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.

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!

Just ran the 2012 Xterra Trail World Championship on Sunday, 12/2/2012. Had I known that this trail…read morerace was as amazing and scenic, as well as hardcore, I would have probably said no. Then again, with my extensive marathon resume and my curiosity for adventure and just for something to do on a Sunday, I signed up for this race in mid October not knowing what to really expect. At least it was a half marathon I told myself. 13.1 miles of rugged terrain in the lush valleys of Kualoa Ranch on the island of Oahu, a place where I haven't ever been, except passing by on Kamehameha Hwy on the way north to Laie and Polynesian Cultural Center. It was the first time running this race and my first trail experience in Hawaii. After tackling a 50K trail in Colorado in September (Bear Chase 50K in Lakewood, CO), I kind of knew what I was getting into. Well, not so much after all, it seemed. Maybe I probably should have known better, but surprises were out there for us all on the course. I didn't want to pay $25 for the private shuttle that the race provided, which was basically a rented yellow school bus. They shuttled runners from Waikiki to the race start at the backside of Kualoa Ranch. I got here by city bus, which is really affordable if you just plan ahead. The Xterra World Championship boasts the 21K / Half Marathon as its marquee event, attracting some of the most finest trail runner elites from all parts of the country. They also have a 10K, 5K, and an adventure walk that attracts anyone and everyone to Kualoa Ranch for an epic Sunday. Race registration hovers from $40-$55, so if you want the challenge, might as well register early. I held out and had to pony up for the later fee. It's bittersweet that I have signed up for this race, since the course was just as brutal as the majestic scenery that was the Koolau Mountains that surrounded Kualoa Ranch. It was great that I can notch another half marathon to my list of races, but at the cost of having virtually no trail experience whatsoever and my body and legs are telling me so. The course was basically mostly uphill and the first mile ascended like a bat out of hell and it didn't really flatten out till those grassy downhills at mile 2. There were some reprieve in the course where it kinda did flatten to moderate downhill, which was miles 5-7, but that was it. We climbed back up at mile 8 and snaked through the back of Kualoa Ranch. The biggest surprise was the massive hill at mile 10 and the rugged tippy toe über crazy down hill that you could not even really run, due to it being so crazy you may fall and roll off into the ravine. This part scared me, but I managed to get down one way or another and those ropes helped a lot! It helps also that Xterra allows everyone in, not just elites, so I could have help on the course, if I needed it. The last. 2.5 miles snaked around miles 3-5 of the course and it was a soft downhill to the finish line. Never in my life that I experienced something so powerful and epic that I would consider something like that next year. Maybe maybe not. Thanks to Xterra for keeping the finish line open for the last finisher. Met new friends and 2 yelpers that morning too. It was awesome to see Yelper Zar N. running the 10K and meeting Yelper Chris P. from Kapolei. Big thanks to Chris P. and her husband whom gave me a ride back to UH from Kualoa Ranch that afternoon. I thought of DNF when I came across that tiptoe section of mile 10-ish and I just wanted to cry. Knowing that I paid money for this made me realize that I can do this if I just break it all down and take each step one step at a time. The finish time didn't matter that day. What mattered was that I completed the course and survived. Run more! B+

Not a runner at all, but saw that they offered the option to walk the 5k or even just take an…read moreadventure tour, I signed up the hubs and daughter just so we could check out the trails that aren't open to the public. Big props to the race organizers for making everything so easy, from picking up the packet in Waikiki to finding parking on the day of the race! My daughter wasn't happy about waking up so early to get to Kualoa Ranch, but once we got on the trail with the magnificent landscape and cool movie set locations, she was smiling from ear to ear. The Boneyard, with huge skeletons of a triceratops and ape skull, will definitely cut into your race times because you'll want to stop to take pictures! The 5k trail can be a little demanding on the uphill sections but those are few and far between - you'll have enough time to catch your breath and enjoy the scenery. I saw several racers with babies on their backs and little ones in tow, so you can definitely do this with kids. Highly recommend this race - great activity if you've got guests on island at the time!

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.

Crazy awesome people go to this clinic and become even better people for it! Everyone of the…read morevolunteers are so friendly and I met some of my favorite people running with them! They are always pushing there members to try there best and I love that, Helps me stay motivated. The scenery of the runs is unbeatable and are filled with tons of volunteers also willing to help you. It cost 5$ to enter the race which isn't too bad and if you are trained for it its a blast! Try to meet as many people as you can because for some strange reason people that run are always pretty successful in life!

