I enjoyed this event, but never got a chance to run the actual triathlon; just the 5k event, and…read moreI've ran it twice! The first time I was 3rd place overall, and the second time I was 1st place overall. Big props to an event like this, for having so many races going on all at once. They have a 5k, 10k, Sprint, Olympic Triathlon; not to mention the youth, and kids races also. Great event, and it is very well set up; the volunteer support is great, and also everyone that participates in this event gets a finishers medal. Anyone looking for a triathlon on the island of Oahu; this is a very great one, and well worth training for. My advice is if you're an elite athlete pay attention to the route; study it! There are many cones to follow, and if you take a wrong turn you may get disqualified. Other than that, enjoy! Aloha!

This version is an expanded version of the published review in the July 2014 issue of Hawaii Sport…read moreMag: http://issuu.com/hawaiisportmag/docs/hawaii_sport_july_2014_digital As a local, this triathlon is THE triathlon of the year on the island of Oahu! Aspiring triathletes and veteran triathletes train for months for this race. I, myself, dedicated a good 4 months training for this race. I set up my workouts for 5-6 days a week, consisting of two short 5:30AM workout sessions before work (either run or swim), two afterwork brick sessions (bike + run, or swim + run) with Try Fitness team (tryfitnesshawaii.com) and two looooooong 7AM brick workout sessions (one with Try Fitness team) on the weekend. Finally, the day came... The Honolulu Triathlon. Ready or not, I would embark this 1500m swim, 40K bike ride and 10K run with elite athletes, locals, mainlanders, and international participants. This is a wonderful and well laid out course for the newbie, for the out of towner and especially for the long time triathlete that just wants to have fun and be fit with friends. Furthermore, the location allows for a large number of participants, over 1500 participants a year usually. The swim portion was the main reason for me to sign up for this course. It is a long 1500m, but the water at Ala Moana Beach Park is flat. As coral surrounds this area, the water is protected from waves and certain ocean critters. This makes it great for the newbie to try out a triathlon of this distance. The swim portion of this race is a straight line, out and back. We started from Magic Island and then swam almost the end of the park water and then back. The water here is a relatively decent size, capable of fitting a large number of swimmers. The bike portion of this race was relatively easy. The road is a flat out and back. With the exception of a slight incline on the way out to Aloha Stadium, it was relatively flat. Flats are my strengths, so the course was in my favor. The run portion was a bit confusing but yet nice for spectators. Since the park is a bit small, participants had to run around the park twice. On the second loop, participants had to make sure to get a band and place it on the right wrist. This could have been a bit confusing for participants. The upside to running around in a loop was that spectators did not have to move around to watch their favorite participants. I finished the race, tired, hot, exhausted but feeling well accomplished. My first completed "Olympic" distance triathlon was under my belt. Next year Honolulu Tri, next year, we will meet again! Who's up for the challenge?

Hawaii's first ESPN jersey fun run is officially in the books!…read more This was a really great and fun event! If you're an NFL fanatic, then you would've liked this event as much as I did. I really enjoyed myself on this event. The crowded sea of fans in their favorite team's jerseys and attire was a great sight to see. It was like a pro bowl type of atmosphere.. without the Game & NFL players of course! The Parking: The gates opened up at 7:30am for early bird entry. Arriving at the lot was pretty quick and finding parking was a breeze. The Activities: The pre-show activities was a fun filled environment. Lots of keiki games and a bunch of prize giveaways! The post-show was awesome! There were live bands playing and also former players signing autographs. I got a few pictures and autographs with former UH - University of Hawaii players. Colt, Nate & Rocky to name a few. There was also Teilor Grubbs (Grace Williams aka Danno's daughter) from Hawaii 5-0 and local commercial stars as well. The Race: The race began at 9am just as planned. The course of the race (which was just a 3k run) started off at the DD gates and it looped around the stadium, thru the locker rooms, down onto the field, back thru the lockers, up the spiral ramps, a full lap around the upper deck sections, back down the spiral ramps and around the stadium again and finally finished where the race had started. What a way to shed some sweat, right?! The course was good fun though. There was alot of obstacles in between the course that made it such a fun run! Overall, this event was hands down a 5 star experience! It was for a good cause too. I hope they keep this race/event running (pun intended) in Hawaii for many of years to come. Big mahalos to Yelp for the invitation!

