Hibiscus Half Marathon, 15k and 5 Miler

If you’re looking to do a challenging yet fun race, here are some things to inspire you to sign-​up for the Hibiscus Half-​Marathon /​15k /​5-​miler that is held in May:
–prices are reasonable
–swag is amaaaazing (race t-​shirt AND medal) ***they also have other race items on sale (visors, tank tops, hats, t-​shirts, towels)
–amazing views along the course and fantasizing of which house you want along Diamond Head and Kahala
–post-​race snacks (nutter butter, I love you)
–Gatorade and water on the course
–friendly and motivating volunteers cheering you along the way from the start line to the finish line
–affiliated with Road Runners Club of America Championship
Also, this race is part of the Tropical Triple Crown race series that also offers other races that are either trail or pavement.
Do you love trail races? Do the cow race that is held in January.
Love to get your jingle on? Sign up for the Holiday Hustle in December.
Want to use a coconut bra and grass skirt? Sign up for the 8k Coconut race held at Neil Blaisdel Park in Pearl City.
Want to celebrate life? Sign up for the 5k Mango Days that is held at Ala Moana Beach Park.
Bonus for the medal junkie (like me): If you do three races (example: Hibiscus, Coconut and Mango)…you get a fourth medal! *swoon*
As I write this, I just realized that I’ve done most of the races that Tropical Triple Crown race series offers and it is probably because it one of the most organized race events (from registering to race day) with great post-​race food and fun staff along with the race medals, of course.
So, sign-​up, lace up and get your run (or walk) on!
*cue «eye of the tiger» song*

I always enjoy this race as well as the other races put together by Tropical Triple Crown. The staff are always amazing. The volunteers are encouraging when you are down and ready to quit. Having the Expo this year was a nice addition.

Did it today. I did the 15k with my other half and it was comfortable. Mostly walked it. The problem came midway. We needed to find a bathroom and there was none in sight. It was inconvenient to run around to find a restroom instead of focusing on the course. My bladder felt like it would explode and I was ready to use a bush like a homeless bum. By the time we found a bathroom, I felt sick. When we came out of the bathroom, the cone truck passed and we had to run in order to pass it. Water and Gatorade is convenient but people have other bodily functions from drinking such things during a race. Not providing it, is like going to work and not being allowed a bathroom break. I could have sworn there were some bathrooms in last years 2015 run.
Next year maybe we may do 5 miles or not at all. For the love of humanity, portopotties on any marathon is a must.

okay so i’ll be the first to give this event a 5 star review. my family came out to Honolulu to participate in this event and we had a great experience. the nice thing is that it is always the Sunday before Memorial Day every year making it good as part of our vacation plans. Packet pick-​up was simple and everything was there. there is plenty of parking all along the course starting line and the course itself was very scenic. the finishers medal was very nice last year as well. they offer 3 distances (5 miles, 15K, or half marathon) and finishers of ALL distances get a medal. great family and fitness activity. easy registration via
.
highly recommended! =D
Aloha!

So I only do half marathons when I find out the medals are pretty decorative, detailed and big lol. When I saw there was going to be an hibiscus that turned I signed up. Oh man the hills literally wiped me out. Maybe it was because I did not train and ran 13.2 miles. The race started at 5:30am on Kapiolani park. We were able to score a parking spot at Honolulu zoo. Hubby and I stretched a bit and the only thing going through my mind was that I did not want to get picked up. Getting driven to the finish line because your too slow is embarrassing for me lol. It hasn’t happened yet… Well there was a 4 hour time limit and I thought that was great. I believe I ran 5 miles once before doing this half marathon. My body was going to punish me later. The hills on mile 2 – 3 were not bad then at mile 5 my legs were starting to ache. Every time I thought I was done with a high incline one welcomed me at the next mile. By mile 10, I was praying to Jesus to just let me finish already. My bling was so close. I just needed to get through 3 more miles and I would be complete. I started to walk and run a little. My cell rang and it was my hubby asking where I was. I told him I was still running. He was confused he thought I was making good time when he saw me at mile 6. I told him that was then. He said there was some awesome snacks at the finish line. :jealous:I was at mile 12 when my stomach started to grumble. I was soo hungry lol. I couldn’t think of anything else but chips, bagels, ice-​cream, and pizza. I saw my hubby run up to me half way. I asked him if he had any food or crackers in his shorts. He said yes! Thank god for him stocking some food in his pockets. I was munching on some cheese crackers all the way to the finish line. I ran a little since they had the cameras on to capture the moment. It is a great feeling to complete a half and even more when you get to wear your medal. It’s an achievement earned not given. I was happy and relieved to be done. I grabbed some snacks and took pics with hubby before we headed out to get real food. Overall it was only painful for me since I was not prepared. It’s worth it mentally and physically. I had a great time!

