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Marathon Details - Big Island International Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > HI > Hilo > Big Island International Marathon

Big Island International Marathon

Big Island International Marathon & Half Marathon, 10K, 5K

Hilo, HI USA

March 16, 2025

https://runsignup.com/Race/HI/Hilo/biim

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Contact Information

Name:	Bob Wedeman
Address:	P.O. Box 11211 Hilo, HI 96721
Phone Number:	808-969-7400
Fax Number:	808- 966-9407
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (67)

Course 4.1

Organization 4.0

Spectators 3.1

Write a review

Number of comments: 67 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

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

A. F. from Fort Collins, United States (8/20/2022) "Incredible. True Hawaiian style marathon" (about: 2022) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Course was hilly..particularly for the first part. Last 6 miles or so very flat. Incredibly scenic. I loved the course. Everything about this marathon is very Hawaiian. Relaxed, not overly organized but completely sufficient. Everyone there to have a good time. Some fairly fast runners in the front but most just cruising and having fun. If you are even thinking about running this one, you should!
M. F. from Michigan, USA (3/22/2019) "Small Town Feel with beautiful scenery" (about: 2019) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran this race while visiting a friend in Hilo and it was a pleasant surprise. The first 14 miles were hilly, but the final 12 were almost completely flat. This is a race to negative split. My watch registered a totally of 1000 ft of elevation, but the course map does not include this information. The marathon was on the smaller side (<100 runners), but there were aid stations every 2 miles. The marathon course overlapped with the half marathon course at times, so you weren't running alone for the entire time. The volunteers were incredibly friendly and although there were few spectators, they were incredibly enthusiastic. There wasn't much food at the end of the race, but I would use that as an excuse to eat at some of the local restaurants nearby. The course takes you by waterfalls and over bridges with spectacular views, but also by the airport at times. Overall, beautiful course and I would suggest driving it beforehand so you don't need to stop and take pictures while running, even though many people did.
B. B. from Texas (4/3/2016) "Great Hawaii Marathon" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I enjoyed running my 50th marathon state in Hawaii. The first 14 miles were exceptional in more ways than one could imagine. The ocean views and plant life along the route were wonderful. The surfers were having a great day. The hills were a surprise. The second half of the marathon course was a flat out and back route; passing by some beautiful ocean front parks, colorful water views, and great plant life. It did heat up for those of us running slower than 4 hour marathon times. My recommendation would be to update the marathon route map, to have a profile plot of the elevation of the course. I would have trained on hills, if I had known about the hills on this course.
A. T. from Calgary, Alberta Canada (3/30/2016) "Beautiful, very hilly race" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This was my 41st marathon and I will say, definitely the hilliest I have run - not sure I was ready for that!! The first 16 miles of the race is entirely up and down hill although the views are stunning. The last 10 miles was a welcome flat way to finish although not nearly as scenic. It was a small race but I thought it was well organized except some of the people giving directions were getting bored and it would have been easy to get lost. This is coming from someone that finished in the top 10% so I can only imagine how people slower than I felt.