I was headed to Hawaii for thanksgiving this year and what better way to start my eating marathon…read moreduring my stay then to run the turkey trot! The turkey trots are usually short races, and i'm glad to find that this one is 10 miles long, in the beautiful and scenic kapiolani park/ diamond head road. Participants are encouraged to arrive at the Kapiolani Park bandstand by 6:30 am to sign a waiver & to register. No you can't register on line. You simply just show up on race day! Sooooo hawaii, right? And even better, it only costs $3 to participate. The winner isn't necessarily the person who finishes the race first, it's the person that comes closest to their predicted time. You get a popsicle stick at the start of the race, where you write you "predicted time" of finishing the race, down to the second. When you cross the finish line, they'll time you, and write down your actual time. The whole purpose of the race is to train for a full marathon. Apparently the first 10 miles of a full marathon really helps set up the pace for the last 6 miles, so it's important to pace yourself so you don't burn out in the final miles. The downside of the race is you're not suppose to wear headphones (prevents cheating, ie the nike + that gives you your average pace, distance, etc & for safety reasons), and of course the hot weather. I mean you start the race at around 7:15ish after everyone is registered, but even so early in the am, the weather in hawaii is a lot warmer than in california, so make sure you stay hydrated and adapt to the weather if you aren't used to running in hotter climates. In addition, the race route is announced on race day, so that it gives everyone a fair chance. Overall, i thought the race was challenging enough. This years race at two steadily rising inclines, on diamond head road. The lack of sleep + hot climate made for a tough 10 miles. Not to mention there were only 3 water stops. So I would recommend to bring your own water unless you don't plan to drink much. The scenic view & lookout points that we ran across during the race was absolutely gorgeous. It was an amazing experience and I'd totally do it again. Congrats to the Marathon clinic for an awesome experience. Mahalo!

Lightsticks? Black lights? Music? Definitely a great way to do a run! I actually thought it would…read morebe more fun so I decided to try this out. Plus 5k wouldn't be so bad since i am definitely not a runner. It wasn't too crowded. I paid $5 for parking too. It would be a great family activity and it was fun. However, I wish they had more stations with fun stuff. they had 3 stations- bubbles, goal and lights. The foam was fun! I wish they had played music throughout the whole way and more lights! I still had a great time with my friends! I recommend this run for a fun activity. My highlight...running with no sun!

If you actually want to RACE this run, (lets be honest if you're serious about running you wouldn't…read morebe covered in glow sticks) you really need to be there early to the starting line or be super late (8pm)and wait until the last few heats. Otherwise you're stuck between all these strollers and super wasted people high five ing the entire time "running". What a great idea, just not executed very well. Starting out through the aloha stadium parking lot, dancing behind large silk screens and moving through the parking garage into a bubble area, foam party and strobe lights. At the end you are greeted with bananas, water and a dance party. Again great idea, but not very organized. If you used the groupon deal, then $22 to race and get a neon shirt, and box of glowing accessories was well worth it. Fun excursion to start Friday night with the ladies.....

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.

When planning vacations, I always search online beforehand for any races or runs in the area. So…read morewhen we began planning our next Oahuan adventure, I was really excited to stumble across the Coconut Chase 8k, coursing in and around the beautiful Ala Moana Beach Park just outside the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort. It was perfect! No scheduled taxis or Ubers needed, no mandatory day-before packet pickups to worry about, just a refreshing beginning to my day with a gorgeous morning run on the island. You can't beat that!

Hawaii's first ESPN jersey fun run is officially in the books!…read more This was a really great and fun event! If you're an NFL fanatic, then you would've liked this event as much as I did. I really enjoyed myself on this event. The crowded sea of fans in their favorite team's jerseys and attire was a great sight to see. It was like a pro bowl type of atmosphere.. without the Game & NFL players of course! The Parking: The gates opened up at 7:30am for early bird entry. Arriving at the lot was pretty quick and finding parking was a breeze. The Activities: The pre-show activities was a fun filled environment. Lots of keiki games and a bunch of prize giveaways! The post-show was awesome! There were live bands playing and also former players signing autographs. I got a few pictures and autographs with former UH - University of Hawaii players. Colt, Nate & Rocky to name a few. There was also Teilor Grubbs (Grace Williams aka Danno's daughter) from Hawaii 5-0 and local commercial stars as well. The Race: The race began at 9am just as planned. The course of the race (which was just a 3k run) started off at the DD gates and it looped around the stadium, thru the locker rooms, down onto the field, back thru the lockers, up the spiral ramps, a full lap around the upper deck sections, back down the spiral ramps and around the stadium again and finally finished where the race had started. What a way to shed some sweat, right?! The course was good fun though. There was alot of obstacles in between the course that made it such a fun run! Overall, this event was hands down a 5 star experience! It was for a good cause too. I hope they keep this race/event running (pun intended) in Hawaii for many of years to come. Big mahalos to Yelp for the invitation!

This fun run was absolutely a "fun" run! ESPN 1420 did a wonderful job putting this event…read moretogether. It was a perfect event for families and for the sports lovers. I seen all types of jerseys, baseball, UH, pop warner, even a Mexico football jersey. Being that it is still football season and Super Bowl is tomorrow, majority were wearing football jerseys and repping their favorite team. It was a good mixer because when you saw someone else with your favorite team on, you acknowledge each other, cheer, high five them and even start conversations with them on how long they have been a fan. The run itself was an easy, short 3k. Some walked it, but kids (having loads of energy) ran that thing. We ran through the locker rooms, up the spiral, across the top level of the stadium, down the spiral, through the home teams locker rooms and across the other end of the stadium. We also got to go through an obstacle course on the field, throw footballs, kick soccer balls and hit baseballs. All of it was loads of fun and we even broke a sweat! I will definitely do this again next year if they bring it back. It was a fun way of getting my morning cardio.