I'm an active Yelp member who attended a sanctioned Yelp event called, "Yelp Kicks Butt: City Running Tours," held on August 9, 2015 here in Honolulu, Hawaii on Oahu & I'm sharing my experience about what it was like. Here goes: I am not a runner or an all-out fitness person but I am an exerciser (haha for making that word up!) from time to time either regularly or periodically depending what I'm doing in life. The Yelp event (there's a selection process) sounded like a such an interesting way to exercise bc it included seeing the sights around town within the Downtown Honolulu to Ka'kaako area. Instead of taking a bus, train, car, truck, or tour bus, we Yelpy exercisers would go green & do it by foot! Duration of the run normally goes 1-1.5 hours to cover about 4.5-5 miles. I read the link to the vendor's site (in my Yelp announcement email) and thought, "Hey, why not?! How often does one get to do that?" What a cool & absolutely novel idea! :) I was excited to try it out! Wahooo!!! Well, our group did it in under 2 hrs! Yes, indeed, some were faster! YAYs to either case?! Teehee Yelp Kicks Butt: City Running Tours! I did get to see the downtown sights & see things that I normally just pass by in a moving vehicle. Awesome! Did it kick my butt? Yep! Hehe It was a great workout! I've got my running and walking in for the year! Haha jk! Hopefully not! :/ Here's my explanation of our route: 0- Every good runner knows to stretch first to let the body know it's gonna do something strenuous. Yovo led us thru two sets. Then we ran a little loosely at first to warm up. 1- Pace was good for me at the beginning thru Ka'kaako past BJ Penn/Sweat & Soul where we stopped for a tour explanation. I ran right behind Yovo along with other Yeeps also so I could hear what he was saying. 2- Crossed the street at Fisher Hawaii to cut thru the now former Eat the Street parking. Just before the ETS lot, we snapped a shot in front of a small painted bldg. 3- We continued thru the ETS lot past the Fire Station to stop briefly for a tour talk, 4- then headed on Queen St. past the school/church, cemetery, to Kawaiahao Church for a quick talk & pic. 5- After that we went on King St. to see Honolulu Hale at the water feature & front doors for quick talk, 6- then across to the Mission Memorial brick building, looked up the center of the huge black art object just before the Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building, & cut thru turned left just at the cemented path before the State bldg which leads to the back side of the Hawaii State Public Library. 7- After the street light turned green, we continued running toward King St. & crossed the street to see King Kamehameha's statue where we did a brief talk & snapped a cool pic with our famous King. Say, *Cheese! :D * for the King! 8- Next, we crossed back (King St.) going thru Iolani Palace for quick info talk, 9- the State Capitol building where we saw Queen Liliuokalani's statue & did a quick info talk, 10- Ran along Beretania to Richard Street & to Alakea to cut thru the park area on King Street. I started slowing down (long story-my knee has pain but isn't injured) into a brisk, walk-sometimes-short-runs just after the park to Aloha Tower. 11- At Aloha Tower, we took the elevator in groups up to the observation deck. How cool. It was my first time there! We got a couple group pics & had opportunity to use the restroom & refill our water bottles. 12- After admiring the beautiful views in each direction of the observation deck, we went downstairs to head around back near the pier & ran back out past the boats back on to Ala Moana Boulevard. It was during this stretch that I walked w/some other Yelpers. Yovo checked on us just before taking off to head the majority of our group. 13- Yovo then loyally returned to check on us just as we passed Cooke St. TY, Yovo! Just after reaching Ward Ave, he took a fun picture of us doing a jump. Haha! Too funny! :) 14- Back at Jamba Juice on the corner of Ward Ave, we received our celebratory Jamba Juice from Maka K. Woohoo! TY, Maka! I needed that cold blast! ---- Who attended: IDK! Really! Well, ok haha It was a nice-sized group of running/non-running Yeeps! :D Not good enough? (Sorry for the brief list! :/) I would have chatted with more Yeeps (=Yelpers) except that quite honestly it's not as easy for me to talk while running a brisk pace (sorry, Yeeps!) .) Nonetheless, I was able to get in brief conversations w/some of our group during tour guide explanations or just after taking off for our next run hehe :D Thank you to Emi H., Maka K., Yelp Hawaii, & City Running Tours for allowing me to join in this creative, invigorating, & fun exercise event!! Thank you, Yeeps, for keeping me company on this long (unusual for me bc I usually just do 4 times around a track = 1 mile!) run!! Maybe I'll be in body pain tmrw (which turns out I wasn't :D Yay!) but, hey, it was alllll worth it!! :D read more