This fun run was absolutely a "fun" run! ESPN 1420 did a wonderful job putting this event…read moretogether. It was a perfect event for families and for the sports lovers. I seen all types of jerseys, baseball, UH, pop warner, even a Mexico football jersey. Being that it is still football season and Super Bowl is tomorrow, majority were wearing football jerseys and repping their favorite team. It was a good mixer because when you saw someone else with your favorite team on, you acknowledge each other, cheer, high five them and even start conversations with them on how long they have been a fan. The run itself was an easy, short 3k. Some walked it, but kids (having loads of energy) ran that thing. We ran through the locker rooms, up the spiral, across the top level of the stadium, down the spiral, through the home teams locker rooms and across the other end of the stadium. We also got to go through an obstacle course on the field, throw footballs, kick soccer balls and hit baseballs. All of it was loads of fun and we even broke a sweat! I will definitely do this again next year if they bring it back. It was a fun way of getting my morning cardio.

Top 5 Reasons I Love The Warrior Dash: 1. Proceeds go to…read moreSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital 2. Easy registration process online 3. Free beer and entertainment! 4. You can feast on a tasty turkey leg after the run. 5. You get a free t-shirt, viking hat and a medal at the run. Basics: -About a 3 mile mud run with about 15 obstacles. -Obstacles include a lot of climbing and crawling. -Photos are taken throughout the race; you can view photos online about a week after the run. -1 free beer after you complete the run. When you first get there, you turn in your waiver forms and show your ID to pick up your bib/number, free hat and free shirt. You then proceed to another tent to show your ID so you can get your wristband to drink beer. They also offer free back check so you can check your belongings in instead of keeping them in the car. Everything gets dirty at the Warrior Dash, including your car. Parking is in an open field and the field gets muddy, so everything will need a wash after the Warrior Dash unless of course you toss your shoes and clothes which a lot of people do. I've done the Warrior Dash two years in a row now and the obstacles are pretty much the same except they change the order a bit. When you register, you sign up for a certain "wave" which is the time you begin but in all honesty, you can start at whatever time you want. If you show up early, you can begin early as no one is really checking to see what wave you belong in. It seems like all of the obstacles are towards the end of the race. You run through the empty field for a while then you hit a few obstacles and towards the end, the obstacles are back to back with very little running in between. Obstacles include crawling in the dirt under barbed wire, climbing over walls, climbing up cargo nets, repelling down a wooden wall with rope, jumping over fire, and swimming through a mud pond. Overall, the Warrior Dash is a ton of fun. If you don't like getting dirty or are afraid of heights, this isn't the run for you. But if you don't mind getting muddy and like to challenge yourself, this is a run you should definitely sign up for. Just say yes to mud, sweat and beer!

As I type, my shoulders and lats still feel the burn from pulling myself up the ropes and over the…read morewall obstacles, a couple of many along the 3 mile route to the flame jump and mud crawl to the finish. This was my second Warrior Dash race, the last one Michael W. and I completed in Seattle had very similar obstacles but a complete opposite experience, In the Hawaii version, the obstacles were much easier because they were dry (at least they were when we ran at 12) and the run was tough because it was blazing hot. In WA, all of the obstacles were extremely muddy and wet and way more treacherous so I'm glad we ran when we did! The greatest part of this event is they encourage you to party! Don't throw your timing chip away along with your mud-caked shoes - it's a token good for one free beer! I think with experience the event will only get better, this being the inaugural WD in Hawaii I don't think they anticipated the logistical nightmare when at 2:00 or so the skies dumped down tons of rain and thousands of people rushed to their cars to get out causing a 2+ hour logjam of vehicles stuck in the mud and just stuck trying to leave Dillingham Ranch. Otherwise, the race itself and short but fun festivities to follow was awesome.

Pros: 1. Course had mile markers and six passes at aid…read morestations that had water and Gatorade 2. Orange cones throughout course but only one to distinguish between the three distances 3. One stretch along diamond head that showed the beach, one inland 4. Aid station volunteers were helpful 5. Times race with early enough time before it got hot and humid (5:30 start) for half 6. Plenty of police to guide the route and stop cars and even an escort at the head 7. A tiny metal turtle luck charm 8. Orange slices and pocari sweat at the finish 9. Big cheers at the sprint finish! Cons: 1. Mostly through residential streets so not much to see in terms of scenery. Quite a boring course. A trail half here would be awesome. 3. No snacks at aid stations 4. Quiet race. No music at the start at the park and minimal support throughout race but quite zen so it's fine 5. Thin race shirt worse quality than 3 dollar swap meet. Just super thin cotton with white print. No thought into design. 6. Basic print medal usually reserved for low end races that cost 35 bucks in Cali. The medals looking at from 10 years ago looked best with an actual flower shape and well designed. It'd have been much better to do one thing well, like a good medal, than to do many of the other things poorly, crap shirt, crap medal, crap stations, crap mc. 7. There really wasn't an expo as only one local run shop showed up, the run lab and some old swag from previous races for sale. I'd much prefer a trail race through the mountains inland with views at the top. This one needed a much better course. This one had 400 feet of vert but a really flat vibe

