This was my second year doing Ironman 70.3 Boise. Last year I just barely missed breaking five hours, so I was looking forward to breaking it this year. I did a lot of training on an indoor bike trainer over the winter, so I knew I could cut significant time from the bike, possibly a few minutes from the swim, and do about the same on the run. But my plans of a sub 5 hour 70.3 were squashed when they cancelled the swim at about 6:15am the morning of the race…
People setting up for 2026 Ironman 70.3 BoiseMorning triathlon prep
Swim
The swim at Ironman 70.3 Boise takes place at Lucky Peak Reservoir. The reservoir is in a canyon and often has high winds in the morning which create lots of waves and chop. Last year many people commented on the chop and a significant amount of people DNF’d or DQ’d due to the swim.
Two weeks before the race I went to the exact spot the race takes place to do an open water swim and sure enough, I got hammered by the waves. It was part of a group swim organized by a local triathlon store (Tri Town). That open water swim gave me confidence though, and I knew I could get through the waves and have a decent swim. The Monday before the race I even set a mile swim PR in the lap pool at the YMCA. I was super excited for the swim – it’s my favorite part of a triathlon because it’s so unlike anything else I do.
Lots of people did practice swims at Lucky Peak leading up to this race, and there were multiple comments that I saw on Facebook and Reddit encouraging people to go experience it.
Which brings me to the morning of the race. Most competitors had their wetsuits on as it was after 6am and the pros were scheduled to start at 6:25. First it was announced that the pros would be delayed by 10 minutes. Then about ten minutes later, around 6:15, they announced that the pros were do an alternate two lap course and the swim would be cancelled for the age groupers. Of course it was seconds after I had downed a gel with 100mg caffeine.
I was so disappointed. I kind of understand why they cancelled, but I just don’t understand how it wasn’t foreseen and planned for. Maybe the race organizers were just hoping for slightly better weather? Maybe it was worse than normal? To me it seemed completely normal for that spot and no different than what we’d seen for several days before the event.
The pro men swimming in the distance on the revised 2026 Ironman 70.3 Boise course and the pro women in the water about to start
Bike
Since there was no swim, the age groupers lined up by number and we started cycling two at a time using the beep timer with a 3 second (or 5 second?) delay. I’m glad I was number 628 so that I didn’t have to wait too long. I felt sorry for the people in the 1400’s or later. I set off around 7:45am and went pretty hard on the bike since I was so frustrated.
The bike course starts with 1 mile across the dam and then a steep downhill around the dam. It follows the river for a few more miles and then has a nice uphill. Slight uphill and downhill grades continue for the rest of the course, with about 3 more decent climbs, although there’s nothing too crazy. The wind is always an issue. From miles 17-24 there was a decent headwind on a slight uphill section which I struggled with last year, but I was mentally prepared for it this year. It’s followed by a turnaround at mile 24 and then the wind pushes riders slightly downhill for the next 8 miles. The course kind of continues like this all the way to the end – a combination of slight hills and wind either pushing with or against riders. Besides the opening miles along the river, it takes place on roads south of town basically among desert. There was even someone out shooting guns during the race.
This year I struggled most between miles 40 and 48. I got a little faint, probably slightly dehydrated, and just tired. At mile 45 I got a weird cramp on the inside of my left leg – kind of between my crotch and the side of my quad. I had to unclip and stretch out my leg and luckily it went away.
For nutrition I consumed:
100mg caffeinated gel an hour before
My ~50g carb drink mix over the first 40 miles
Uncrustable at mile 15
Morton 100mg caffeinated gel
A noncaffeinated gel
Morton 100mg caffeinated gel
Noncaffeinated gel at Mile 50 or so (to prep for the run)
A full bottle of the electrolyte drink they handed out
2-3 24oz water bottles
I think next time I should ditch the Uncrustable and get a good carb bar that doesn’t have all the fat and protein. I’m not sure though. Whatever I do, I should do some practice rides where I actually consume everything. But the real problem is how it will impact my run. I think it went ok this time, but my stomach got a little upset in the run.
