Maui Oceanfront Marathon

48 Replies

Can I just start by saying this race was an ass kicker?  No?  Okay then, I’ll just let you know how it went.

Our day started at 2 a.m.  James got up, showered, dressed, and prepped for the full marathon. I had to get up to take him to the place where he caught his shuttle bus.  He had to go a few miles up the road as his race was point-to-point, and his bus left around 3:15 a.m.  I was back in bed by 3:30.

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I wasn’t actually able to fall back to sleep after that, so I just laid there and rested until my alarm went off at 4:30.  James had a kick-off time of 5:30.  The half-marathon started at 6:35, and my in-laws came to pick me up at about 5:30 or so to take me to the start line (it’s not a proper race without numerous trips to the port-a-loo before gun time, so it’s important to get there plenty early to stand in the loo lines… over and over again). My father-in-law, Rick, was running the 10K, and his race started at 6:40.  We both had the same start line, both were an out-and-back, and no, we don’t understand why they sent out the faster-paced 10K group after the slower-paced half-marathon group, but whatever.

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Rick and I had a helluva time trying to get a selfie.  Neither one of us could work the camera that early in the morning and it was super dark.  OH!  Of special note… when you start a race in pitch black dark, DO NOT put the lid down on the port-a-loo!!  Just saying!

It all started off wonderfully… the sun eventually started to come up… there was a cruise ship docked with all its lights on that we could look out onto… there was a beautiful sunrise.  But then we got up to the highway with which we were to run our various distances… all 1550 or so runners… on one shoulder of the highway… the busy 2-lane highway.

Unfortunately, a 70-year-old man went down at mile 2.  He was running the 10K and had apparently passed me going out (I started at the back of the pack so as not to interfere with any of the fast runners).  And when the emergency vehicles come with their sirens and lights, what do all the cars on the busy highway do?  They pull over to the shoulder of the road, don’t they… where everyone was running.  But I didn’t have a clue there was a runner down… and this was wrong on so many levels.

I passed that man at mile 2… EMTs were doing CPR on him with chest compressions.  That’s enough to scare the hell out of anyone and disturb their mental game, especially as he was an experienced runner.  Try to shake that sight from your mind while you’re in the midst of a hard-ass run.  It ain’t easy… both my father-in-law and I had to pass him on the ground… and we both were shaken.

Back to the race, running on the slanted shoulder of the highway, I ran about 6 miles into the sun, as it got hotter and hotter (James passed me at his mile 20, my mile 6… we exchanged a kiss).  But no, I promised I wouldn’t complain about the heat, especially as they had aid stations about every 1 to 2 miles with misters to cool you off, although there came a point where the misters just didn’t work anymore, and the aid stations became far and few between.  But, again, I’m not going to complain about the heat because I haven’t been able to run outside for ages, and it’s been awesome…

The bottom line is… I didn’t do enough long runs in my training to pull me through strong (illness, sucky weather, rebelling against the treadmill), and I actually did realize this before the race even started, but this was probably my one and only chance to knock Hawai’i off my half-marathon state list, so I had to do it regardless.

By mile 10, I was struggling.  My feet were swollen and blistered from the heat of the highway.  I started to get super angry… angry with the race, the cars, my feet, the freaking hills, not being able to see any whales… you name it, I was pissed off about it.

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The outcome?  Eventually I crossed the finish line.  Smiling.  My time wasn’t good or pretty, but I made it and I crossed.  And now I get to enjoy a week of fun in the sun.  But I gotta tell you… it was hard as hell getting up the next morning to continue with my run streak… but I did… we both did, and it hurt… badly.

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My son AJ… he slept through it all.

The runner down at mile 2… so far as we know, and from what the race director has told all participants, he survived.  He had a heart attack but was successfully resuscitated.

Not a race I care to repeat… but really happy I did it just this once.

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48 thoughts on “Maui Oceanfront Marathon”

  7. Rebecca Royy

    Nice job to everyone on their finish. Sounds super hard.
    I get angry at the end of a race sometimes too. I think it has something to do with emotional and physical depletion. But anyway congratulations on a job well done.
    Please keep the Maui pics coming. I know you’re going to have a great week.
    It looks like we may have stayed in the same condo complex that you’re staying in. It was nice

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thank you! And I’m happy to hear it’s not just me that gets angry! I need to get to a level of fitness where I don’t get that, or I’d like to anyway. 🙂 We’re staying at The Westin Ocean Resort Villas, if that helps jog your memory, and it is just gorgeous here in Maui!! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

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  8. artisticsharon

    wow, so sorry to hear about all the obstacles and issues. That poor guy that went down, I’m glad he survived – but wow. You did amazing to push through and complete the race!! And continuing your streak!! What!!?? Wow!