This run course is nice bc it's Hawaii. The event is very unprofessional. Their site states that…read morefamily/friends can track the runners but there was no such tracking device on the runners and nobody knew until I asked around. Event lady stopped the music to find out if aid station workers showed up. As finishers arrived, nobody knew if they were 5mi, 15k or half marathon finishers. We were all confused. Maybe they should have different bib colors? Or even some commentating? The lady had no music, barely said anything to acknowledge the finishers and after finishers, the park was underwhelming. People got Gatorade or water and then went home. It was so silent, no music or much going on.. Also, that event lady said very little for like 40 min and then emphasized that only racers eat the snacks and throw your trash in the trash cans. That was it. I think she's raking in the money at over 100 dollars per racer at about 1,000 running it, it's a racket. Unorganized and yellow shirts about being mean and now I know why. She does three of these events. You'd think by now she would have it dialed in.

Hickam Youth and Sports Center offers before and after school care at the youth center. There is a…read moreseparate building right next door to the school-age program dedicated solely to the teens. The Sports Center is located down the street from the youth center and offers gymnastics classes, cheerleading, karate, etc. Sign-ups for various sports activities occurs throughout the year. Pay attention to your local Services happenings flyers for upcoming information on registering for activities.

Crazy awesome people go to this clinic and become even better people for it! Everyone of the…read morevolunteers are so friendly and I met some of my favorite people running with them! They are always pushing there members to try there best and I love that, Helps me stay motivated. The scenery of the runs is unbeatable and are filled with tons of volunteers also willing to help you. It cost 5$ to enter the race which isn't too bad and if you are trained for it its a blast! Try to meet as many people as you can because for some strange reason people that run are always pretty successful in life!

I was headed to Hawaii for thanksgiving this year and what better way to start my eating marathon…read moreduring my stay then to run the turkey trot! The turkey trots are usually short races, and i'm glad to find that this one is 10 miles long, in the beautiful and scenic kapiolani park/ diamond head road. Participants are encouraged to arrive at the Kapiolani Park bandstand by 6:30 am to sign a waiver & to register. No you can't register on line. You simply just show up on race day! Sooooo hawaii, right? And even better, it only costs $3 to participate. The winner isn't necessarily the person who finishes the race first, it's the person that comes closest to their predicted time. You get a popsicle stick at the start of the race, where you write you "predicted time" of finishing the race, down to the second. When you cross the finish line, they'll time you, and write down your actual time. The whole purpose of the race is to train for a full marathon. Apparently the first 10 miles of a full marathon really helps set up the pace for the last 6 miles, so it's important to pace yourself so you don't burn out in the final miles. The downside of the race is you're not suppose to wear headphones (prevents cheating, ie the nike + that gives you your average pace, distance, etc & for safety reasons), and of course the hot weather. I mean you start the race at around 7:15ish after everyone is registered, but even so early in the am, the weather in hawaii is a lot warmer than in california, so make sure you stay hydrated and adapt to the weather if you aren't used to running in hotter climates. In addition, the race route is announced on race day, so that it gives everyone a fair chance. Overall, i thought the race was challenging enough. This years race at two steadily rising inclines, on diamond head road. The lack of sleep + hot climate made for a tough 10 miles. Not to mention there were only 3 water stops. So I would recommend to bring your own water unless you don't plan to drink much. The scenic view & lookout points that we ran across during the race was absolutely gorgeous. It was an amazing experience and I'd totally do it again. Congrats to the Marathon clinic for an awesome experience. Mahalo!