My pace was pretty good overall on the bike. I was targeting at least 22.5 mph and I got 22.6. I feel like that could have been improved with a little more mental fortitude, slightly better nutrition, or had I not gotten that cramp. Nevertheless, I finished strong, transitioned quickly, and got right into the run.
For the run, I wanted to get 7:00/mile or better. Last year I bonked at Mile 8 and it cost me several minutes, so my goal was also to avoid that.
The run course is two laps on the beautiful greenbelt. It’s spectator friendly. I would say it’s about 50% shaded. The most brutal stretch is Mile 5 and Mile 10.5-11.5 where there are few people around and runners are exposed to the sun.
I started the run at a fast pace (for me) – 6:38 for the first two miles then 6:41 – probably a little too fast but I felt good. A half mile in my hamstring started cramping and I got very worried. I stretched it out by adjust my stride, and then consumed electrolyte drink at every aid station. It was hot, so I also dumped water all over myself at every aid station.
Did I mention it was hot? It was probably 85-90F when I ran. I felt sorry for people who would be on the course when it was approaching 100F. I grabbed ice several times and shoved it down my tri suit in addition to all the water I was pouring all over myself.
I slowed down my pace a little to 6:45-7:00, both because my legs weren’t holding up and because I worried about running out of gas. I told myself I’d just try to hold the line at 7:00 until Mile 8 and then see what I had left.
One fun thing about starting in numerical order for the bike is that you could look at the number of the people either passing you or that you were passing and figure out whether they were behind you or ahead of you in the race. Usually it’s all mixed up from the swim, but if you passed someone on the run who had a lower number you knew that you were ahead of them, and vice versa.
I got through Mile 8 ok, but I struggled a bit on Mile 9 through Mile 11 with some stomach cramping and just a bad mental space. However, I regrouped for the last two miles and finished nice and strong.
I was happy with my Ironman 70.3 Boise Ride and Run, and it ended up being a fun event (at least Type 2 Fun). I slightly exceeded my pace targets, but of course that was without a Swim. The lack of Swim was really a downer for the day. I understand these things happen, but it doesn’t prevent the disappointment and frustration. Now I’m left wondering if I should sign up for a half distance triathlon to try to break 5 hours or wait for next year’s 70.3 Boise…
On Saturday, November 1, 2025, I completed Ironman Florida in Panama City Beach. It was an incredible and grueling experience.
Ironman Florida Race Report
Background and Build Up
I ran my first two marathons when I was 18. Since then, I’ve considered myself a runner. I started running marathons more seriously and consistently about 15 years ago, and before Saturday I had completed 31. Sometimes people would ask if I had ever done a triathlon or if I ever would, and I would usually say something like, “Someday, but right now I’m happy just running.” Last fall Ironman announced that the Ironman 70.3 Boise was coming back, so within a few days I decided that now was the time to give it a try.
I didn’t really know how to swim and I didn’t have a bike. I mean, I could “swim”, but I couldn’t swim. Last October I started swimming at the gym about two times per week. My good friend who had completed an Ironman and was a decent cyclist, found a bike that would fit me on Facebook and I bought it. It was really too cold to bike at that point, so over the fall and winter I ran a lot, swam a bit, and used the spin bike in the gym a bit.
In April I did the Boston Marathon, so I didn’t do much cycling before that as I didn’t want to hurt myself. Once the marathon was done, I started cycling a lot more. I signed up for a local olympic distance triathlon in early June and that gave me some good experience. I kept training and completed the Ironman 70.3 Boise in late July. It was a blast, I did ok, and I was in good shape, so the next day I signed up for Ironman Florida.
I trained pretty hard over the rest of the summer and into fall. In August I averaged ~11.5 hours of cardio per week, and then ~12.5 hours per week through most of September and October. My biggest week was 14 hours. I dialed in my nutrition and gear (including a used triathlon bike – 2014 Cervelo P2). I watched lots of YouTube videos to help with all things triathlon, and especially swimming. I did two ~90 mile rides, a 102 mile ride, and a 20 mile run. I also raced a half marathon three weeks before the Ironman (and set a PR at age 43!).