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Booked in less than 24hr and CRTH found us the perfect guide in a pinch. The confirmation email was THE BEST checklist EVER! From what to bring to what to expect with the weather, it definitely helped us be prepared. The Manoa Falls trail is probably something we could have hiked on our own but after having Alison as our guide I'm SO glad we didn't. DEFINITELY the best way to go for first timers and best guide pricing in town! She made it so much fun and informative, she even shared her fruit, snacks and water. We had so much fun! It was a beautiful way to spend the morning on the island, Love love loved this hiking tour! read more

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Fantastic experience with Yovo and Carly. Yovo had a ton of energy and infectious enthusiasm for every sight we saw. We started at the Hilton on Waikiki and worked our way up to the industrial area, downtown, financial district, and back. Some of the sights -- waikiki beach, wall art and all the stories behind them, the King Kameamea statute and imperial palace, the first missionary church built here, the Aloha tower, and the state house. We covered a ton, and it was fun to see so much of Honolulu. Yovo brought water and pineapple, which he carried around in his running backpack for the first hour! He knows a lot about the city, answered a bunch of our questions, and was great at making everyone comfortable. Carly is a guide-in-training, and she was awesome, too. Yovo was very thoughtful about asking if we were ok, wanted to keep going, and of course we kept just saying yes, so we ended up covering ~8 miles. I'm sure another tour would be less or more, he was being accommodating and we were up for it! Pace was easy, and we started an hour earlier than scheduled to beat the heat, which I appreciated! read more

I had an awesome time with Yovo at City Running Tours! I did two tours, run/hike around Diamond head and the Downtown Honolulu tour. The diamond head run was great, very scenic and took us along the water en route to Diamond. Once we got on the Diamond head trail, we slowed our pace a little due to the many tourists there. Yovo knew all the great locations for pictures and even took us to a small scenic area where we could sit, catch our breath and eat some lovely and sweet pineapple. The down town Honolulu tour was great, probably my favorite. We visited many local scenes such as Kaka'ako, Aloha Tower, Iolani Palace and the Liberty Bell. As always, Yovo took great pictures and knew all the best locations. Overall, I highly recommend this tour as an alternative to other forms of sight-seeing. Whether, you are an avid runner or small time jogger, you will enjoy this tour. Most of the tour is conducted at conversational pace so that you can enjoy the sights. Yovo also takes plenty of breaks for pictures and tidbit of history. Definitely preferable to sitting on a bus! read more

My family and I were doing a cruise of the Hawaiian Islands and had all day Saturday to spend in Honolulu before the ship set sail. We had several excursions planned through the cruise ship, but this one I found on my own through a friend. I can honestly say, that City Running Tours was one of the best "excursions" we did all week and definitely the most economical. I traveled with my husband and two children, ages 11 and 14. Yovo, our guide, met us early in the morning outside our hotel, he drove us all over the west side of Oahu to different sights on the island. He brought us breakfast from Leonard's Bakery (so good and famous on Oahu). After stopping at several places and getting some great pictures we went to the Lanikai Pill Box Hike near Lanikai beach. We all loved it! Yovo was so nice and good with my kids, motivating them on the hike and looking out for all of us. He brought us all waters and POG drinks for the hike. He then let us spend about an hour on the beach with just my family, brought us towels, blankets, sunscreen, and snacks!! He picked us back up and took us to several more sights on the West side near Diamond Head before dropping us off at our hotel around 1pm. So, while City Running Tours Honolulu advertises the Diamond Head hike, they will actually create a perfect day for you by telling them a little about what you like to do, who all is in your party, and what you want to see and do. I really can't say enough about how great our day was. If you are on a cruise or just spending a week in Honolulu do not miss this tour. Well worth your money, cheapest thing we did all week. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the island of Oahu too. We learned a lot, we got in a great hike, spent time at the beach, went to some fun local places, and got some great pics!! read more

