The heat is the biggest factor in this race. I also trained in the heat of Baltimore, but apparently that didn't help me too much. It didn't help that Hawaii had a 'heat wave' that week, so the temps were 87 when I finished, when normally that's your high for the day. The coolness of the morning feels perfect for running, so at least you have an awesome run before the sun rises.

The course is pretty nice. The hill at the beginning is over several miles, so it's easy to navigate, and you're still in the coolness of the morning. I didn't start having issues until the hills heading out to the ocean, around mile 12-13. The heat starts bearing down on you, and you have your biggest challenge of hills for the day. After the heat got to me, it all seemed uphill, when in reality, it's a bare incline towards Lahaina, or even flat. Running alongside the ocean is fantastic, but would've been much more enjoyable if I wasn't trashed physically. :-)

The support was great, and the medical people at the end were great as well. Thank you!! The icy cold sponges at the water stops were what saved me from a total disaster, I'm sure. They felt SOOOO good! The support crews were also very supportive.

The crowds were great, but very spread out, which is fine for me. I need a break from the crowds sometimes. Be prepared to be running by yourself for long periods of time when you're oceanside. What that stretch does give you, and family, is really easy access to each other. They can ride up and down the road for you, providing support, stopping almost anywhere, and yelling from the car.

The expo left a lot to be desired. We had to park up on this big hill, and be shuttled down. The expo wasn't much of an expo, so that was a bit much for just packet pickup. But, in fairness, the shuttle worked well, and was frequent.

I stayed at Maui Seaside, 1 block from the start. The hotel is very basic, and some people wouldn't like it at all, but it is definitely worth staying at to be able to get up later on race morning, and without the long drive and hassle of the shuttle bus. It was awesome to just walk shortly to the start. It's cheap too, and locally owned. If you're Kamaina (local), you can get the Kamaina rate as well. An additional benefit is that you don't stress yourself out about the race because you're away from all of the excitement, and can do things at your own pace.

The race has a shuttle back to Kahului after the race, and that worked well.

Having run Chicago for the past few years I wanted to try something smaller. Maui was perfect and the course was outstanding. After training in flat Chicago I was worried about the hills, but in reality they were a non-issue.

The biggest issue I had was the heat. After mile 16 it started to wear on me and really showed my pace. I finished about 30 minutes slower than I normally would, but would still recommend the race to everyone.

The organization was top notch for a small race!

I just ran this as my first marathon. Awesome group of runners, with a perfect size (about 1,700 runners started), beautiful scenery, lots of water breaks, and good route. I was worried about my knees, but a nice slow uphill in the early part made for a comfortable 1st half of the race for my knees. I trained in East Coast summer heat and thought I was ready, but the heat here is tough during the second half of the race. I STRONGLY recommend for first-timers that you stop running at each water stop and drink at least two full cups of water and still consider bringing a fuel-belt or Camel-Back. I had run 22-miles in heat during training and never experienced the cramps that I had on this race - which forced me to walk for part of the last six miles. The hills look bad on the map but they are not too bad, and early enough in the race.

The organizers do a GREAT job. The fans are spread out on the course, so it is you and the other runners for a good part of the race. I would definitely say it is fine as a first marathon, but I would not plan on a four-hour time (which was my original goal). I came in just under 4:20. Had a great time and felt great about what I had accomplished.

I ran this marathon in 2003. It starts at 5:00 a.m. but you have to be up by 3:00 a.m. in order to catch the bus to the start on this point-to-point course. The first part of the course you are running in the dark next to some cane fields, but around mile 8 you come out onto the coast for some beautiful ocean views. Some other runners commented on hills, but this course is virtually flat. It did get extremely hot after the sun came up around 7:00 a.m. The aid stations are adequate and are located almost every mile after the halfway point. You can even get a popsicle around the 20 mile mark. Overall a nice marathon, but be prepared for high temparatures and high humidity.

