2009 Honolulu Marathon

The morning dawned upon the Honolulu Marathon and I woke up excited and in anticipation for this race.  I've done many half marathons, but never had the desire to do a whole full 26.2 miles, just the thought intimidated me, but today I did it! I joined the crowd of 23,469 runners in the wee hours of the morning.  The race started at 5 am and it was so crowded at the start that we were literally packed like sardines.  We began the race with the boom of fireworks and it took a full 10 minutes before I even had a chance to cross over the starters mat.  I enjoyed the first half of the race as the cool 65 degree weather was comfortable to run in.  As we headed over Diamond Head road, the sun rose and it was a beautiful peaceful scene.  However, after the halfway mark is where the race really began for me.  It was a challenge to stay strong mentally and continue running as my legs began to feel like jello.  The last 6 miles especially were a struggle to keep my legs moving one step at a time.  I would stop briefly at times to grab a drink at the drink stations and having to restart running was painful.  I was beginning to think this race would go on forever and was never so happy as to see the 25 mile marker.  The last mile was a battle to think positive and pick up a little bit of speed so that I could make my goal of under 5 hours.  With happiness I finally crossed the line, received my shell lei, took a picture, and hobbled my way over to the relaxation area where food, drinks, and my cool dry fit finisher shirt awaited me.  My legs were completely shot and cramping, but lucky for the runners, there were free shiatsu massages. and the 20 minute wait was worth it.

 Stash of goodies for the run!

Finisher's shirt with the lei, medal, and commemorative timing chip that we got to keep!

Close up of the chip and medal, both pretty nice.

Thinking back now upon the race, I still cannot believe I finished it with minimal training and made my goal of under 5 hours.  It was a long race and I didn't particularly enjoy the last few miles, and won't enjoy the leg soreness I'll be going through the next few days, but I definitely would have to say that completing a marathon is one of the hardest things I've ever accomplished and I'm pretty stoked to have finished.  Who knows maybe I'll be up for more, but for now, I'm taking my ibuprofen, hobbling around, and recuperating.

Top 3 Winner's of today's race:
Men

1. Patrick Ivuti 31 Ken 02:12:14
2. Nicholas Chelimo Kipkorir 26 Ken 02:13:10
3. William Chebon 26 Ken 02:14:59

Women

1. Svetlana Zakharova 39 Rus 02:28:34
2. Kiyoko Shimahara 32 Jpn 02:29:53
3. Pamela Chepchumba 30 Ken 02:32:41

Race Map Course

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