Race day is finally here!

Race day is here! After months of training, another rainy night and waking up every hour just making sure that I hadn’t overslept, we made it to the start line. Rachael is a trooper and was there with me every step of the way, even with a 4:20 AM wake up call! We made it to parking with no issues and found our way to the start line. They had a nice setup and had it was well organized (except there are never enough port a pots, so the line for the bathrooms are always long…).

While waiting in line for the race to begin, I ran into someone I worked with at Andersen and BearingPoint (Burke Willis). I thought I had seen him on the plane to Hawaii, but wasn’t sure and didn’t want to interrupt people. Small world!

The race started on time (always nice), but had started raining just before we began. For those that don’t know, I hate getting rained on. So, that wasn’t a good omen. Plus, wet feet make for blisters. Regardless, it stopped raining before the start gun fired. I was able to get more towards the front of the pack and got a great start to the race. The first three miles were at a fairly easy uphill grade, so I planned to take it easy and not burn out. Miles 4-6 were the killers on this race – the grade (at least to me) was very steep – steep enough that the car had to downshift to make it up when we drove the course the day before.

It was an early morning. I am still not awake before the race started.

Rachael (my own personal photographer) got a shot of me in the corral before the race started)

Rachael took a lot of shots while she was waiting for me. She thought the snail was funny because we were racing.

Nice scenery at the race finish

Naturally, it started raining really hard at the 4 mile marker, right before the ascent started. I pushed through and by the time we got to the Tunnel of Trees (mile 6) it had stopped (or the trees stopped it). I made it past the big hills unscathed and still had energy. Once people started to pass me on the downhills, I realized I still had energy so I started to pick up the pace and was able to get back on track to what my goals were. Once we hit the stretch where you see the ocean, I knew the finish line was close and made a final push. Rachael was there waiting for me at about ¼ mile before the finish. She was my own personal cheering section to get me to the end of the race!

Nearing the finish

I finished the half-marathon in 1 hour and 46 minutes, way better than what I had expected. I am really glad now we went outside of Houston for some training on hills before the race! Only one minor injury – a blister on one of my toes. Very happy with the race!

Greeters at the finish line

The view at the finish area

I thought the race was very well done by the organizers. If anyone wants a great race for next year, the Kauai Marathon is being run next year on September 5.


After we made it back and I got a shower, we went to eat at our favorite breakfast place in Kauai, the Tip Top café. Great banana and pineapple pancakes.

We wanted to spend the rest of the day at the beach, so we made our way around the island to find a good one. Unfortunately, it kept looking like it was going to rain (a constant theme the entire trip). After stopping at Wailua Falls for some pictures, we found a great beach. I spent most of the afternoon sleeping in the sun.

For those that are old enough, Wailua Falls is what you see at the beginning of Fantasy Island. I always think that Tattoo is running around there. That little dude was kind of creepy.

Unfortunately, we had to pack up that night because we are headed to the Big Island tomorrow. We had a great stay at Kahili Park. If you are interested in a quiet place to stay in the mountains on Kauai, we recommend it!