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The Diamond Head Running Tour with Yovo was Totally Awesome! Everything from the panoramic views, to Yovo customizing the pace, to his knowledge of the Islands made it an experience that I will never forget! Would recommend to everyone, whether you're a jogger or avid runner! Gotta do it! Steve read more

Had the best tour with Yovo and Carly! If you are looking for a fun way to tour diamond head and get a good run in, I recommend signing up for a city running tour! They accommodate to any running/jogging pace for the group. We had plenty of time to take pictures at the lookout points. Yovo knows the best spots and captures them for you. We had a great time, totally worth the early morning start! Thanks guys! read more

Wonderful experience with City Running Tours, Honolulu Hawaii! ! Kawika "David" was very hospitable as he was our guide up KoKo Head! Although one does not need a guide to hike, our private group hike was great experience: getting picked up in Waikiki, learning history of KoKo Head, photos , encouragement that we will make it up (and down!), more photos, refreshments and return to Waikiki..pretty much on the time expected. However it does depend on how long it takes one to climb up! KoKo Head was beautiful view! Kawika was super cool, Hawaiian style hospitality, allowed us to take our time, and enjoy every challenging moment!! So much fun!! read more

I was introduced to this business through a yelp event. I thoroughly enjoyed the running, talking, listening and learning. Depending on which kinds of guests I have visiting, I will take them out for this activity! The guides were friendly and showed me a few places I hadn't been before, like the top of Aloha Tower, such a sweet view. A major plus was the sweat factor, I enjoy a fun workout! read more

City Running What better way to start off my trip than a sunrise run concluding with a little yoga. It was amazing! It was perfect actually. Since I was the only one to sign up that morning, my guide Yovo picked me up and customized the tour slightly. We made our way towards diamond head driving and stopping at a lookout for sunrise! It was beautiful! I even caught a whale breaching! We arrived at a park near diamond head and started our run up until it turned more into the hike up. Yovo, was awesome! He was super friendly, informative and kept my pace. No pressure! ;) He would stop and/or run ahead and take photos throughout our day which was also great(and one less thing I have to do!! "Hey! Do you mind taking a photo of me/us??" We've all been there. It was so nice to have someone who didn't mind!). Soooo, I didn't have to do ask at all this day and came out with a ton of great shots of the sunrise, our run, hike up followed by pics at the summit and then a private yoga session up top but away from the crowd! It couldn't have been more perfect! Yovo, had fresh fruit, water and other drinks for our break after reaching the top and before yoga....also perfect timing and just what I needed. After yoga we made our way down and finished our run back to the park concluding with more water and mini cliff bars and energy bites. Overall, this was a great tour...a bit fun run, a bit hike/workout plus sunrise and all the amazing views and great insider info. ;) I can't say a negative thing about it! It's the perfect way to start your day! read more

City Running Tours Honolulu - View from Diamond Head - Walking Tours Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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We really enjoyed our run. It was a small group ( just us ) on a sunday morning, and we went all around downtown honolulu. Our guide knew everything we threw at him, and was an interesting guy. We especially liked the murals he showed, although going up in the aloha tower was also something we wouldn't have done otherwise. Go do it! read more

Why go to the gym when you can go on a beautiful run around Diamondhead? The meeting spot was easy to find and the tour guide was very energetic and friendly. He kept the group together at a good pace and shared some interesting facts/stories about the island, I almost forgot I was exercising! I def recommend, for groups or solo travelers. I signed up by myself and felt the group was very welcoming and everyone was there to have a good time! read more