Cyndi joined me in my tri-cation to Florida. We did a red-eye on Wednesday night. Got signed in and built my bike on Thursday. On Friday I did a one mile run and then a brief practice swim in the ocean put on by Ironman, then relaxed the rest of the day (even went to a movie). The practice swim was super helpful in calming my nerves. I didn’t sleep at all on Friday night. During the night I ate an Uncrustable and drank an energy drink. I left at 5am to go to the race. I forgot to eat my bagel, so I ate a Bobo’s PB&J that I had intended to eat during the Bike portion.
Ironman Florida Swim
The Ironman Florida swim is two laps around a pier. I lined up in the front of the 1:11-1:20 target section, and it seemed like I got to the front of the line quickly (way more quickly than Boise). I wanted to complete it in 1:15, but I knew I had a shot at a little faster as I had done some 4000 yard swims in the pool at a <30min/mile pace (equivalent to 1:12 for 2.4 miles). I ran down the beach, waded until the waves were up to my chest, then started swimming.
Source: Ironman Florida Facebook group
It’s so chaotic at first. I’m not used to a wetsuit, so it was hard to get my strokes down. Plus I was trying to spot the buoys and not run into too many people. I realized that I mostly just needed to watch the people next to me and they would do the spotting work for me, so I relied on that a lot. On my first lap I did a great job of just keeping 5-10 yards from each buoy even though my goggles were pretty foggy. It took about 500-600 yards before I felt like my stroke really got into a good rhythm. That was due to being unaccustomed to the wetsuit and nerves. I noticed my shoulders were getting really sore and I think it’s because my stroke was messy. When we started heading back to the beach on my first lap the sun was right in my foggy goggles and I couldn’t see any buoys, so I just tried to follow the people next to me. I was passing people constantly, which surprised me, although that’s what happened at the Ironman 70.3 Boise as well. I ran into several people, and sometimes it was like I hit them perpendicularly, which was funny.
Source: Ironman Florida Facebook page
The water was pretty clear and honestly the scene was beautiful. It was so fun to be out there even as I was huffing and puffing. I didn’t mind the salt water and luckily I didn’t take any big swallows.
It was a little daunting that I had another whole lap to do. Finally my hands touched sand so I wobbled to my feet and ran through the crowd on the beach with a big smile on my face. I was looking for Cyndi but I didn’t see her until I was passing her and heard her yelling. That gave me a big boost. I defogged my goggles while I was jogging and I was super happy when I glanced at my watch and saw 35:xx! That meant I had a shot at my goal.
Source: Ironman Florida Facebook group
On the second lap I started wide of the first buoy, and then I stayed wide all the way through the second turn. I may have added some distance, but it was actually somewhat nice because I wasn’t running into people. My stroke was decent, but I was definitely getting a little tired. I tried to focus on using my arms and not kicking much since I wanted to save my legs for later. I got close to the second red buoy (the second turn) and then I was in a crowd of swimmers again. The sun was a little higher so spotting was easier, but I had to barge my way through some swimmers.
On the backside of the second lap I had briefly spotted a very small jellyfish. When I had about 200 yards to go before the beach I felt a sudden spicy sensation on my left foot. It was a jellyfish sting! The sting wasn’t bad, just a slight burning and felt like eating a pepper but on my skin.
When my hand touched water again, I stumbled up and was happy to be done with the swim! I saw Cyndi again and gave her a salty kiss as I ran by.
Swim time: 1:11:37.
It was a long run up the beach, across the road, under the freshwater shower, down the ally road, through the T1 bags, and into the changing tent. I hustled, but T1 still took me 0:08:24. Maybe I could do it faster if I didn’t put socks on?
T1 time: 0:08:24
Ironman Florida Bike
After mounting the bike I sped up as we wound through the initial roads through town. My target was 21mph. I don’t have a bike computer, so I was just going by my Garmin watch. I watched my speed, heart rate, and paid attention to how I felt. I was somewhat worried about a flat or some other gear failure. At the Athlete Briefing they said they get 25-30 flats per year – so that’s about a 1.5% chance.
6 miles in we went over a bridge which was the steepest “hill” in the whole course. After coming down the bridge there was a sharp turn right and a truck turned in front of me and went into the bike lane, cutting me off so that I had to come to almost a full stop. Besides that I didn’t have any issues with cars. Most of the course is either two lane roads where the cars were being very careful, or four lane roads where they just didn’t come into the far right lane. I rode in the right lane almost the entire race and didn’t bother with the bike lane. I did this to help prevent flats and because the white line was often bumpy.