J. A. from Minnesota (3/26/2016) "Beautiful run" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 40th marathon and 36th state and I'm pretty sure I'll never run as beautiful a course as this. Yes, it rained in Hilo again this year for much of the morning. The first half of the race has a lot of hills, so be ready. I'd read a lot of comments about the organization but I have no criticisms. This is a smaller race and I don't expect a lot of swag. I thought there were plenty of stations on the course, though I only saw gels at one or two, but since I carry my own, I wasn't looking either. Congrats to the race director for putting on a fine race.
A. A. from Kailua-Kona, HI (4/22/2015) "Great scenery, poor organization" (about: 2015) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 It is over a month after the race and no photos have been posted, which is really disappointing considering the race info said they're included and this was my first marathon. Really not happy about that. The course is very beautiful, but plagued by organization issues as well. Apparently they don't want to pay to have a lane of traffic shut down, so you end up running on an uneven-camber shoulder, one side lower than the other, for most of the course, which is really hard on your joints and alignment. They were still setting up the start/finish line as we started the race, which was weird. Also, they took the mile markers down well before the last finishers were done, so it was really tough to calculate pacing to make it in under the cut off if you're cutting it close. I felt like that was really unacceptable. The volunteers were fantastic, and there was good food at the finish line. It isn't crowded, which is nice, and the finisher medal and t-shirt were good quality. The first half of the course is incredibly beautiful, with lots of waterfalls and shade. The second half isn't as pretty but it's flat, which was a blessing by that point! Would I do it again? Between the tilted roads and no photos, given the cost, probably not.
K. E. from Geneva, IL (3/28/2015) "Beautiful course a hidden gem!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This course was absolutely beautiful and a great way to see some of the natural beauty in Hilo. The last 8-10 miles of the course could use some help. It was not as scenic, but the best thing they could have done was put the fluid stations closer together. Most courses will put them about 1 mile apart towards the end and this course could really use it since it gets warmer as the race goes on. They claimed to have photos but did not see them after two weeks.
M. H. from Maine (3/21/2015) "Beautiful Race" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What can I say? We flew from Bangor Maine to Hawaii in the winter of 2015. Or should I say 2015-the most snow winter on the books. How can I not say great things about Hawaii. Weather was perfect. Water-great. Fans-great for a small race. Best add on was the Luau the night before. We were even lucky enough to be sung to by a participant. (Has run this race 17 times.)
Michael Georgi from Honolulu (3/17/2014) "beauty and the beast" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Big Island International Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Even under the trying conditions of wind and rain it would be difficult to find a course that can rival this one in spectacular scenery. The new version of the race is more challenging than previously, with mostly rolling hills for the first 15 miles which leave you staggered for the remaining 11. The wisest course of action is to enjoy the scenery for the first half and save your energy for the latter part. Wonderful race organizers who adapted as best they could to the conditions.
R. S. from Hilo, HI (3/17/2014) "Aid stations only water and gatorade?" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Beautiful Course, but the price of the race and only water and Gatorade? Then at the end of the race NO food??? Did anyone take pictures?