Booking my custom private session with City Running Tours was the best decision I made on my vacation. You will not find guides more willing to go out of their way to not only tailor their tour to you, but ensure you have the best time in Oahu outside of your time with them. As a solo traveler without a car, I wanted to a way to hike Lanikai Pillboxes before sunrise. Yovo was so accommodating--even going so far as to send me a very long, very helpful list of suggestions before we'd even met. I was picked up well before sunrise on a Sunday (thank you again, Michelle and Yovo, for waking up to share this experience with me!). Yovo and Michelle provided EVERYTHING for the tour--fruit, energy snacks, and drinks (from a cooler), an extra jacket, a GoPro, Garmin (to track our activity), camera, and even sandals. Yovo is a hiking Mary Poppins. I'm not very athletic, but Yovo and Michelle made sure I was comfortable and okay every step of the way. (That being said, their tours are PERFECT if you are active.) After we watched the sunrise from the pillboxes, I was so energized and excited that we finished the hike. We completed the tour with a little beach time, followed by a scenic drive full of photo-worthy spots. I can't thank Yovo and Michelle enough for the best first day in Oahu, allowing me an experience I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Honestly, Yovo and Michelle could offer a tour to a cactus, and it would grow arms and write a glowing review. That good. read more

Perfect way see the sights around Diamond Head! Learned something new while enjoying the views and burning calories - what could be better ;) The guide was informative, engaging and considerate of everyone in the group. Good beginner run. Great way to meet kindred people too! read more

Super fun experience this past Sunday joining our first Yelp event. I was concerned that this might be a hardcore athletic event with 20 somethings being frustrated with my wife Mary and I who enjoy leisurely runs, but never with a clock ticking and times being obsessively tracked in preparation for the next marathon. Emi assured me that this run was good for all types of runners and she was spot on. It was a leisurely run through some of the most important areas of Honolulu with adequate short stops by our incredibly cool and personable guide Yovo S. to explain the sites that we were viewing. We had visited most of the historical places in the past (Mission churches and houses, Iolani palace, the state legislative buildings, and Aloha Tower); however, being able to see the crazy creative art on building sides in Kakaako was amazing. What a cool place hidden in the back streets that I have never seen in my 11+ years living in Honolulu. Also, I had no idea that there was an elevator that took us to the top of Aloha Tower; simply amazing views. We had a blast and in no way felt that this run was too challenging; whatever was lost in 'training time' by the short stops was greatly exceeded by the ability to appreciate highlights of Honolulu at close up street level. Weather was great and vehicle traffic was very light on Sunday AM. Thanks Yovo and Yelp, this was our first event and definitely will not be our last. I strongly recommend that City Running Tours connect with Norwegian and the other cruise lines that periodically stop (Princess) here to arrange tours for folks suffering from restlessness and overeating on their floating feeding machines. I suspect that they would get significant business from folks like me that tire of eating all the time and want to work off a little guilt while seeing the sights. Best, Greg & Mary S. read more

We went on a running tour with Yovo this morning. It was a city running tour through Honolulu and we started a little farther out than normal due to having a small group. Yovo was punctual, friendly, and energetic. He brought a small backpack to carry water and Clif bars for us, and he also cut fresh fruit the morning of for us to eat at the halfway point. He has a real love for exercising and is very knowledgeable about the city of Honolulu and Hawaiian history. We went through the "hipster district" which has various murals painted on the buildings by artists on the weekends. We also went to the Royal palace and the government buildings, for which yovo taught us the significance of the architecture as it related to Hawaiian culture. We visited Aloha tower, and got to take a great picture at the top. My wife and I were comfortable at the pace we ran at, and he said he would make it as fast or as slow as we wanted. We stopped for about 6-7 photo opportunities, and will get a small album of pictures from the Yovo this evening. For less than $40 per person, this was a great value and a unique way to learn about the City of Honolulu up close. read more

City Running Tours Honolulu - Taken by tour guide Yovo S. - Walking Tours Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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There were great options to choose from and they worked with me to make it fit my schedule, my pace, and my needs. Yovo was on time, really nice and fun, took lots of pictures that he emailed back to me within 1 day, brought fruit and water and running food, and even a jacket in case I was cold - and he ran with that bag while I ran without anything. He had a great sense of the history and geography and Hawai'i in general. I am really glad I chose to run with City Running Tours instead of trying to figure a route out on my own - I got to see some beautiful views and perspective of the city. I highly recommend this. read more