Snapped this photo of my bike after the race. I had two water bottles on my handlebars which I could rotate out. It worked really well for me.
This is what I did for nutrition during the bike:
~750 kCal, 190g carbs: One 25oz water bottle filled with my homemade energy drink (maltodextrin, sugar, salt, cream of tartar)
~100 kCal, 25g carbs: One bottle of Mortal Hydration once my energy drink ran out
890 kCal, 123g carbs: Three Uncrustables and One Bobo’s eaten at miles ~15, ~40, ~65, and ~90
300 kCal, 75g carbs: Three Maurten gels
350 kCal, 37g carbs: Two other gels
~9 liters of water total
Total was about 2400 kCal and 450g carbs. Not bad, but in hindsight, I think I should have done a couple more gels as I ran out of gas on the run.
Miles 10 to 40 were pretty tough as there was a direct headwind, although I think it was probably only 7mph or so. Finally we turned west around mile 40 and had some downhill mixed in with rollers and a decent tailwind. I felt like I was flying at this section and my average speed was around 21.5mph. I felt like I was passing people quite a bit for the first half of the bike course, although I was also getting passed by some fast riders. There were a few guys I was playing leapfrog with. Some were really annoying as they would pass me, then immediately pull to the right and sit up to get a drink or something, so I’d end up just passing them back. This was fine as long as they would get far enough ahead that I wasn’t breaking any drafting rules, but sometimes they wouldn’t. Around mile 65 I saw one of these guys pulled over at the penalty tent and I chuckled.
This is how pretty much the entire course looked. Source: Ironman Florida Facebook group
At Mile 60 we turned north and this was the toughest stretch. Slight uphill and headwind. Luckily it was only 10 miles and we turned around at mile 70 and started flying again.
BTW, I may have found this video very helpful. I watched it just two days before the event and I’m glad I found it.
Athletes were getting very spread out by this point. It got lonely sometimes, with a rider 150+ yards from me in either direction. The bike started getting really old, and when we got around mile 80-90 the wind was changing directions and the ride got tough. It literally felt like we had a headwind the rest of the race. Several times, starting around mile 40, I would think to myself, “How am I going to run a marathon after this?!”
At mile 97 I got stung by a bee on my upper thigh. It hurt a little, but at least it made things interesting. Our last turn-around was about mile 104 where we turned onto a little trail and walking path under a road. I tried to keep my pace for the last few miles, but I couldn’t hold 21mph and eventually my average dipped down to 20.9 right near the end. I saw a kite flying at the beach and it confirmed to me that the wind had completely flipped directions from the 10-40 mile stretch.
Bike time: 5:21:24 (20.9mph)
I was so happy to finally hop of the bike. Cyndi was there and it was good to see her. I went directly to the portapotty and quickly grabbed my stuff, changed my socks and shoes, put on sunscreen, and set out for the marathon. I wanted to drink an energy drink, but my stomach said no.
T2 time: 0:06:08
Ironman Florida Run (Marathon)
I tried to take the run easy from the start. I actually felt really good for the first couple miles and my pace was around 7:00/mile. I knew I’d slow down, but it felt fine initially and my heart rate was under control and everything. It was pretty warm, 70F, so I dumped water on my head at every aid station and drank Mortal Hydration to make sure I was getting sodium. I also grabbed ice and dropped it down my trisuit where my bib belt held it in place. It was a life saver.
For context, I ran a half marathon three weeks earlier at a 5:52/mile pace. My last few marathons have all been in the 2:50’s, so about 6:45/mile. My recovery runs are typically around 8:00-8:15/mile. I hoped to be able to run 7:30’s or 7:40’s for the marathon, though I knew that was a stretch and if I blew up it would be out the window. I’ve had many marathons where I slow down to 8:00-9:00/mile in the last few miles after hitting the wall.
