After completing the Kapilina NiteRun earlier this summer, I got emails about the Kailua NiteRun…read morehappening on October 10, 2015. Since I didn't want to pay to actually run the 5k, I decided to volunteer instead. I eagerly signed up to volunteer from 4pm to 9pm as a Family Fun Fair Attendant. As a volunteer, it was pretty unorganized. They didn't have any work available so they had us sit around for a substantial amount of time. I even asked if I could grab a bite nearby and come back! Even after being gone for more than 30 minutes, still no work. LOCATION/PARKING: The run was held at Kawainui Marsh (the closest address is 910 Kailua Road). They had tents set up for easy spotting! Parking available on the streets or at Kailua High School. Shuttle buses were available to bring runners to the start line from Kaiser High School. ACTIVITIES/VENDORS: This particular NiteRun does not have all the vendors and inflatables like Kaka'ako, Kapilina or Haleiwa! Many people were disappointed in this. However, DNLR does not allow much on their protected lands. They did however have Jamba Juice and Coca Cola, free smoothies/coffee/Powerade/coconut water/Honest Tea, etc. Informal costume contest at the end of the run! RACE INFO: If you're running no need to come really early but if you haven't already picked up your packet before race day, come a little earlier so you can put your packet away! They don't really hold anything for you! You receive a free headlamp with entry and some coupons for Sports Authority and Jamba Juice! Race length is 5k or 3.1 miles! Not officially timed (no timing chips). Run begins once it gets dark and often starts later than scheduled. :( On this particular route, be sure to have enough lights! You run along the marsh, partly on the pavement and a good amount of time on gravel! Since it wasn't busy, the volunteer coordinator let me run! Let me tell you, running on gravel with little to no light is worse than walking in heels! Wobble this way, wobble that way! Just be careful. People are running with costumes and everyone is soooo friendly! I kept pace with several guys and they were cheering everyone on! How do you talk and run at less than an 8 min mile pace! Gah I'm panting! And of course, I try to not sound like a gorilla so I'm breathing quietly as I pass people and as soon as I'm a good distance away, GASP FOR AIR PLEASE! Inhale like there's no tomorrow! SNACKS: Grab more Jamba Juice smoothies or Coca Cola products to replenish your energy stores after the run! Muffins, oranges, bananas, trail mix, and cookies were available also! Nom nom nom. Especially when you're panting because you're so out of shape that a 5k makes your squirm. PRICING: Entry fees are $39.50 for adults, $25.50 for children ages 10-17. Same day registration is $49.50. Save $10 if you are a student, military, or HGEA member! Look on Groupon for specials to save money too for individuals like me who are too old to be considered a child, is unfortunately a wannabe student, is to weak-minded to be in the military and I don't even know what HGEA is. Time to Google! RANDOM FACTS: Each NiteRun benefits a different organization. This particular run benefitted the Boy & Girls Club of Hawaii - Windward. Come to the next event, Haleiwa NiteRun, on December 19, 2015 at the Haleiwa Beach park! This one should have all the festivities! Any takers?! :D

5k fun run in dark, lit by glowsticks? Sign me up!…read more I couldn't make either packet pickup and arrived an hour ahead for late packet pickup. I was surprised to find no line, just walked right up, signed the waiver on an iPad, and had my bad and t-shirt within a couple of minutes. It was smooth, definitely something other events could replicate. I walked around the fair / market for a bit. Luckily, I had come early because traffic was looking like a mess. The start was a bit confusing though - everyone had naturally lined up at the starting gate, then we were moved towards the mauka side near the stage. I couldn't hear anything, then we all started walking back to where we were...then right out of the road! The course map then made sense - we walked across the street to another starting area, complete with an inflatable arch and tents. It was dark by the time we started, which was good. It kind of lost steam though. The first part of an event is usually energy charged and exciting, this one wasn't. A few people were commenting on this, but oh well. We were off! I heard about the Seattle night run and was expecting some strobes, flashing lights, or something. The course was mostly just a jog in the night, with an occasional halogen light. The aid station at the halfway point was nice though, plenty of volunteers, a band, lots of cold water. The cold water was welcome - and full bottles of water! Think that's the first time I've seen that at an aid station. Then, just the light jog back. I was expecting a small congregation, but most people just walked back. I'm guessing there were 200 people, mostly teens (fitting though, given all the proceeds went to the Boys and Girls Club). Was a cool idea and if they could find out a way to pump some more energy in it, might go again.