It’s always cool to have an option to either run a 5 miler, 15k or half marathon. Of course, only the crazies (like me) would voluntarily choose the half marathon route. Regardless on which distance you run, everyone gets a medal at the end. But the course has a time limit of 4 hours. It’s highly recommended that participants that do 17min/​mi to do the 15k instead of the half marathon as they open up the roads at 9:30am.
I ran this race last year, but really contemplated on doing it this year because compared to other races, this event was a little unorganized and disjointed. This year (2015) was their 9^th year for this event and sad to say, but I still felt the same way I felt from the previous year of running this race.
The packet pick-​ups are held on 3 days at 3 different places for about 3−6hrs: Kalapawai Café in Kailua, Runners Route in town, and Runners HI in Aiea. There’s no expo for this race; it’s more a get in, pick-​up your bib and shirts, and then get out. Nothing too exciting really.
The day of the race, I easily found parking on Kapahulu. It’s a bit of a walk to the start line at Kapiolani Park, but at least I know I won’t get stuck trying to get out when I finish the race. The race was supposed to start at 5:30am, but I’m not sure what happened as it started couple minutes late. Plus, it was a tad bit weird that they didn’t actually have a real person singing the national anthem; it was a recording off someone’s phone (not to mention, their phone started ringing in the middle of the song)…and it was even more weird «Hawai’i Pono’I» didn’t follow right after the national anthem.
The route from Kapiolani Park, around Diamond Head, up to Hawai’i Kai, back to Kapiolani Park were nicely marked with cones and was a beautiful view. It was greatly appreciated to have the police directing traffic as the runners made their way around the course. But I have to say, at the very beginning of the race, it’s never wise to narrow the running lane as that’s when everyone is together and being bunched up like that can be very dangerous and also alter people’s times as they’re either slowing down to let people go and running faster so they don’t run into other people.
After running 13.1mi and crossing that finish line to get your medal, the first thing every runner wants is water. But for some reason, it took me awhile to find the water station! I managed to find the snack tent first, but I was dying of thirst. My mouth was really dry, so when I was eating my half of a banana, it didn’t taste the same. When I finally found the water tent, there was a long line. And just when I got to the front of the line, there were a couple empty water jugs. Plus, the cups at the water station were the really small cups. I felt selfish when I jugged my first cup then got refills right after, but I was still really thirsty after that and I didn’t want to stand back in line just to refill such a small cup! Plus, my feet were dying. After my thirst was clenched, I found the hill and finally got to lie down. There wasn’t much post-​race things to do there. And I found it weird to have a tent that sells shave ice. Who carries money with them at these types of events? Plus, why is this the first tent you pass by when crossing the finish line instead of the water tent???
Hopefully their 10^th year will be a better experience…

2015’s Hibiscus Half Marathon, 15k and 5 Miler. I like the fact that they have 3 different road races. It was a bit confusing at first, we couldn’t find the starting line and really didn’t know the route for the 5 miler until we were running it. I did like that fact that everyone starts at the same time, so it’s good to include family (kids) for the shorter 5 miler if your running the 15k or Half. We will def run this again next year. this year they added more porta-​potties but the lines were still 5– 10 min waits pre-​race. The course was clearly marked and the police were at every corner stopping traffic. I enjoyed the beautiful views and small hills along the route. The added bonus was that everyone got a finishers medal regardless of what distance you ran.

Half marathons are fun. Not too short, but not too long — like the marathon. Just right. 13.1 miles and you get a finisher medal.
The hibiscus half marathon is held every year by the local chapter of the Lukemia and Lymphoma society of Hawaii. It’s a small sized event that really feels like a small town affair. Not more than 3,000 runners participate every year and it makes for a fantastic way to train for a race — if you live here in Honolulu or traveling for vacation or business. The half marathon is a way to break out of your training cycles and tackle something a little bit out of the ordinary and release what you may not have thought possible. I have ran the hibiscus half marathon at least twice, so it’s a local race for me. The race is typically held on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. Quite a nice time slot to run the race and not be too fried to go to work on the Tuesday after. Although it does get mildly warm at this time of year, make no mistake that this event continues to grow and is a part of Honolulu’s running scene. I enjoyed the years that I have ran it.
Part of the course runs along the infamous stretch of Kalanianaole Highway, towards aina haina. That part is an out and back stretch that literally has no shade at all. No timing split at the turn around point. Best bet would be to wear sunscreen. The race starts and finishes at Kapiolani Park, by the Queen Liliuokalani statue. Start time is 5:30am, so best bet would be to get there as early as you can, but not sacrificing on sleep. Parking by the Honolulu Zoo is recommended. Fortunately for me, I live about 2 miles away, so I usually get up earlier and stumble to the start half asleep. What I love about this event is that it’s very local for me and that the cost is cheap. Best bet would be to register early to save money. The course is okay, running through parts of the Honolulu marathon course and through the ultra nice parts of Kahala. This event also has a 15K, 10K, and 5K distances.
The hibiscus half marathon is a timed race and have age categories, which I have yet to place. Maybe if I train harder, I’ll get there. The race fees usually start at about $ 40 and climbs up to $ 60. Not that bad, but the deals are there if you want to get in early. The course itself is hilly and does get warm, especially in the later portions of the race when on the highway and you just want it to end, but have 5+ miles left to go. Scenic course, if you can call it scenic, but since I live here, it’s okay and pleasing. I’m glad that I live relatively nearby, so I can just stumble home after the race, if need be. The race is sponsored by local merchants that cater to the running community. The race bling we get for completing the half marathon had steadily improved through the years.
Recommended if you are in the area and want to run 13.1 miles.
Support local!
B+