Big Island International Marathon

I have done 33 full marathons all over the US from large to small, and this race ranks at the very bottom for me. The Good: -Friendly and helpful aid station volunteers -Beautiful scenery along parts of the course -The finish line announcer was enthusiastic and called each person across by name and state. The Bad: -This race was unsafe. Much of it was along a narrow, sloping shoulder on a busy highway. There was no traffic control at any intersections and no police presence along the route (except for the officer who angrily screamed at me to get out of the road as I was passing other runners). The second out and back section went past a park along the beach with LOTS of traffic – vehicles and large tour busses backing out or pulling into parking spaces, oblivious to the runners. -The course was not well-marked. Only some of the turns had very small signs, and there were no volunteers directing runners where to go. -I had a minor medical issue, and there was no medical assistance available at the finish. -The post-race food consisted of cookies, chips, fruit, and bread. Nothing hot and nothing to drink besides water and watered-down Gatorade. -The medals were tiny and not unique to each distance. If you did the 5K, your medal said “Marathon” in big writing with 5K/10K very small underneath. Same for the half and full. -This was the most expensive marathon I have ever entered at almost $200. Not sure where that money went? -The race started about 5 minutes late. -The finish line required you to jump a curb and run across a bunch of tree roots (major trip hazard) and muddy grass. -Suffocating humidity (Coming from the mainland US, it’s very difficult to be properly acclimated to this in mid-March.) -Extremely hilly (some may see that as a plus?) The Ugly: -The race director! Very rude, arrogant, and unwilling to make any accommodations to runners who had difficulty getting to the race site due to a historic storm event taking place on the islands in the days leading up to the race.

Course was hilly..particularly for the first part. Last 6 miles or so very flat. Incredibly scenic. I loved the course. Everything about this marathon is very Hawaiian. Relaxed, not overly organized but completely sufficient. Everyone there to have a good time. Some fairly fast runners in the front but most just cruising and having fun. If you are even thinking about running this one, you should!