Did Manoa Falls with carly and can't say enough good things! Awesome hike and great information along the way! Me and my son had a great time and recommend it to everybody! read more

Apologies for the late review but I reached out to City Running Tours Honolulu before our trip in June 2019. The response was quick and the booking was easy. Great communication before the run. Kawika sent a bunch of useful information for us for the city of Waikiki from a local's perspective. We went on the Diamond Head Sunrise tour. I lived in Hawaii when I was little but never went to Diamond Head. Kawika was prompt, personable, and brought water and snacks for the tour. We got lucky as my husband I were the only people that signed up for the tour so it was a private tour. Kawika gave us great tips on running (we are not "real" runners or fast) and let us take it easy. He knew all the great spots for good photos and was very patient. Afterwards, I forgot the Diamond Head brochure (because he carried it in his backpack for me) and he came all the way back to the hotel to drop it off for us. Such a great guy and wonderful service. We highly recommend a run with City Running Tours and ask for Kawika! THANK YOU!!! read more

The vote says it all! As good as it could possibly get! I found City Running Tours online, for my first trip to Hawaii. I subscribed for the Diamond Head Sunrise Running Tour and Yoga / Stretch Tour last Friday, because I tried running tours in other cities and I think it a very nice way to explore a place you don't know yet (but also to discover hidden places in cities you are familiar with!)! Even before arriving, Yovo proved to be the most amazing guide, with plenty of tips and suggestions for my staying. Since I was the only one subsribing for this tour (and it was the first time they offered this particular type) Yovo proposed me to modify it a bit, going up to the Diamond Head. I want to highlight that he has been the most attentive guide, always careful to keep pace with me and of not tiring me out. Since he's a very prepared and well trained runner, I definitely slowed him down :). The tour was amazing. Starting from Duke's statue, we went by the beach, through Kapi'olani Park and then up to the Diamond head! Yovo is really knowledgeable, sharing info about Honolulu history and describing the landscape in all its aspects. We alternated running and walking until we reached the top of Diamond Head and I was rewarded with the most stunning view. It was absolutely worth the effort to get there! After we rested a bit and had water and snacks, we came back and coming back downhill was definitely easier :) we went back to the Duke's statue, and we completed our tour with some stretching (while I run at least twice a week, I have never done yoga before). In the end, our tour was more or less of 7.5 miles, completed in less than two hours, including all the stops. I have no words to thank Yovo, who has been truly amazing, helpful, attentive, social and very very nice. Absolutely the best running tour I've ever had! Suggested, suggested, suggested! Gaia read more

My husband and I are not exercise enthusiasts by any means but we do enjoy a good workout and we like to push ourselves. We actually had no idea what we were getting into when I booked the Koko Head Trail Challenge a few months prior to our trip to the island. It was our last night on Oahu and we were exhausted, so when we saw the 1,000+ stairs we were nervous. Tim with City Running Tours was an excellent guide! He was extremely accommodating even though we were running 20 behind (trying to catch TheBus from Waikiki)! He met us at the base of the crater and gave us some history and background then led us at our own pace and was encouraging throughout the entire hike. He was even there to lend a hand over the trusses that were open underneath and I was freaked out! When we got to the top the views were amazing and Tim took some really good footage and photos. Well worth it! Mahalo Tim (and Yahnny) and City Running Tours! read more

I was in Honolulu for a week vacation and wanted to get in some miles. Since I have never been to the islands before, a friend recommended City Running Tours as a good way to learn my way around with a local guide. I pre-booked the downtown and Diamond Head Tours as well as a private 10 miler. All three runs were great! Yovo was my guide for the downtown and longer private run while Bri took me up Diamond Head. Both did such a great job that I was able to take my wife back to some of the same spots later in the week and even remembered the stories that go with the landmarks. For my private longer run, Yovo planned a course starting from the University of Hawaii campus up to the Manoa Falls park. It was a great combination of running and hiking with fantastic scenery and early enough that we mostly had the trails to ourselves. I highly recommend City Running Tours of Honolulu for runners new to the city or just wanting some friendly company to keep their mileage up while visiting. Thanks Yovo and Bri! I will certainly give you a call next time I am in town. read more