I would give the Bubble Run a zero if I could. The run was scheduled for February. The race…read moreorganizers changed the date to OCTOBER! Now they won't give me a refund saying it was nonrefundable. I'm sorry, you changed the date to 8 months later than originally agreed up on. I signed up because it was a date that I could attend, then you change the date to a new date that I can't, I should get my money back. Nevermind that they also changed the location twice. Don't sign up. They say it is free and it is not! Then they do whatever they want like your life revolves around their schedule and expect you to go with whatever they change to.

The event itself is cool but organisation is poor.I recommend it anyway. They should work better on…read morethe registration process.

Before this year, I quickly dismissed any invitations to running events. And when I say quickly, I…read moremean I wouldn't even consider it. But now that my daughter is 8, I like to look for active and fun events we can do together. The Color Run caught my interest because it was a fun run and not timed so we could take our time walking. She had been exposed to a mini-Color Run at her Summer Fun program so she was excited about it. On race day, we found parking easily near the event out in Kapolei. The race was well organized and they sent participants in waves with runners on the left and walkers on the right to avoid being overcrowded. The course is marked with 4 color stations (blue, pink, orange and yellow) with a water station before the last color. But if you have kids in your group, definitely bring your own water. We learned our 8 year old girls got very whiny when hot. The girls immediately perked up when running through the color stations where volunteers would motivate you with high fives and douse you with color powder. At the finish line, they passed out packets of color powder and our shiny medals. The girls had the best time at the end of the event throwing powder EVERYWHERE. This was probably the least exciting part for me as I learned at the orange station that there is such a thing as throwing too much color. Totally worth it though! Especially when my daughter thanked me for taking her because she had so much fun.

Yelp 365 Challenge x 2 #248/365…read more FUN RUN! How can you give it any less especially when it's all about family, friends, co-workers, or individuals running around being doused with different colors? I love the fact that they did some adjustments to the run from last year. Last year, there were no wave starts. This year there were different starting times. At first, I thought there wouldn't be that much runners considering there was the Run or Dye in September but there were quite a lot of people that showed up. Last year, I ran on my own but this year-my kids and sisters joined in on the fun. Unfortunately for my nephew, he refused to run thinking it was "uncool" but my sister showed him the videos that she took prior, during and after the run with his cousins having fun (sucks to be him). The Color Run also teamed up again with Ocean Lotus, which is a great cause. The course was the same as last year! As for me and my family? We were happy unicorns and have already made plans to do this again next year. Few tips: 1) This is a fun run-so there IS NO TIMING. If you are in for timing, sign up for other races that aren't fun runs 2) Have a fun attitude! 3) Get your family and friends to all go as a team! It's fun and way better than running on your own!