Around mile 3 or 4 my stomach suddenly started hurting. It had bothered me a bit on the ride, so it wasn’t a huge surprise. I realized this was going to be a tough race and my pace slowed to ~8:00/mile. I knew that I needed some fuel and I had brought a Huma gel, so I forced one down my throat even though I didn’t want to consume anything. After a mile or two of pain, my stomach suddenly felt better, I got my energy back, and my pace picked back up to 7:30-7:40 for miles 7 and 8. I felt great for those few miles. Then the wheels came off.
Source: Ironman Florida Facebook group
I suddenly lost all energy again. I knew I needed more fuel. I think I may have choked down a Maurten gel with 100mg caffeine. I know that around mile 12 I forced myself to start eating some energy gummies one at a time, even though I had no desire to do so. Our hotel was around Mile 12 and when I saw Cyndi I said, “I’m hurting.” And she said something like “yes I can tell.” I also asked how our son had done at his State cross country meet that day and it turns out he had done great, so that was good to hear. Mile 12 was 8:26/mile.
Turning around for a second lap was again daunting, but I knew I could at least survive. I suddenly needed a portapotty break, and fortunately I found one around 13.5 miles. At the next aid stations I started drinking Coke instead of Mortal Hydration. It was surprisingly good and I continued that, along with water, for the rest of the race.
I kept my miles under 9:00/mile for the most part. It was a slow jog for me, but I only allowed myself to walk in the aid stations. I wouldn’t let myself walk until I got to the first water and I’d always pick it back up after I left. I needed one more portapotty break during mile 19, but luckily that was it.
It was a slog and it was torture. I kept calculating what my time would be if I had to walk at 15min/mile, but fortunately I was able to keep jogging. My energy seemed to ebb and flow – I’ve never been on a roller coaster like that. It was like I’d get a little energy when some carbs hit my muscles or brain or something. Even at my slow pace I was passing quite a few people, of course, a lot of runners at this point were on their first lap. Getting to the turnaround was a joy as it meant I only had 10K left. Around mile 21 or 22 I remember a late 40’s guy passing me going pretty fast – like 8min/mile maybe. I thought, “Wow, how does he have that much left?” I was thinking maybe I’d have to walk the last 4 miles.
With a little more than 3 miles left something shifted in my body. I started feeling better and my legs started moving faster. I don’t know if it was mental or physical or both. Before I knew it I was going pretty hard and back down to 8:00/mile. I passed that guy that had passed me just a few miles before. I felt like I was flying and I couldn’t believe I had the energy again. I felt good all the way into the finish line.
The crowd at the end was great. As I was running down the red carpet I noticed the first timer bell and I gave it one loud clang and the crowd let out an extra roar. It was so great to finally finish! I was happy that I made it and that I could finally be done with the grueling race.
Run time: 3:40:06 (8:23/mile pace)
Total time: 10:27:40
Post Race
On the verge of death after completing the Ironman
Cyndi found me right away with a smile on her face. I may have said something like, “I never need to do that again.” (Of course, that changed within 24 hours.) I grabbed some food even though I doubted I’d be able to eat any. Sure enough, I started feeling terrible and I thought I would die for about 15 minutes. So did a guy I was sitting across from at the table, but I assured him I just needed a little time. I nibbled on some French fries and drank water. After 15-20 minutes I was able to go with Cyndi to get my bike and walk back to the hotel. I was feeling better although my stomach was wrecked.
Some cajun shrimp drenched in butter from Local Steamer Seafood Market
The shower was very nice and I also took a brief nap and rested for a bit. Once I thought I could move enough we went and got some delicious shrimp at a restaurant down the road – Local Steamer Seafood Market, which I recommend. I started taking down my bike but finally went to bed around 11:30pm, absolutely exhausted.
Cyndi and I on our beach walk on Sunday
I actually felt a lot better on Sunday. We packed up, went for a walk on the beach, attended part of the awards ceremony, went to church, and finally caught our plane for the long way back to Idaho.
Overall it was an incredible experience. It was tough, but it was doable and it was very rewarding. It was fun to be out there with a bunch of other striving people. I felt blessed to be able to train and compete without injury. I don’t know if I’ll do another Ironman, but I’d love to at some point and I hope I get to see some of my kids do one some day.
