Our Time in Kauai and the Race

[DonDavis]

Wow. What a vacation. We had such a great time and will certainly go back. It was the 6th running of the Kauai Marathon and and if all goes well, I'll be back for he 7th!

We arrived 3pm Thursday, got the rental and headed to Costco to stock up.
Booze, food and fruit, then off to our condo.
The accommodations were great. There were 6 of us. Brett/Stacey were in the master, Ron and Patrick shared a room with twin beds, Richard O. was upstairs and pushed 2 twins together ( I added the O. to differentiate from Pelican Richard, tevake ) and I was in the last room in a queen bed. The condo had just about everything we needed. Dishes, pots pans, towels, washer/dryer, coolers and beach chairs.
Condo was about 3/4 mile from the beach but it was a private walkway and a very scenic stroll to beach and Brenneke's bar.

Race morning was very cool. Everyone started getting up at 4am and by 5 the condo was buzzing with coffee, toast and various breakfasts. By 5:15 we were out the door to walk the .9 mile to the start. It was still dark out and but the road was dotted with runners making their way. We arrived at the start about 5:45 and it began to rain very hard but only lasted a few minutes. It was a good rain.

Brett, Patrick, Stacey, moi, Richard O.

The announcer began with a hearty welcome to the runners and called the rain a blessing followed by a Hawaiian prayer and national anthem. Race started at 6am and we're off!

By mile 3, I was nearly soaked with sweat and humidity. The sun was just starting to break the horizon and it was amazing to see the mountain's beauty coupled with sunrise. Approximately every 2 miles were water stations and medical tents. There were also hula dancers at several spots. One stop had a set of drummers banging out island sounds. Lots and lots of homeowners were out cheering us along and offering water/fruit.



My group basically accordion-ed throughout the course. I'd see Brett/Stacey for a bit, then there was Ron a few times, then I saw Brett and Stacey again, then I'd lose them. We had no plan of staying together at all. We just said "I'll see you when I see you."

At about mile 10.5 the Full Marathon pack made a right turn and did an out and back leg for 13.1 miles then rejoined the course at the same point. I gladly turned left for my Half distance of 13.1.



At about mile 12 I caught up with Brett/Stacey and we ran the last mile together. As we neared the finish line, we spontaneously joined hands and crossed together with arms raised. For the last 10 miles, I was completely soaked. Sweat would sling from my hands every stride. The temps were rising and I knew the full marathoners would be hating it.


We posed for our official pics then I lost Brett while getting some fruit and water. A short time later, I spotted them talking to some guy and exchanging numbers. As I walked up, Stacey saw me and began to bounce up and down "Brett proposed!!", she yelled. Turns out, Brett called her Dad from the condo that morning before we left and asked for her hand. Then he ran with the ring waiting for the right moment to hit him. That came right after the finish and as he spotted and good location on the beach. The guy exchanging numbers saw what was happening and noticed no one taking pictures, so he did. Then approached and said he saw what was going on and sent the pics. Brett used a family ring that belonged to his grandmother.



We had some beer in the finishers area, ate some fruit then headed back to the condo to clean up and return for the Full finishers. Got cleaned up, ate some lunch, then drove back to greet Ron and Richard O. By this time, it was hot out and figured they were hating life. We found Ron just as we got back. He said the course was "beautiful but friggin' hot". Said "Richard must be dragging ass."

Finally, at 6 hours 13 minutes Richard O crossed the finish line looking strong in a full sprint. It was his longest Full marathon time but enjoyed it. Said it was "Really hot out there" but well-wishers gave him a beer at mile 16 and 20. He was fine.

My Half time was 2:23. I didn't push it and had a really great time throughout the entire course.
Chatted with runners along the way, enjoyed the amazing scenery and took it the beauty of running through the Tunnel of Trees. If you're a runner and have any interest in Kauai, this should be on your list.

Then we began the fun part of our trip.

[Baz]

Congrats Don - awesome post! That's quite an accomplishment to do that event.

[DonDavis]

Here's a bunch of other pics. I'll comment more later....

[DonDavis]

And of course we met up Richard. Great to finally meet him! He was a very gracious host! We had just finished our 5 mile hike and we had beers and fantastic swim in his pool. What an amazing view to the south Thank you very much Richard! The cat is out of the bag and I'll be back, fo sho.

[tevake]

Nice pics there Don!
They do a good job of conveying the fun spirits of your trip.
I'm so glad you were able to stop in at our place and let me tap into the fun.

Big congrats to Brett and Stacy on their engagement.

I hope I'm on island for your next visit.

Cheers Richard

Ps too bad your pic of me caught me in transition from mean face to happy face. :-)
You guys are too funny.

[DonDavis]

Yeah, it was a great trip and we stayed fairly busy. Some lazy days are great, but we wanted to see as much as we could within reason.
I really don't have a specific favorite thing. Everything was great.
I will say that I never felt crowded wherever we went. Also, I never felt like I was around a bunch of obnoxious tourists. I'm guessing they're there, but I must've missed them.

Thurs, got to condo, settled in, hit the beach for a bit then Brennecke's for drinks/dinner
Fri, marathon expo then lots of beach time
Sat, Waimea Canyon then quiet evening at condo with everyone
Sun, Marathon, then the drinks were on!
Mon, Ke'e beach and short hike then a lame luau ( only been to one other but was way better )
Tues, all day snorkel trip with Holo Holo out of Port Allen
Wed, we changed hotels from Poipu area to Hanalei Bay
Thurs, hiked
Fri, kayaked and took a red eye that night home.

Had a wonderful time. This is a vacation I'll certainly do again. Maybe run the marathon again next year.