We LOVE Hawaii Academy. We've been attending gymnastics here…read morefor nearly 2 years. Ms Sam has built a strong foundation for my daughter to have body awareness & build strength + muscle. The price for her class is around $70 per month. I've switched instructors three times. We've had; Ally, Nate & Sam - with an occasional cover from Taylor, Each well rounded & good with children. The process to start is simple. They offer a $5 trial class and your child can continue or not. They spend the first 10-15min running laps and stretching -- the rest of the class is a mix of conditioning, trampoline and an obstacle course. The order is always different. Before my daughter got acclimated to this environment, I'll admit I was a helicopter parent. None of the instructors were bothered by it and always made small talk with me. Eventually my baby grew and didn't need me to hold her hand anymore. We are so thankful for Hawaii Academy. We'll be trying out for cheer next month. We're confident in our skills to make the team because of the strong foundation built here!

Just ran the 2012 Xterra Trail World Championship on Sunday, 12/2/2012. Had I known that this trail…read morerace was as amazing and scenic, as well as hardcore, I would have probably said no. Then again, with my extensive marathon resume and my curiosity for adventure and just for something to do on a Sunday, I signed up for this race in mid October not knowing what to really expect. At least it was a half marathon I told myself. 13.1 miles of rugged terrain in the lush valleys of Kualoa Ranch on the island of Oahu, a place where I haven't ever been, except passing by on Kamehameha Hwy on the way north to Laie and Polynesian Cultural Center. It was the first time running this race and my first trail experience in Hawaii. After tackling a 50K trail in Colorado in September (Bear Chase 50K in Lakewood, CO), I kind of knew what I was getting into. Well, not so much after all, it seemed. Maybe I probably should have known better, but surprises were out there for us all on the course. I didn't want to pay $25 for the private shuttle that the race provided, which was basically a rented yellow school bus. They shuttled runners from Waikiki to the race start at the backside of Kualoa Ranch. I got here by city bus, which is really affordable if you just plan ahead. The Xterra World Championship boasts the 21K / Half Marathon as its marquee event, attracting some of the most finest trail runner elites from all parts of the country. They also have a 10K, 5K, and an adventure walk that attracts anyone and everyone to Kualoa Ranch for an epic Sunday. Race registration hovers from $40-$55, so if you want the challenge, might as well register early. I held out and had to pony up for the later fee. It's bittersweet that I have signed up for this race, since the course was just as brutal as the majestic scenery that was the Koolau Mountains that surrounded Kualoa Ranch. It was great that I can notch another half marathon to my list of races, but at the cost of having virtually no trail experience whatsoever and my body and legs are telling me so. The course was basically mostly uphill and the first mile ascended like a bat out of hell and it didn't really flatten out till those grassy downhills at mile 2. There were some reprieve in the course where it kinda did flatten to moderate downhill, which was miles 5-7, but that was it. We climbed back up at mile 8 and snaked through the back of Kualoa Ranch. The biggest surprise was the massive hill at mile 10 and the rugged tippy toe über crazy down hill that you could not even really run, due to it being so crazy you may fall and roll off into the ravine. This part scared me, but I managed to get down one way or another and those ropes helped a lot! It helps also that Xterra allows everyone in, not just elites, so I could have help on the course, if I needed it. The last. 2.5 miles snaked around miles 3-5 of the course and it was a soft downhill to the finish line. Never in my life that I experienced something so powerful and epic that I would consider something like that next year. Maybe maybe not. Thanks to Xterra for keeping the finish line open for the last finisher. Met new friends and 2 yelpers that morning too. It was awesome to see Yelper Zar N. running the 10K and meeting Yelper Chris P. from Kapolei. Big thanks to Chris P. and her husband whom gave me a ride back to UH from Kualoa Ranch that afternoon. I thought of DNF when I came across that tiptoe section of mile 10-ish and I just wanted to cry. Knowing that I paid money for this made me realize that I can do this if I just break it all down and take each step one step at a time. The finish time didn't matter that day. What mattered was that I completed the course and survived. Run more! B+

Not a runner at all, but saw that they offered the option to walk the 5k or even just take an…read moreadventure tour, I signed up the hubs and daughter just so we could check out the trails that aren't open to the public. Big props to the race organizers for making everything so easy, from picking up the packet in Waikiki to finding parking on the day of the race! My daughter wasn't happy about waking up so early to get to Kualoa Ranch, but once we got on the trail with the magnificent landscape and cool movie set locations, she was smiling from ear to ear. The Boneyard, with huge skeletons of a triceratops and ape skull, will definitely cut into your race times because you'll want to stop to take pictures! The 5k trail can be a little demanding on the uphill sections but those are few and far between - you'll have enough time to catch your breath and enjoy the scenery. I saw several racers with babies on their backs and little ones in tow, so you can definitely do this with kids. Highly recommend this race - great activity if you've got guests on island at the time!