Yes, you got a t-shirt, hat, and food after the race, but there was nothing given for finishing the…read morerace if you want to call it that. 400 m swim, 12 mi bike, 3.2 mi run. The water temperature was perfect! But the current was wicked! So wicked that swimmers were offered a tow and allowed to finish the race! According to the rules, that's grounds for cheating. If the current was impossible, a decision should have been made to reroute the course or not count the swim towards final completion time. After I finished, I asked a person in charge at the end about getting towed and I was told that if a person looks like they won't place, then they allowed towing! Really??? Also, waiting for the police to clear the road so that you may enter and exit Kamehameha Highway for the bike ride, skews your time. The road was scattered with gravel and broken glass, no one bothered to sweep it before the "race". And the run, although pleasant through the wooded areas, also took you across sand and rocky coral beach. A nice way to end up with a sprained ankle. By the way, the announcer said "its a beginner race" and obviously doesn't take into account how majority of people wouldn't ever attempt a triathlon! If you won't give out a metal for trying, then at least give us some credit! If you want to do a REAL triathlon, don't do the Haleiwa Triathlon! Do the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base Triathlon. Not only do you get a completion metal, you are competing against a lot of hard core military athletes that will put you through the test. And Kaneohe Bay is much calmer than Haleiwa during high surf advisories!

1.5 mile run on an angled beach in four inch sand. GRUELING!…read more Other than that, this was a quick sprint tri to get ready for the Honolulu Tri in May. 500m swim, 12mi bike, 3mi run. Free shirt, free hat, free sticker, free mini pack, free water bottle. Food after finishing had all sorts of fruits, muffins, and drinks. Also included some good live music, acoustic style. This was my first time doing this one. It was fairly organized, had police blocking off roads, and there were volunteers throughout the course cheering/handing out refreshments. It's definitely a good beginner tri for those starting out.

This was the first year they started this race. I had the pleasure of following and taking photos…read moreof the brave cyclist from the start to the finish line in the comfort of my SUV. This race was nothing but a hill sprint! Hard? It looked hard! I was tried just watching the cyclist climb the elevation of "Pineapple Hill".

#136 of 2017 This is…read morea major Surfing Championship put on by the World Surf League and sponsored by Billabong. The WSL is the major governing body of professional surfers from all over the world. They took over the Association of Surfing Professionals in 2015. The competition is a tour of events based on points. It culminates in Hawaii at the Pipeline Masters. This is the final event that determines the World Champion. You can check out the website to get a better understanding how this system works and an evolution of the organizing bodies of professional surfers. The 2017 competition was scheduled for Dec. 7 to Dec. 20. The best surfers in the world come out to compete and it is worth watching. Congrats to local haole boy John John Florence who took the title this year for the 2nd time in a row. The beach is a big expanse of white sand. It is best to get here early to clam your area. If the water is not too rough you can go in for a little swim to cool off. On occasion you can see a turtle. Might even see a whale breach out in the horizon. And, if you stay late enough you will catch a nice sunset. Not all the days have competition. You cannot control mother nature so you end up going on her time schedule. The good thing is there are a few things to do. You can check out the big booth Billabong sets up to get your exclusive Pipeline merchandise. You can also go hiking. And, there are some good eats set up through the residential who have decided to take advantage of the event. You can find crafts, poke bowls, acai bowls, tacos, plate lunch all kinds of things to eat. It's a good thing the event lasts almost 2 weeks. Parking is tough. You will see many cars park along the side. I could not tell what was legit. Reading the signs made it more confusing. What was not confusing was the cop ticketing all the cars parked on the side. We walked a good distance watching and he didn't skip a single car. I guess he was doing the tag 'em now let them sort it out in court thing if they want to fight it. I did not want to go that route. Some of the residence in the area were offering parking on their property for $10. That was the safer bet. Left the car there for many hours and it was all right. Didn't feel worried at all. I wonder how many tickets were given out? Lucky we live Hawaii that we can see this major event still here in the islands. Check it out while you still can.

First time running this half marathon and boy was it a challenge. Mind you, I've been training for…read morethe Honolulu and Tokyo Marathon and run with my group on Sundays for the Honolulu Marathon Clinic with hills included and boy was I smacked in the face with all these long hills. I was warned that there were hills on this run but not as much as I went through today! Weeew killer at the time, but now a piece of cake. Hahaha! I have to say that the scenery throughout the course was amazing. From the open fields to the tunnel of trees and finishing off on the beach. Wow, so bad a$$! Great to see locals out along the side of the road cheering the runners on providing motivation. Love the entertainment along the way. My favorite on was the Taiko Drummers. Wish they had more bands out like a high school band UH band or local entertainment signing local songs. Porta potties were available throughout the course as well as first aid stations. What they need more of is water stations but I do like the cold wet towel touch the last 2 miles of the race. The expo held at the Grand Hyatt Ballroom was pretty small compared to others I've been to, but it served its purpose. All the volunteer staff were very friendly and helpful. Met a lot of USC Alum volunterring and sharing that FIGHT ON spirit! The end of the race had lots of after race power foods and to include cut up fruits, juice, water, assorted breads, yogurts and pastries! They also had Kauai coffee and chocolate milk. If you weren't into that, they had a physical therapy booth offering massages. Oooo I would want one of those massages to relax my muscles and put me to sleep. I'll just get a massage later on so I can sleep like a baby. Well overall a great experience. I would recommend this for runners of all ages but don't go out there without proper training. Next year will be the 9th annual Kauai Marathon/Half Marathon. See you there!

We didn't run either race but cheered on friends who did. For spectators, please read the road…read moreclosures on the race website. We stay on the north shore and had to leave by 5am to make it before roads closed at the starting line. If you actually want to watch your friends start and you are on the north shore, you would have to leave earlier than that. We parked at the Kuki'ula shopping center and grabbed a bite at Lapperts which was open by 6am. We brought sunscreen, hats and water and were right at the finish, watching our friends come in, one by one for both the half and the whole marathon. It got pretty hot out there and we were grateful for our fast running friends. Go out and support the runners. It makes a difference for them!

I would give the Bubble Run a zero if I could. The run was scheduled for February. The race…read moreorganizers changed the date to OCTOBER! Now they won't give me a refund saying it was nonrefundable. I'm sorry, you changed the date to 8 months later than originally agreed up on. I signed up because it was a date that I could attend, then you change the date to a new date that I can't, I should get my money back. Nevermind that they also changed the location twice. Don't sign up. They say it is free and it is not! Then they do whatever they want like your life revolves around their schedule and expect you to go with whatever they change to.

This is a scam. Try to get your refund now while you can. They have been cancelling events across…read morethe US. You can't get a refund when the event is cancelled. When the recent Hilo, Hawaii event was cancelled they didn't even send emails to participants to let them know!