The COVID pandemic was a big interruption to everything in 2020, including running. I had a St Patrick’s Day run scheduled for early March, and it was cancelled the week of the race. I signed up for the Big Cottonwood Marathon in September and it also ended up being cancelled. Fortunately my friend, Chad, and I found the Jackson Hole Marathon, and we both got to run it on September 26, 2020. It would be my only race during all of 2020.
I’d never been to Jackson Hole and I’d never seen the Teton mountains up close, despite living in the Boise area for most of my life. We approached Jackson Hole from the Idaho side on the day before the race and saw the glory of the Tetons. Unfortunately when we got through the pass it was cloudy, and it would remain that way until we left.
Cyndi came with me on this trip and we did a drive-through packet pickup. One of the items I received was a mask, which became one of my favorite masks to wear throughout the pandemic. Since hotels were so expensive we ended up splitting a room at the Mountain Modern Motel with Chad and Julie. They arrived a little after we checked in and we went out to eat at Miazga’s, which was good and didn’t have too terrible a wait. After dinner we went to Jackson Town Square and got a scoop of ice cream. (Cyndi and I were about to sign a lease for Lovejoy’s Real Ice Cream, so we critiqued flavor options and got ideas.) We went back to the hotel and soaked in the hot tub for a bit before going to bed. The hotel was nice.
Chad and I woke up early to get ready and walk to the starting line. It was drizzling outside, but it wasn’t too cold or windy. The marathon starts right at Jackson Town Square. Due to COVID, they had everyone spread out and start by walking towards the Start line and then taking off. We had masks on right until the start and then we could take them off and put them in our pockets.
Jackson Hole Marathon Miles 1-4: 6:46, 6:44, 6:30, 6:33
I had been battling a strained calf for a few months before the race, so I hadn’t been able to do any speedwork. I was still able to put in a lot of miles though, so I was confident I could run a decent marathon, I just wasn’t sure if I could go very fast. I was targeting around 6:45/mi for the Jackson Hole Marathon. Chad thought he’d be a little behind that. We went out together and kept in control for the first couple miles. There was a slight downhill on mile 3 and Chad and I began to separate. There were three guys ahead of me at this point, but I passed one of them pretty quickly (a runner who had gone out way too fast).
The first 3 miles are on roads, but during Mile 4 we transitioned to a bike path which is where we’d be for most of the rest of the race.
Jackson Hole Marathon Miles 5-8: 6:45, 6:48, 6:51, 6:47
During Mile 5 the Jackson Hole Marathon course turns left and heads due south. The bike path parallels a highway and opens up quite a bit. At this point the wind had seemed to pick up. There was enough cloud cover that we couldn’t see the mountains. There were also some small rolling hills. I could see the #2 runner ahead of me still and I was able to keep my pace mostly in the high 6:40’s.
Jackson Hole Marathon Miles 9-13: 6:52, 7:04, 6:58, 6:43, 6:47
The course makes a right turn to the west right at Mile 8. After 1.5 miles, the course turns north and becomes very straight for a few miles. This portion of the course is a very gradual uphill and there was some headwind. I was feeling pretty good at the half marathon mark. I came in around 1:29:00, which I was happy with. While I wouldn’t have minded a little faster, it’s worth noting that the Jackson Hole Marathon course averages around 6200ft elevation. My calf was a little tight, but it wasn’t hurting so much to slow me down.
Around the halfway mark the rain started up in earnest. It alternated between a downpour and a light drizzle, but it kept up for the rest of the race. I’d never raced in rain for that long and it made things interesting. I was amazed at how hard it came down at some points during the rest of the race.
Jackson Hole Marathon Miles 14-19: 6:36, 7:00, 6:39, 6:49, 6:53, 6:51
The few miles after the halfway mark are the most interesting part of the Jackson Hole Marathon. The course winds up and around a small hill as it turns west — this is the biggest hill in the race and comes at a somewhat challenging time. The course then declines before flattening out and crossing the Snake River. From here the view of the Tetons should be spectacular, but it wasn’t to be on this rainy and cloudy day. All I could see was grey. Around this time I could see that I was starting to close the gap with the runner in front of me and that gave me some extra adrenaline and hope.
