We Ran the Rock!!! It was 95 degrees with nearly 100% humidity, on a record setting day in Kona.  But we ran the Rock or shall I say, we Survived it!!!  Despite the heat, The New Kona Marathon is better than ever! Yeah!! Upon arrival into The Hilton Waikoloa Village Beach Resort, I was excited to see the Queens MarketPlace.  A beautifully landscaped village with shops galore, eateries and more.  Lush trees and gardens lined the streets which made me even more excited to know we would be running through there.

We arrived at The Hilton Waikoloa Village Beach Resort and I can’t say enough nice things about it.  They just placed number 4 on Travel & Leisure’s 2015 World’s Best list for Family Travel.  I can see why, first off, it was BIG, like amusement park big. There were dolphins, a giant lagoon that fed into the ocean, water slides, pools, boats, even a monorail, yes you read that right.   Even with the magnitude of this hotel, everything was centrally located and easy to get to.  Ancient artifacts decorated the hallways within the hotel, it was like walking through a museum. The EXPO- This was one of the BEST expos I’ve ever been to (and I’ve been to a lot).  The expo was located at the convention center at the The Hilton Waikoloa Village Beach Resort , it overlooked the waterfall on the lagoon, it was breathtaking. Everything was so well organized, the vendors were great, including  UCC Coffee, the best Kona coffee ever. The Big Island Running Company was there and even gave me a purple shirt. Here I am representing in Santa Monica: Also, The Kona Marathon running logo apparel was so hot they sold out within a few hours.  However, you can still get the Kona Marathon Towel with your name on it (if you registered before June 12), click here: Kona Marathon Towel You could feel the excitement and Aloha Spirit in the air.  It was an honor to represent Project Purple, the Nations Top Pancreatic Cancer Running Charity, Essence Water ph10,Worlds Best Alkaline Water, and take Goddess Pose photo’s with so many friends in front of the Kona Marathon Start Line Back Drop.

Race Day Race morning we could feel it was going to be a hot one, that’s ok by me, it just means HYDRATE, adjust your pace and have FUN!  And that’s exactly what we did. The race volunteers were there in abundance, greeting you with their warm Aloha spirit, smiles, water, GU Hydration drink and Ice.  We may have poured more ice and water on our heads, than in our mouth.  I ran with Mark Kramer, Brian Salm and Cheryl Baumann. They are all fellow marathon maniacs and Mark and Cheryl were both finishing their 50^th state. We all ran together for a while, making the miles fly by (even if we were baking on the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway). We knew the ocean was waiting for us we could see it in the distance.  Plus running on part of the World Championship Ironman bike course really made you feel like a Bad Ass 🙂 We finished hand in hand and although it wasn’t our fastest, it was definitely very meaningful, both Mark and I have lost a parent to pancreatic cancer.  We were grateful to be there together on his special day.  We had so much fun, helped each other when we struggled and brought it home smiling from ear to ear. After we finished we celebrated at the Legends of Hawaii Luau at the Hilton Waikoloa Hotel, where David and I did our Honeymoon dance 🙂 I am so happy that I will be returning next year, which will make it my 5^th year at the Kona Marathon.  I am beyond blessed and truly love the New Kona Marathon venue.  I hope you will join us in paradise at the 2016 Kona Marathon, June 26. Aloha and until we meet again a hui hoi.. Registration code now available for the 2016 Kona Marathon, use code KMGODDESS and save $10 off early registration prices.  Win Win!!!   Register here This Kona Marathon was dedicated to Beverly, who loved Hawaii and lost her life way to young from pancreatic cancer.  We must find a cure!!!   We Got This! Click here to make a donation to Project Purple to help: DONATE