Yelp 365 Challenge #122/365…read more After the Great Aloha Run, I had the insane idea to sign up for another run...the 15th Annual Ford Island Bridge Run, which is only 6.2 miles. I figure I would train on the days that I don't attend TRX classes by running around my neighborhood. However, there are times when plans don't go according to your agenda especially for me. And I have that type of personality where it grates on my nerves and it will gnaw at me for days afterwards. For instance, the past three weeks-I haven't been up to par in health. In fact, my coughing is still here but not as bad as before. I've only returned to TRX classes last Thursday. So, for me to expect to do my best on race day...I was setting myself up to having too much of high expectations. Nevertheless, I still got up early plus I was using my running clothes--so all I had to do was put on my contacts, brush my hair, and brush my teeth. Drove to the stadium but the gates weren't open yet, so I drove to SackNSave to pick up bananas and water. Parked in the Aloha Stadium overflow parking lot and ate a banana (I should have ate more as well as whole wheat bread but I didn't). Drank some water and by 6:15, I decided to walk across to Richardson Field and waited with the rest of the runners/walkers to be instructed to line up at the start line. I stretched... Observed... Took pics of my shoes and surroundings... Waved hi to a few co-workers and silently prayed while reminding myself to pace myself. 7:00AM (It begins) Ran slowly on the bridge....first HILL (I HATE HILLS) Off the bridge and rounded the corner to the first mile marker and noticing in the far distance...the runners that were ELITE RUNNERS passing the four / five mile MARKER. And this is what happened... I allowed discouragement to set in...(bad thing for me to do) By the three mile marker...my stomach started burning because I burned up that LITTLE APPLE BANANA, which I had to slow my run down to where I decided to walk for my body to adjust. However, I was allowing myself to notice other people especially walkers pass by me. So, I started jogging really slow. This is when the sun came out from the clouds and blast me with its rays (good thing I had a bottle water). Another thing that slowed me down, (my fault!) was the fact that I was taking in all the historic building surroundings as well as making a note to go to Pacific Aviation to check out the planes! The water stations were at perfect intervals but it was luke warm water. However, thank you to the volunteers who were quickly handing out waters and cheering us on. As we rounded the last circle before heading back to the bridge, I noticed that some cars were impatient and attempting to drive in the midst of runners (boo!) Finally, the bridge loomed ahead and at first I was jog/walking behind other walkers before realizing that I am able to run around them. There were the camera people waiting to take pictures but um...NO, I was actually becoming grouchy because I swear...I hate hills. I had to run the hills on the bridge...then I had to run up the hill to round the corner to get to Richardson Field. I was not a happy person because I allowed discouragement to get the better of me. I was that irritated at everything, that I decided to sprint it just to get it over and done with. The finishing time on the clock was 1:43:36, however, official time was 1:43:00 (I made it under two hours, thank God). But, like a petulant child after accomplishing something, I just headed to the table that was offering water and gatorade. I grabbed my bottles and watched the awards ceremony. Megan Clark (my trainer) at SOHI Fitness placed THIRD for OVERALL WOMEN in this event. How cool is that? Plus, the trophies were koa wood (I think). There was some entertainment afterwards but I didn't stay. I chose to pick up my grandson and rest for the remainder of the day. Overall experience, it was a good run. It would have been a BETTER RUN if I did the following: 1) Eat a little more before the race 2) Understand that because I was just getting over being sick...my timing will be all right 3) Don't look ahead to see the elite runners and get discouraged because after all, I am running for me and no one else... 4) To remember to take my inhaler before stepping out of the car 5) TO HAVE FUN Will I do this one again next year? I think so.

What a fun event! Parking was a bit of a headache so next year I'd go a little earlier. Weather…read morelooked dreary but ended up being just perfect; a little sunny then overcast. The run takes you through all the historical buildings; by the bowfin, behind the air museum and down and around the runway back up and through the renovated living quarters. Everyone was so lighthearted and friendly which made the run really fun. The best thing, though, were the snacks at the end of the run. After making the tredge back up&over the bridge, meadow gold trucks were waiting to pass out popsicles, milk, yogurt &cottage cheese. What a treat. I'd definitely do this run again.