Jackson Hole Marathon Miles 20-26.2: 6:37, 6:29, 6:31, 6:38, 6:44, 6:42, 6:38/mi
Now I was closing fast on the 2nd place runner, and I over took him as we completed a side loop and turned north again. Mile 20 is often where a marathoner can tell whether they’re going to have a good race. In this case, I was feeling quite good (all things considered) and I felt strong. I was able to consume a last gel and I put in some strong miles as the rain came down in torrents at some parts.
The turn north also put us on the same path as the Half Marathoners, who were doing an out and back. I had the #1 runner in my sights and I was able to slowly reel him in, finally passing him around Mile 23 or 24. Cyndi and Julie were also stopped near here and cheered me on, which was fun.
I pushed really hard through the end although I did waver a little in the last mile. The marathon runs through a little grass for the last hundred yards and it was muddy and sloshy with all the rain. Overall my body felt great and I finished in 2:57:29. That meant that I did a negative split, which I believe was my first ever! The second place runner came in about a minute behind me.
Post Race
The rain was still coming down and I grabbed my gear and got some pants on while I waited for Chad. He came in 4th place at 3:10. Shortly after he finished he began shivering almost uncontrollably and then puked quite a bit. The rest of us had a good laugh about it, especially when we had to stop the car on the way back to the hotel so he could puke again. I felt surprisingly good after the race. I’ve felt both good and bad after races, and sometimes it’s hard to explain why.
After a shower and a little rest we went to Jackson to eat, but it was absolutely packed. Cyndi and I decided to head home and we grabbed a burger at Stagecoach Bar in Wilson before heading over the pass.
I was very happy that Jackson Hole Marathon went through with the even in 2020. It was a good race and well organized. My only regret is that I couldn’t see the scenery due to the rain.
Last week my wife and I backpacked the 11 mile Kalalau Trail in Kauai. The Kalalau Trail is considered one of the top backpacking destinations in the world, and it lived up to its reputation for me. It was the most spectacular backpacking trip I’ve been on, with verdant jungles, jagged mountains, oceanside cliffs, waterfalls, rivers, creeks, and beautiful beaches. Not to mention passion fruit, whales, wild pigs, some big spiders, treacherous cliffs, and lots of mud.
How to get to the Kalalau Trail
Two or three months before your trip, you need to purchase a permit to hike the Kalalau Trail. These can sell out pretty quickly, there are only 60 available per night (many people get them and don’t end up using them). They cost $20 per night. You can get a permit by going to the Napali Coast State Wilderness Park site. There’s also some information about the trail on the state parks site.
Get ready for lots of warning signs
Before leaving for Hawaii, we packed our gear into two packs and put them all in a big duffel bag. I put the tent in my carry-on to save some weight.
We flew into Kauai on Wednesday at 4pm. We picked up a rental car and drove straight to Ace Hardware so we could pick up some butane (gas) for our backpacking stove. Gas canisters are not allowed on planes, so you’ll need to do the same. You can check the locations and hours of Ace Hardware online. I called the one in Lihue before we flew out to confirm that they carried butane (I heard that some of the other Ace’s on the island don’t carry it).
We next drove to Walmart to pick up some food, mosquito repellent, and a lighter. We had packed some of our meals, but needed some lunches and additional snacks. It was also good to pick up some stuff at Walmart for our whole stay so that we wouldn’t have to purchase bottled water, for example.
The Kalalau Trail is on the northwest corner of the island of Kauai. The closest decent size city is Princeville. We stayed in the cheapest place I could find for one night, an airbnb, which was still pretty expensive. If you’re up for it, there are lots of camping options around the island.
On Thursday morning we left early to give us the most time on the trail. It was easy to get up since we were from the mainland (3 hours ahead of Hawaii time) and since there were roosters crowing starting at 1:30am! Ugh!
We parked in the Hāʻena State Park parking lot. The cost is $15 per day (two nights = three days). I was a little worried about someone breaking into our car, so we didn’t leave anything valuable in there. At the very least I would make sure that anything you leave in the car is well hidden. This is a new parking option as of November 2019.