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



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A. F. from Fort Collins, United States (8/20/2022) "Incredible. True Hawaiian style marathon" (about: 2022) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Course was hilly..particularly for the first part. Last 6 miles or so very flat. Incredibly scenic. I loved the course. Everything about this marathon is very Hawaiian. Relaxed, not overly organized but completely sufficient. Everyone there to have a good time. Some fairly fast runners in the front but most just cruising and having fun. If you are even thinking about running this one, you should!
M. F. from Michigan, USA (3/22/2019) "Small Town Feel with beautiful scenery" (about: 2019) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran this race while visiting a friend in Hilo and it was a pleasant surprise. The first 14 miles were hilly, but the final 12 were almost completely flat. This is a race to negative split. My watch registered a totally of 1000 ft of elevation, but the course map does not include this information. The marathon was on the smaller side (<100 runners), but there were aid stations every 2 miles. The marathon course overlapped with the half marathon course at times, so you weren't running alone for the entire time. The volunteers were incredibly friendly and although there were few spectators, they were incredibly enthusiastic. There wasn't much food at the end of the race, but I would use that as an excuse to eat at some of the local restaurants nearby. The course takes you by waterfalls and over bridges with spectacular views, but also by the airport at times. Overall, beautiful course and I would suggest driving it beforehand so you don't need to stop and take pictures while running, even though many people did.
B. B. from Texas (4/3/2016) "Great Hawaii Marathon" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I enjoyed running my 50th marathon state in Hawaii. The first 14 miles were exceptional in more ways than one could imagine. The ocean views and plant life along the route were wonderful. The surfers were having a great day. The hills were a surprise. The second half of the marathon course was a flat out and back route; passing by some beautiful ocean front parks, colorful water views, and great plant life. It did heat up for those of us running slower than 4 hour marathon times. My recommendation would be to update the marathon route map, to have a profile plot of the elevation of the course. I would have trained on hills, if I had known about the hills on this course.
A. T. from Calgary, Alberta Canada (3/30/2016) "Beautiful, very hilly race" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 This was my 41st marathon and I will say, definitely the hilliest I have run - not sure I was ready for that!! The first 16 miles of the race is entirely up and down hill although the views are stunning. The last 10 miles was a welcome flat way to finish although not nearly as scenic. It was a small race but I thought it was well organized except some of the people giving directions were getting bored and it would have been easy to get lost. This is coming from someone that finished in the top 10% so I can only imagine how people slower than I felt.
J. A. from Minnesota (3/26/2016) "Beautiful run" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my 40th marathon and 36th state and I'm pretty sure I'll never run as beautiful a course as this. Yes, it rained in Hilo again this year for much of the morning. The first half of the race has a lot of hills, so be ready. I'd read a lot of comments about the organization but I have no criticisms. This is a smaller race and I don't expect a lot of swag. I thought there were plenty of stations on the course, though I only saw gels at one or two, but since I carry my own, I wasn't looking either. Congrats to the race director for putting on a fine race.
A. A. from Kailua-Kona, HI (4/22/2015) "Great scenery, poor organization" (about: 2015) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 It is over a month after the race and no photos have been posted, which is really disappointing considering the race info said they're included and this was my first marathon. Really not happy about that. The course is very beautiful, but plagued by organization issues as well. Apparently they don't want to pay to have a lane of traffic shut down, so you end up running on an uneven-camber shoulder, one side lower than the other, for most of the course, which is really hard on your joints and alignment. They were still setting up the start/finish line as we started the race, which was weird. Also, they took the mile markers down well before the last finishers were done, so it was really tough to calculate pacing to make it in under the cut off if you're cutting it close. I felt like that was really unacceptable. The volunteers were fantastic, and there was good food at the finish line. It isn't crowded, which is nice, and the finisher medal and t-shirt were good quality. The first half of the course is incredibly beautiful, with lots of waterfalls and shade. The second half isn't as pretty but it's flat, which was a blessing by that point! Would I do it again? Between the tilted roads and no photos, given the cost, probably not.
K. E. from Geneva, IL (3/28/2015) "Beautiful course a hidden gem!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 This course was absolutely beautiful and a great way to see some of the natural beauty in Hilo. The last 8-10 miles of the course could use some help. It was not as scenic, but the best thing they could have done was put the fluid stations closer together. Most courses will put them about 1 mile apart towards the end and this course could really use it since it gets warmer as the race goes on. They claimed to have photos but did not see them after two weeks.
M. H. from Maine (3/21/2015) "Beautiful Race" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What can I say? We flew from Bangor Maine to Hawaii in the winter of 2015. Or should I say 2015-the most snow winter on the books. How can I not say great things about Hawaii. Weather was perfect. Water-great. Fans-great for a small race. Best add on was the Luau the night before. We were even lucky enough to be sung to by a participant. (Has run this race 17 times.)
Michael Georgi from Honolulu (3/17/2014) "beauty and the beast" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Big Island International Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Even under the trying conditions of wind and rain it would be difficult to find a course that can rival this one in spectacular scenery. The new version of the race is more challenging than previously, with mostly rolling hills for the first 15 miles which leave you staggered for the remaining 11. The wisest course of action is to enjoy the scenery for the first half and save your energy for the latter part. Wonderful race organizers who adapted as best they could to the conditions.
R. S. from Hilo, HI (3/17/2014) "Aid stations only water and gatorade?" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Big Island International Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Beautiful Course, but the price of the race and only water and Gatorade? Then at the end of the race NO food??? Did anyone take pictures?

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Marathon Details - Big Island International Marathon