Pros: 1. Course had mile markers and six passes at aid…read morestations that had water and Gatorade 2. Orange cones throughout course but only one to distinguish between the three distances 3. One stretch along diamond head that showed the beach, one inland 4. Aid station volunteers were helpful 5. Times race with early enough time before it got hot and humid (5:30 start) for half 6. Plenty of police to guide the route and stop cars and even an escort at the head 7. A tiny metal turtle luck charm 8. Orange slices and pocari sweat at the finish 9. Big cheers at the sprint finish! Cons: 1. Mostly through residential streets so not much to see in terms of scenery. Quite a boring course. A trail half here would be awesome. 3. No snacks at aid stations 4. Quiet race. No music at the start at the park and minimal support throughout race but quite zen so it's fine 5. Thin race shirt worse quality than 3 dollar swap meet. Just super thin cotton with white print. No thought into design. 6. Basic print medal usually reserved for low end races that cost 35 bucks in Cali. The medals looking at from 10 years ago looked best with an actual flower shape and well designed. It'd have been much better to do one thing well, like a good medal, than to do many of the other things poorly, crap shirt, crap medal, crap stations, crap mc. 7. There really wasn't an expo as only one local run shop showed up, the run lab and some old swag from previous races for sale. I'd much prefer a trail race through the mountains inland with views at the top. This one needed a much better course. This one had 400 feet of vert but a really flat vibe

This run course is nice bc it's Hawaii. The event is very unprofessional. Their site states that…read morefamily/friends can track the runners but there was no such tracking device on the runners and nobody knew until I asked around. Event lady stopped the music to find out if aid station workers showed up. As finishers arrived, nobody knew if they were 5mi, 15k or half marathon finishers. We were all confused. Maybe they should have different bib colors? Or even some commentating? The lady had no music, barely said anything to acknowledge the finishers and after finishers, the park was underwhelming. People got Gatorade or water and then went home. It was so silent, no music or much going on.. Also, that event lady said very little for like 40 min and then emphasized that only racers eat the snacks and throw your trash in the trash cans. That was it. I think she's raking in the money at over 100 dollars per racer at about 1,000 running it, it's a racket. Unorganized and yellow shirts about being mean and now I know why. She does three of these events. You'd think by now she would have it dialed in.

Yes, you got a t-shirt, hat, and food after the race, but there was nothing given for finishing the…read morerace if you want to call it that. 400 m swim, 12 mi bike, 3.2 mi run. The water temperature was perfect! But the current was wicked! So wicked that swimmers were offered a tow and allowed to finish the race! According to the rules, that's grounds for cheating. If the current was impossible, a decision should have been made to reroute the course or not count the swim towards final completion time. After I finished, I asked a person in charge at the end about getting towed and I was told that if a person looks like they won't place, then they allowed towing! Really??? Also, waiting for the police to clear the road so that you may enter and exit Kamehameha Highway for the bike ride, skews your time. The road was scattered with gravel and broken glass, no one bothered to sweep it before the "race". And the run, although pleasant through the wooded areas, also took you across sand and rocky coral beach. A nice way to end up with a sprained ankle. By the way, the announcer said "its a beginner race" and obviously doesn't take into account how majority of people wouldn't ever attempt a triathlon! If you won't give out a metal for trying, then at least give us some credit! If you want to do a REAL triathlon, don't do the Haleiwa Triathlon! Do the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base Triathlon. Not only do you get a completion metal, you are competing against a lot of hard core military athletes that will put you through the test. And Kaneohe Bay is much calmer than Haleiwa during high surf advisories!

1.5 mile run on an angled beach in four inch sand. GRUELING!…read more Other than that, this was a quick sprint tri to get ready for the Honolulu Tri in May. 500m swim, 12mi bike, 3mi run. Free shirt, free hat, free sticker, free mini pack, free water bottle. Food after finishing had all sorts of fruits, muffins, and drinks. Also included some good live music, acoustic style. This was my first time doing this one. It was fairly organized, had police blocking off roads, and there were volunteers throughout the course cheering/handing out refreshments. It's definitely a good beginner tri for those starting out.

