water and Gatorade. There was one port-a-potty between miles 8 and 9 at the turn to North Kihei Road. At every intersection there was at least one, sometimes more at bigger intersections, traffic cops who made sure we had the right of way.

Finish and After Party: Once down the chute we got our medal and had a part of our race bib collected. There were two tables with pretzels, bananas, oranges, water and Gatorade to replenish with. The award ceremony started very promptly even though there were still runners on the course. Age divisions were in 10 year increments, 3rd place getting a Tiki Statue of the Victor (a traditional figure meant to bless the owner with victory in all things), 2nd place getting a hand carved wooden frog which was hollow to be used as a Traditional Drum, 1st place got a whale tail shaped plaque, each with hand painted designs.

I would definitely recommend this race to everyone who love running. The scenery was incredible, the cloudless morning let us see the top of Mount Haleakala, and light breeze kept us cool. I would forewarn that this race is hill heavy, ups and downs, so make sure you train for the downhill the most.