    You’ve more than earned a relaxing week…take advantage of it and enjoy the rest of your time 😀

    Liked by 1 person

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  9. christinaoc

    Wow – glad that’s over with. 😉 Having runners on the shoulder of a busy road sounds like a bad idea *without* the medical emergency. Glad you made it through and glad you knocked this one off your list. Enjoy the rest of your trip!

    Liked by 1 person

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  10. Wenaissance

    Sheesh, talk about a few challenges. I think it’s worth mentioning that there is also a time difference so you should add that to your list of things that annoyed you at this race. Congrats on toughing it out and finishing. Enjoy some free time now. Aloha!

    Liked by 1 person

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  12. Chocolaterunsjudy

    I’m really sorry it wasn’t a better experience. It’s so hard to run a hot race when you’re not acclimated to it (been there, done that).

    OMG, seeing someone getting CPR would definitely be scary! I’m glad he survived, but you must have been wondering the entire race.

    I did one long run on Kauia; I just took my time and stopped and took photos a lot, but of course I was also alone and not with 1500+ runners along the shoulder of a highway!

    But hey, now you’re going to have an AWESOME vacation!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thank you Judy! Yeah, it was horrible thinking about that poor man! But we just got an email from the RD, and he’s perfectly okay now! The first responders saved his life, thank heavens!! Yes, time for a fabulous vacation now!! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Chocolaterunsjudy

        Yes, and I’m jealous. It’s been almost 4 months since my last vacation and we have nothing on the books until May . . . at least winter has been relatively mild so far.

        Enjoy those tropical breezes while you can!

        Liked by 1 person

  13. mawil1

    Well done! 2am (or 5am) start sound s ghastly! Poor heart attack man. At least he survived, but what an indignity having cpr by the roadside whilst runners run by! Lovely bling with character😊

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  14. creativecritters77

    Wow- that sounds like a super tough race! And not really well planned out either- that many people running along the shoulder of a busy highway- just not cool. I’m glad to hear that the runner that went down survived. That’s enough to really throw you off your game! The fact that you finished is totally awesome (and you even continued your streak the next day)! Congratulations on finishing and for your determination! 🙂 Oh, and enjoy the rest of your time there!

    Liked by 1 person

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  15. Lynz Real Cooking

    Wow what a race! Sounds quite intense! I am so glad you finished the race, what an accomplishment! I could feel the pain of the blisters, heat and darn no whales! I bet at that point the whale watching came in last!! Congrats and so glad the man was ok! I can imagine that would really put a damper on your game and be scary! have so much fun please!! xxx

    Liked by 1 person

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  16. Tasha

    lol @ AJ sleeping through all the action! Congrats on your bling and for finishing the race. I could imagine it wasn’t all that fun but you did it! Glad the other runner is OK…here he was trying to exercise his heart and he has a heart attack!

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    1. neveradullbling Post author

      Thank you Tasha! Yeah, kind of ironic, isn’t it! That’s actually not the first runner I’ve seen collapse during a race… it happens all the time. I think that may actually throw a mental block my way because if my heart gets going, instead of maintaining it, I slow it down, because I really don’t want to drop like that in the middle of a race. It’s hard to tell yourself you’re not really going to die when you see people go down all the time. 😛

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Tasha

        That would definitely put a damper on anyone’s mood seeing others pass out like that. I’m glad the man is still alive but he may need to slow down a bit. I’m sure his Dr. will tell advise him on what’s best for his exercise regime but he’s a very lucky man!

        Liked by 1 person

  19. breidengale

    you always impress me! blisters and tired yet you still streaked!! I don’t know if I would be strong minded enough. thank you for the updates and the pictures. I am glad you got to enjoy Hawaii a little while you were there. I may never have your drive but I hope to have your heart about running. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

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  20. acbrandt

    Congrats on finishing a hard race! Seeing that runner down must have been so unnerving–as does running on the shoulder of the road. Yikes! Enjoy your sunshiny week!! And the medal is super cute. I feel like this race experience suits your name perfectly–never dull!

    Liked by 1 person

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  21. Pingback: Maui Oceanfront Marathon Recap | 50 in 50 Marathon Quest

  22. Pingback: Vibrant: My new PR running shoes! | Never A Dull Bling

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