It will feel hot. And humid. And windy. Usually hot and humid isn't a problem until back end of the run. But on the Big Island it may hit you on the bike. Come to the island early. Acclimatize to the heat by riding a few times. Stay hydrated. Have fun.

No, not wetsuit legal but it doesn't matter. Salt water gives you as much buoyancy as a wetsuit. Maybe more. Most folks either swim in their tri kit (watch for loose back pockets!) or get a swim legal swim skin.

1. They set up the swim course the day before. Go out to the buoys and pick out some land marks for sighting. With the normal swells, lots of times the buoys disappear so it's better to sight off landmarks than the actual buoys.

2. The mount line is on a pretty steep uphill. Maybe 5% grade. If you come out with the masses, it's a cluster fuck. The road is only about 15 feet wide and you have guys swerving left and right to get clipped in. Sometimes it's better to just push your bike an extra 20 yards up the hill to get a clear area to get mounted. Whether or not you leave your shoes clipped into the pedals may depend on how well you can mount your bike without looking down because you need to be aware of the people swerving in front of you.

3. Start with 2 bottles and avoid the first aid station and maybe the 2nd. Because it's generally a mass start (they did separate the men and women last year), it's super crowded on the bike and the first aid station will be dangerous.

4. The climb to Hawi isn't that bad. It's just a long steady climb at around 3%, and the winds make it a little challenging, but by no means is it a granny gear climb.

5. Save your legs for the last 15 miles. After descending Hawi (which is fun) you'll likely be greeted by the climb back up to Kawaihae into a stiff headwind. Then you likely have another 10 miles of rollers back to Mauna Lani into the headwind as well.

6. The run is hot and humid. It's on a golf course and about 3-4 miles of it is on fairway grass and the rest is on blacktop or cart paths. There is no shade. Plan to dump water and ice all over yourself at every aid station and plan your shoes/socks accordingly. And because it's a golf course, plan on several short steep climbs and descents as you go up and around greens and tee boxes. Think 20-30 yard hills at 7-12% grade.

7. There is a "road to nowhere" which is a straight out and back starting at mile 8.5, the turn around at mile 10, and you exit at mile 11.5. This is the biggest mind fuck for people doing the race for the first time. It's so hot that the blur of heat ahead of you prevents you from seeing where the turn around is. Just know that it's a 1.5 mile out and back and you won't be frustrated with the "where the fuck is the turn around" syndrome that most people have in that section.

8. Have fun. It's a great race. If you are racing against friends there are a ton of little out and backs on the run course to see where you stand.

Nice detailed tips, thanks! My first time, too. Fingers crossed for the Hawaii state lottery.

Cheers!

That is a great write up! Thanks for taking the time to put all that down. What kind of speeds can you expect to hit on the descent from Hawi?

Depending on the winds you'll likely hit 35 pretty easily and up to around 40 in some sections. You can certainly go faster if you have enough gearing and want to put the hammer down, but this is generally an area to tuck and rest. If the winds are screaming, you may not be in the aero bars anyway.

And while on the subject...try to predict the crosswinds at hawi by looking at the mountain side of the road. You'll notice you pass by areas where the road is exposed to small valleys and other areas where the road is protected from the wind. That's why the winds seem so gusty. Because one second you feel a 8 mph wind and the next second it feels like 40 mph. But again...you can see it coming if you pay attention to the topagraphy of the land

Thanks for the details! It'll be my first time there and I'm really looking forward to it!

---

/Howie Nordström

Honu is my favorite race. It is well run, the course is fantastic, the volunteers are great, the after party with food and beer is included in your entry (at least it was the last few times I did it). So many other reasons.

You will feel the heat on the run...not so much on the bike but it will sap the energy from you.

I refer to "the road to nowhere" as "Highway to Hell". It's really not that bad but it does seem to go on forever. On the return, you will have several people ask you, "How much further to the turnaround?"

Have fun.

Thanks for the feedback guys...
Good luck with your race prep to anyone signed up :-)

#7 from the great race review above is the biggest advice to take. I did this race last year and did not know about this 1.5 stretch, it is hot, hot. I think it was mainly the point in the run and the fact on black asphalt through black lava. That being said it was a great race. I did a great pre race a couple das before swimming the course even before the bouys are in is not bad and then riding halfway out to Hawi. Be prepared for wind on bike course last year it was dead calm pretty much right up to day of race. cross your fingers for light wind. You will have a great time it is a very well run even and pretty decent for family to watch as well.

I've done it the past two years and know that Jason is basically spot-on with his advice.