This was my fourth marathon. I was hoping to set a PR, but after training in Seattle weather the heat was a real challenge. No tradewinds provided for a hot, hot course in 2003. Temps hovered in the low 90's. Wear your sunscreen. Although this is a well organized, beautiful course, I would not recommend it for first-timers. After 26.2 in the heat, the marathon has a new meaning for me.

An interesting sidenote is almost half of the runners fly in from Japan. I arrived at the staging area, grabbed a bagel, fruit, sushi and miso soup!!! Many of the Japanese engaged in ACTIVE calisthentics prior to the race. As I was sitting to conserve energy, I commented to an Aussie runner that this must be the first marathon for most of the Japan contingent. They certainly did need that energy at mile 20 in the heat.

This was a wonderful race. It is a marathon that is small, is suited for runners, not for the 'walking crowd', and has a scenic view. Most importantly, stay for a week of recuperation in paradise.

This was my first marathon and it was all I could have asked for and more! The course was a little hilly but pretty nice, the organization and police protection was good, and the volunteers were unbelievable! Even the cars seeemed to slow down so that running on the shoulder was not dangerous.

The only two very minor negatives about this race were the heat and lack of spectators. Even though the race started at 5am, it did get a little hot out there which would have been a bigger problem had I not trained in the heat of Austin, Texas all summer. Also, there weren't that many spectators and it did get a little lonely after mile 18 when you need the most cheering on.

In general this was an excellent race with not many people and a great setting for a couple days vacation before and after the race. I recommend it to anyone!

The Maui Marathon was simply fantastic. After running my first much larger race (20,000+ entrants), I was excited to try a smaller, more intimate race and Maui was the perfect choice. The scenery was fantastic, the course, though a bit hilly at times, was awesome and the whole thing was very well-organized, especially for such a smaller event. Shuttles, aid stations, enthusiastic announcers, encouraging spectators - it had everything. The smaller size made it feel more special but didn't cause it to lack any of the features/ammenities of a larger race. Fellow runners warned me of the heat and it was hot for sure, despite the 5 am start. Still, the sponges and scenery more than made up for the temperature and didn't prevent me from besting my PR by 40 minutes! Don't let the 'heat alarmists' scare you! This race was very special and unique and I recommend it to beginners and advanced runners alike. Maui, what's not to like???

It's really hard to find negative things to say about this race. Beautiful, easy course and superb organization.

Heat is the biggest challenge, since the second half of the course has no shade at all. The cool ocean breeze makes it comfortable, though, until mile 21-22 when you reach Lahaina. Now trees and buildings steal your breeze but don't offer shade in return. Unless you've been drinking like a sponge until this point, say hello to Mr. Wall.

But there's no excuse for dehydration. The water stops (from mile 8 with iced sponges) are closer and closer together as you progress - less than a mile between them which is amazing for a race with only 2-3000 runners. There are 700 volunteers and they are fantastic. I dropped a sponge and a volunteer sprinted after me with a fresh one. If you're out there, THANK YOU!

Apart from the volunteers there are virtually no spectators, but you wouldn't expect tourists to spend their Sunday morning on the shoulder of a highway, would you? So instead of cheers, you hear birds, crashing waves, and your fellow runners. Works for me.

Beautiful course, well organized race, enough water and aid stations - definitely a good choice for a first marathon. Few spectators, especially in Lahaina, where traffic was blocked off, so it seemed like a ghost town. Fortunately, water/aid stations were staffed with enthusiastic people, so it didn?t seem to really matter. Start time was 5:30 (will be 5:00 am in 2003), making for a relatively comfortable run for the 2 hr marathoners. However, for us mere mortals, by 8:00 am, temps were in the mid-80s, and there is little to no cover on most of this course. Fortunately, the sun is at your back. Mostly flat course, with the exception of some rolling hills in mile 10-11.

Fantastic course and organization but be warned it is a very hot race and there is no shade to be found. Regardless of the heat this is one marathon not to be missed.