Hawai’i Bird Conservation Marathon

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A quick aside: when did the spelling of Hawai’i go from Hawaii to Hawai’i? The TV show is still called Hawaii Five-0.

On December 18, 2022, I finished the Hawai’i Bird Conservation Marathon from Volcano to Kea’au, Hawai’i. The race advertised a total drop of 3792 feet and a total gain of 54 feet.

The marathon was founded in 2017 by Bob Kennedy of Durham, New Hampshire. He was trying to join the 50 sub 4 Marathon Club by finishing a marathon under 4 hours in each state. He was in his late 60s and having a difficult time in the existing Hawai’i marathons. So he developed this downhill course on the Big Island.

The race is held on Sunday before Christmas and has been run every year since 2017, except in 2020.

The course was recertified in 2024 with a modified start and finish location. However, the guts of the course remain the same.

There were no mile markers on the course. The certification map showed 5km locations. At packet pickup, the Race Director told me there were no 5km markers on the course. However, most of the highway mile posts were in place. The current certification map has 10km locations. For reference, milepost 9 is at about mile 25.

In my year, the finish was after milepost 5. The current course ends after milepost 8. To make up the distance, they included a section on the Volcano Golf Course at the start.

You can use the mileposts for pacing. As other reference points, there were ten aid stations between the start and mile 24. So, they were 2.4 to 2.5 miles apart.

Saturday’s packet pickup was at the finish line. The location was 5 miles south of Hilo and cost $40 via a round-trip taxi. We received our shirt, bag, and timing chip.

The race used Chronotrack HU Chips on ankle straps, which I used to time triathlons and cross-country races. Instead of using the race-provided ankle strap, I used my neoprene strap. This race was my first time using a HU chip. Though bulky, I never noticed any issues or discomfort.

On Sunday, I was up at 2:15 am and left my hotel at 3:50 am for a short walk to the event buses. The bus ride to the start line got us there around 5 am for the 6 am start. There were four porta- pots for 100 runners. The field is limited to 130 runners and usually reaches capacity.

The start location was about 2 miles from the Kilauea volcano caldera, which may be active. 

The weather at the start is usually in the low 50s, rising to the low 70s by the finish. There is a rain shower on most days on the Big Island.

Sunrise is around 7 am with civil daylight by 6:30 am. A headlamp is required and can be dropped off at the first aid station. With the finish shift, runners are not on the main road until mile 4. If you expect to finish after 10 am, carrying sunblock is recommended.

I carried my cell phone, hoping to capture some scenic pictures. Unfortunately, there were no vistas, just rainforests and speeding cars. That road is Route 11 heading to Hilo. This road is the island’s main southern route. We were required to run on the shoulder to the left of the white line.

By 7:30 am, the sun starts peeking through the trees to the right. A half-hour later, I put on more sunblock on my right side. By mile 18, the remainder of the course is in direct sunlight, mainly on the right.

Even with 3600 feet of elevation drop, there are some unexpected ups on the course. They advertise this course as a Boston Qualifier. I’m not sure what they will change with the new qualifying restrictions.

The volunteers at the water stops were enthusiastic and encouraging. There were a few
intersections we had to cross with friendly course marshals.

After finishing, I didn’t have to wait long for the bus back to my hotel.

For reference: HST is 5 hours behind EST.

Getting to Hilo, Hawai’i, can be an adventure. At times, I use “the force” when traveling. Though planned, I know it’s somewhere over there. At times on this trip, the force was not with me. But I got there.

I flew out of Dulles to Los Angeles. There is only one daily flight from the mainland to Hilo.  United leaves LAX around 7 pm, lands in Hawai’i at 10:30, then returns to the mainland at midnight. I probably could have checked for mainland flights into Kona, but the rental car fees on the islands are rather steep.

After a few delays on the ground at LAX, we arrived in Hilo around 11:30 pm. Now, for the trusting-the-force part: I headed to the taxi stand. No taxis were waiting. There is a phone to call for a cab. When I tried that phone, it rang, and no one picked up.

I then went on Uber. The projected price was $18. However, no drivers were available. I tried about every 5 minutes. By midnight, the projected cost was $55.

Most of the other passengers had rides pick them up at the curb. Just after midnight, about 12 of us are standing around for rides. Since this happened every night, the security people started telling us about the one taxi that drives at night and that he would be back. All the Rental Car
companies, Uber drivers, and cab companies close down by 8 pm, except for Pachy Taxi.

Finally, I got a ride with Pachy and arrived at my hotel by 1 am HST (6 am EST).

I stayed at the Grand Naniloa Doubletree Hotel. I was surprised to find a microwave and a mini- fridge in my room. Walmart was 2.5 miles away. On Saturday, I walked there at 5:30 am to pick up food. Thanks to the microwave, I was able to eat my usual diet.

Since Pachy was the only industrious cabbie in Hilo, I arranged with him for rides to packet pickup and back to the airport at 10 pm on Sunday.

The hotel was nice, and they only charged me for two nights even though I checked out at 10 pm. Being a Hilton Honors Diamond member may have some perks.

This trip had a quick turnaround. I left home on Friday at 9:30 am EST and returned by 9 pm on Monday. Because of the early marathon start time, I didn’t have to adjust to HST and didn’t experience jet lag in Hawai’i or when I returned home.

Mauna Loa is the world’s largest active volcano. Hilo is in its eastern rift zone. At times,
residents are asked to remain indoors to avoid the gas emissions. Winds blow from the NE, away from the course, and the race is on Kilauea rather than Mauna Loa. Kilauea is active at times.

The website Big Island Now has volcano update information. I found two other sites. One site displayed the island’s sulfur emissions status, and the other was an emission projection site.

Since I had been to Hawai’i multiple times, I took a quick trip. You could always fly into
Honolulu for a few days in paradise. There are more flights there and from HNL to Hilo.

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Vic Culp is a co-founder of the Fredericksburg Area Running Club in 1994. He has managed a few races and run a few miles.
You can follow his blog at slowoldrunner.com and subscribe to receive notification emails from that site.
Check out his book “Go for 25″on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094YFRJ7G