Regarding T1, it's a bit chaotic. Space is at a premium and you're not allowed to have anything on the ground next to your bike, so you have to have everything either on your bike or in your T1 bag. I recommend going through the motions after you've checked in your bike. Also, Jason is totally right about the mount line chaos. Do yourself a favor and run your bike to the top of the hill and mount up there. Even if you are 100% confident you can mount and get underway on a steep grade, there are a lot of people who will be swerving all over the place near you who could potentially take you out. I almost ate it last year and won't make that mistake again.

However, I would not recommend skipping the 2nd bike aid station at all unless you're departing T1 with 3 or more bottles mounted. Keeping yourself hydrated early in the race is key to surviving what will almost assuredly be a hot and humid run later. I plan to go with a concentrated nutrition bottle on my downtube and water BTA this year. Since I sweat like a pig, I won't be skipping any aid stations. I'll be making sure to drink every last drop from my water bottles and take the handups at each aid station.

As for the so-called "highway through hell" on the run course, you may actually find yourself enjoying it! It's one of the few relatively flat and straight sections on the run course, which is a nice change from the constant twists and turns and ups and downs of the golf course. It's a good mental marker for me as well, because by that point I know there's only 5k of running to go, and having made it that far I know I can suffer the pain and heat and cramps just a bit longer.

Great review by JasonN. I'll echo that the wind is the key variable (and the heat, which really doesn't vary unless it's overcast). Check here for a 7-day wind forecast:

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/pages/ZFP.php

scroll down to the Kohala (including Waikoloa) section towards the bottom. Flying down Hawi hill with 40-50mph crosswind gusts is a trip!

Some things I learned over the years...

Put a bottle of spray on sunblock in your t2 bag. Spray it on on your way out onto the run and then about every 30 minutes thereafter. Share a make new friends:)

Put an empty wide mouth water bottle in your T2 bag. Fill with ice water at every aid station and spray yourself down/drink as you go.

If the wind is especially gusty on the way up to Hawi, pull over at the aid station at the top for a minute and stuff down as many calories and fluids as you can before heading back down the hill.

Thanks for the review. With out knowing the elevation information I've been wondering about the climb to Hawi and how much and how many hills on the run.

Any recommendations on the type of goggles to wear for the swim.. Mirrored, tinted..? Thanks

If they keep the swim the same then 90% of the swim should be fine with clear lenses, but the last stretch home could be right into the rising sun. I'd say at least tinted. At that time of year the sun will be up for a full hour before the start so it won't be anything close to dark.

This will be my first time there this year as well. based on ride with GPS it looks to be a little over 3k in climb.

The "climb" to Hawi is around 600 feet of gain, and the climb back up Kawaihae is about 200 feet. The other 2200 feet is just rollers where you stay in the big ring. Not to say that makes the course "easy," just that there is very few sections where you actually feel like you're climbing. As compared to another 56 mile course with 3k of elevation gain.

Be sure to watch this before you go.

http://www.southparkstudios.com/.../s16e11-going-native

The hill to hawi starts around mile 20 and goes to the turnaround. The climb from kawaihae kind of sucks but it's just rollers after that.

I found that the easiest part of the run was the "highway to hell". Only reason was I knew where I was going. That was the hardest part of the run, not knowing where you are going, sudden steep hills, and varying running surfaces.

Great race though, lots of fun and like always It was HOT.

Looking like lights winds for the race, should be an epic day.

We've still got a whole week left. Trades are supposed to return Mon/Tues, so we'll see how gusty things get. So long as there is SOME wind on the run this year; last year felt like a damn death march.

???

There are some good comments on the race already so I will add a little to the logistics.
If you are not at the race hotel plan on a shuttle from a parking lot about 3/4 of a mile away. They don't allow bikes on the shuttle so after the race you will be walking/riding your bike up a hill to your car.
Start and T1 are not located with T2 and finish so you will have to take the shuttle/get dropped off at the start. Last year I just parked my car at the start on the side of the street and went and got it after the race. Worked well for me because I was with another racer with a car. One at each location.
The race brief I went to was very crowded and hot (not sure if all were like this). Bring water and get there early if you want a seat. I was standing in the back and left half way through.
Bring you run gear with you to athlete check-in to put it in your run bag so you don't have to go back to the hotel, since the bike turn-in is at a different location.
Ride your bike to T1 drop off the day before and take shuttle back (simple because of all the cars there dropping off bikes).
If you have a condo get groceries in Kona before heading out to the resort areas (cheaper shopping).
If I think of anything else I will post later.

Great race. Have fun and enjoy the islands. Lived here for four years now and don't want to leave.

Thanks triromad and everyone else... I'm a few hours away from jumping on the plane to hawaii to spend a few days there before racing... Have had the past few weeks off on holidays post busselton 70.3 and fitness is feeling great so looking forward to a good race... Will attempt to get some sort of race report posted after.
Cheers

paperwind ftw. Forecast updated to East trades 10-15, gusts up to 35.