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May 5, 2024

Maui Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Maui Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.3

Organization 3.9

Spectators 3.2

Number of comments: 95 [displaying comments 31 to 41]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 10 > ]

A. C. from Toronto, Canada (1/29/2009) "You just can't beat Maui" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Maui Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I ran the half in 2008. This is a great run on an incredible island. It starts out early in the day, but given the heat and humidity under the sun, it's worth getting up at 3 a.m. Most people come from the west anyway, so the jet lag is actually a good thing from this point of view. The aid stations are great - those ice cold sponges were awesome. Very well organized, descent expo, nice medal. Would have preferred a "technical" shirt, but the cotton tee was still a nice touch. If you're considering running this and you've never been to Maui, use the race as your excuse. Maui a beautiful island and there's lots to do besides lie on the beach.
R. L. from Columbus, Ohio (10/21/2008) "Definitely a great time but not a great TIME" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Maui Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I agree with everything JT from Massachusetts said. The items that were within the control of the race director were handled extremely well. The weather is not within his/her control so you can't really criticize anyone for the heat. You are running a marathon in Maui in September. It is what it is. It was definitely hot though. It helped that the race had more water stations than any race I have ever seen and a lot of cold sponges. I loved the stretch of the race that went through Lahaina - those people turned out in droves. Other than that spectators were few and far between but I wasn't really expecting much in that regard. The post-race party was really fantastic - free beer and pizza and no one really cared if family members grabbed food and suds. You don't want to go into this race with high expectations for a great performance/time. Although I didn't find the hills all that difficult really, the heat more than made up for that. Just do this one for the experience or as a training run like I did and you will really enjoy yourself.
William Tichenor from Dallas, TX (10/5/2008) "Half was a better choice" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Maui Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Ran the half this year, and finished before the heat got bad. Brought our trainer and he won it! Ran the full in 2005, and while Maui is the best, the heat got unbearable by the end. Volunteers and sponges were awesome!
T. S. from Ontario, Canada (9/27/2008) "I loved the experience!" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Maui Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Going into this marathon, I knew it would be hot and hilly, so I did not pursue a specific time goal, especially since heat combined with running is not a great combo for me. This marathon was going to be about the view and the experience. I finished the course 30 minutes later than my usual time, but finished with a huge smile on my face and with no injuries! The volunteers were awesome and I loved the sponges with ice. I thought it was the most organized marathon that I have run to date. Thank you to everyone who volunteered - you made a huge difference! I also appreciated the energy and enthusiasm of the MC - he was very entertaining! As for the finisher's t-shirt, I would have preferred a technical shirt. I loved the ones that were sold at expo with the map!
J. T. from Massachusetts (9/26/2008) "A Well-Run Marathon" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Maui Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The bases were covered in the 2008 Maui Marathon. Pre-race packet pick up was efficient, bus logistics to the start went smoothly, race started on time, chip timing, more than enough water stations (with ice sponges), super friendly volunteers, an organized finishing area, a colorful and unique medal, adequate post-race food and a nice finisher's party. Many race's don't pull off all of these details... but Maui did. The heat/humidity is the heat/humidity; there's nothing race officials can do about that other than ensure a sufficient number of stations that are adequately supplied (which Maui did). Auto traffic is close to the runners during much of the course, and that's a bit of a negative, as runners need to keep a continuous eye on oncoming traffic. However, with the limited available road surface in Maui, I suspect roads can't be closed solely to runners. Tightly-spaced orange cones managed the situation for the most part. Overall, a nice race, and one that I would recommend to my fellow 50-staters looking for their Hawaii marathon.
J. H. from Alabama (9/25/2008) "A tough day in Maui beats an easy day at home!" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Maui Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 First off, Kevin, thanks for chasing me down and returning my sunglasses! That probably would have made the four other hours I was on the course pretty rough. Second, the volunteers in the race were incredible - so many great young kids spending a perfectly good day in Maui handing water and sponges to a bunch of nuts. I decided there were no spectators because they were all volunteering. The course is along a highway, so there's really not a great place for spectators anyway. You can't beat the views of the ocean on your left and the mountains on the right. The tradewinds took the weekend off, so that made the heat a little more intense, but weather presents a different challenge in every marathon. The expo was a little weird; there's not much signage letting you know which way to go, or even folks pointing it out to you. I found it, so I guess they had enough. I was concerned after reading some of the 2007 comments about the new director, but it seems like they listened to some of the comments from the last year (ice sponges), so I hope they will continue to improve. If I could run it again tomorrow, I would!
J. M. from Portland, Oregon (9/23/2008) "I will not do this one again" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Maui Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This marathon was covered in VOG, and run at 91 degrees with almost no spectators. The volunteers were outstanding. For the price, we should have received a well thought-out technical t-shirt - not a simple cotton tee. I thought the finish area and expo were tiny.
S. P. from Hawaii (9/22/2008) "most beautiful marathon course..." (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 It was hot and humid, with a very heavy volcanic haze this year. Usually prevailing trade winds make the weather much more bearable.
E. S. from South Carolina,United States (9/17/2008) "Breathtaking scenery on a good course" (about: 2008) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Maui Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had a great time during the race, with great support. Watering stations were well placed and stocked when I came through. The medical crew was quick, caring, and efficient.
J. N. from California (9/16/2008) "Not Worth the Trip" (about: 2008) First Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 I was really disappointed with the race. Maybe it was because of my high expectation that the race will incorporate the amazing sights and landscape of Maui. The half marathon takes you along the Ka'anapali Parkway to Highway 31 and along Front Street. The course is narrow at times, and you are running along a major roadway with cars zipping by only a few feet next to you. The other comments about the poor organization also hold true for 2008. Also, the t-shirt they gave at the end is a cheap, cotton t-shirt.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 10 > ]

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