Hawai'i Bird Conservation Marathon

I chose this race for my 50 state journey based on the comments before me. All of the comments are spot on. The organization of this race was great. Packet pickup was easy to get to, shuttle pick up was exactly on-time, and water stations were sufficient. I stayed at the Naniloa hotel which was incredibly convenient as the shuttle pick-up was a 5-6 minute walk. The course is really fast with most of it downhill. Near the end there was a decent incline that I had to power through. Personally, I hit a PR with this course and it was the first time I ran a sub four hour marathon which was a personal milestone for me. I gave a 3 star for spectators since it was a small race with only ~110 ish runners. The spectators that were there though gave me plenty of motivation. Also, Hilo is a great place to visit. Good food, some nice places to grab a drink, and friendly people. Race is in December though so it might be raining so plan accordingly, helicopter tour got cancelled :(. Think you can spend a couple days here but I would recommend spending some time in Kona as well (def go see the Manta Rays at night!). 10/10 would run again!

This is a newer (3 years?) small race run from Volcano to Hilo. The previous comments were very accurate, and overall I would recommend this race. I will add some some pros and cons to the comments already made: Pros: 1. Very good COMMUNICATION and ORGANIZATION from new race director Alan Ryan with well-timed and well-planned directions/instructions sent via email 2. GRADUAL DOWNHILL-- never a steep grade like some races that slam you down a giant hill and then expect you to do rollers for the second half of the race on weak quads 3. Very chill, LOW-KEY environment that just focuses on the run in a beautiful area Cons: 1. Very chill, LOW-KEY environment. If you are looking for bands and cheerleaders, look elsewhere. Not really any spectators as I don't think the community has caught on yet 2. Run on a HIGHWAY that is not closed, so there are lots of cars flying by, esp the second half. Not dangerous, but not very serene. 3. B/c of #2, you must run on the shoulder (facing traffic), which is notably CAMBERed. 4. NO porta-potties along the way. Plenty of private spots to be found, but highly inconvenient to trip around in the brush during a road race. 5. It is HOT by the end and in the SUN, especially for those of us out there for 4hrs or more.

Don't be fooled by the elevation drop ... this marathon is fast but not easy! The director, Bob, is wonderful, and made for a great small-marathon experience with loads of personal touches. The 'medal' is my very favorite of the 39 other marathons I've done ... one that you'll actually wear around your neck as jewelry!