What a tough marathon, sun on your back, 25 mile per hour wind. It was beautiful to start off, wind…read moreon your back, then cross winds were so strong that I had to run sideways, to not get blown into the ocean. Late start!!! That's not favorable. It was suppose to start at 5am, but the organizers decided to wait for the two late buses, and didn't start until 5:25am. We didn't wake up at 2:30am, take the bus to starting line, just to wait for the people that can't be on time! That sucks!!! More sun because of the late start. People on time shouldn't be punished for late people! That really needs to be changed. 5am start means 5 am start, it doesn't & shouldn't mean 5:01 am start or 5:25 am start!!! Ok, after the rant, I still love it! Love the challenge. Love the volunteers, and love the experience!

We are usually in Maui around the time of the Maui Marathon/Half so 2 years ago (2013) I decided to…read moregive the Half a shot since we stayed next door to the starting line. The full marathon starts in Kahului and ends at Whaler's Village while the Half Marathon starts and ends at the Whaler's Village. The Westin is normally the sponsor of the event so they do have shuttles to bring you to the starting line in Kahului for those doing the full and it is just next door to the starting line for the Half. However, any hotel on Kaanapali Beach from Sheraton to Hyatt is walking distance to the starting point for the Half with Hyatt about a 10-15 min walk. Both the full and the half is usually on Sundays and now starts 1/2 an hour earlier at 5AM. That extra half an hour before the sun comes up makes a huge difference. The day before (Sat), they have the 5K and 10K in the morning and Front Street Mile in the afternoon. There is also an option to do the Warrior Challenge which is full marathon + 10K + front street mile or half marathon + 5K + front street mile. Since medal distributions for Warrior Challenge seems to change, I cannot say for sure what it would be each year so best thing is to check the website. Years ago, you can get up to 4 medals, 1 for each distance of the challenge + a separate warrior challenge medal. Then it was changed that you only got a Warrior Challenge Medal if you complete all 3 but no individuals for 10K/5K + Front Street = 2 medals and this past year I believe they had medals for the 10K/5K +Warrior Challenge Medal, giving you up to 3 medals if you complete the challenge. Route is scenic as a large part of it is along the water with lots of water stations along the way to drink and at times to throw over your head to cool down. Snacks, nuts, and fruits were also available at 1-2 stops as well to help refuel a little bit and the finish line may have chocolate milk, gelato pops, etc. depending on who the sponsors are. First rate Hawaiian entertainment and sometimes masseuses are available at the finish line as well. My advice is arrive at least 1/2 week early to acclimate to the weather as the one thing to beware is the tropical conditions which can vary greatly from what you are use to training in. Expect heat and humidity as a given especially once the sun comes up around 7:30 or earlier and be prepared for the possibility of the lack of tradewinds like during the 2014 race which poses a challenge for even the winners.

This was the first year they started this race. I had the pleasure of following and taking photos…read moreof the brave cyclist from the start to the finish line in the comfort of my SUV. This race was nothing but a hill sprint! Hard? It looked hard! I was tried just watching the cyclist climb the elevation of "Pineapple Hill".

One moment can change everything…read more.. I can't agree more being a cancer survivor that no else know yourself then you and along with research it does save lives. The Susan G Komen not only have these events to raise money for research but to provide support and resources as I wasn't sure what to do or begin with my issues though thankfully I was absolutely blessed to have my answers. I haven't lost but known some that had battled breast cancer so it all falls very close to my heart. I'm still dealing with the death of my very dearest friend to cancer so this type of event is very therapeutical as I wrote her name at the "We Remember" tent and wished she was here with me as pink is her absolute favorite color. I'm just delighted to have this event moving forward this year as nothing makes things better than positivity and there was so much of that going on here with awareness that we desperately need after a long absence. Cancer sucks so please stay informed and donate! Thank you!

That was phenomenal ladies! One and a half hours of Zumba marathon with four great instructors from…read morecoast to coast. The music was fun, the moves were easy to catch on #Mahalo for supporting breast cancer awareness!