We lucked out with some fantastic sunny weather on Thursday. The Kalalau Trail is often closed due to rain. In fact, we were hiking on the 16th. From the 10th through half of the 14th the trail was closed! And as you’ll see below, the trail was closed again on the 17th. We lucked out by having scheduled our hike in a 2 1/2 day open window.
The reason the trail closes is that there are rivers that you need to pass that will become impassable with any steady rainfall. The rivers are actually the most dangerous part of the Kalalau Trail (not the cliffs).
How can you avoid closures? First, we were hiking in January, the middle of the winter. Winter in Kauai means more rain — about double the rainfall in the summer. You’ll maximize chances of an open trail by going in May through September. This site has a chart showing rainfall in Wainiha, right near the trail head.
Second, try to be flexible when you go. I know this is difficult since you need to get hotel reservations, but if you can alter your starting day by a day or two you may have a better chance of making it on the trail.
You can check the weather for the trail at this link.
You can check if the Kalalau Trail is open on the state parks website. If it’s not open, there will be a red alert at the top of the page.
Overview of the Kalalau Trail
We started hiking right around 7:30. Once you’re at the actual trail head (something like 1/3 mile from the parking lot), the trail immediately starts climbing a steep hill. Not too far into the trail you’ll start getting some great views of the coastline.
Kalalau Beach is near the farthest coastal outcropping you can see
The Kalalau Trail is basically composed of 3 segments:
The first two miles from the trail head to Hanakapi’ai stream and beach. The Hanakapi’ai Waterfall is two miles from the beach up a different trail.
Mile 2 to mile 6 from Hanakapi’ai to Hanakoa Stream. You can camp in the Hanakoa valley, but there’s no beach access. The Hanakoa Waterfall is a mile from the camping spot on a trail up the valley.
Miles 6 to mile 11 from Hanakoa Valley to Kalalau Beach. (At approximately mile 7 you’ll cross the infamous Crawler’s Ledge.)
Hiking the Kalalau Trail, Day 1
Since we were early there weren’t many people on the trail. All the people we did see on the trail in the first couple miles were just going the first couple miles to Hanakāpīʻai. That’s the first major stream crossing. From there the trail splits. People with permits can continue on the Kalalau Trail, but most people (without permits) either turn around or go to the Hanakāpīʻai waterfall, which is another two miles from the junction. That makes for a great day hike if you don’t have the time or desire to go all the way to Kalalau Beach.
We took our shoes off to cross the stream as we were still mostly dry and didn’t want to hike in wet shoes all day.
There’s a decent outhouse near Hanakāpīʻai Beach, in case you need it.
Be careful at Hanakapiai Beach! You probably shouldn’t swim in it. Here’s a story of a couple kids getting swept out. And another story and video of a rogue wave.
We ate half our lunch at Hanakapi’ai and then started back on the trail.
Throughout the morning I was continually amazed by the green jungle foliage. There was a variety of trees, bushes, and shrubs. There were flowers and many shades of green.
Small creeks crossed the trail in many places and there was mud everywhere, mostly due to the recent rains. The mud was enough to make our shoes and legs dirty, but not enough for us to get stuck in or to hamper our progress too much. I’ve done quite a bit of backpacking and I’ve never relied on hiking poles. Hiking poles may ease some of the pressure on your knees and legs, but they also cause you to expend more energy since you’re basically pumping weights the whole time. However, I purchased a pair of hiking poles for this trip and Cyndi borrowed a pair from a friend. We were very grateful we had them. They helped with the mud and with all the slopes and steps.
One of many spectacular rock formations
Eventually we made it to the beautiful Hanakoa valley where we had to cross another stream. There are some camping spots there and some were taken from people coming back. There is a little shelter with picnic tables on both sides of the creek, and an outhouse on the north side of the creek.
We had been hiking near a South Korean from Canada who was hiking solo. We saw him stop to take one of the lower camping spots. He planned on continuing on the Kalalau the following day. More on him later…
We continued on our way knowing that Crawler’s Ledge, the most famous part of the Kalalau Trail, was about a mile farther. (Cyndi was nervous about it.) We knew when we got to it. First you switchback down a grassy and rocky bank and then make your way around to the rocky cliff.
We took it easy on Crawler’s Ledge, but I really didn’t think it was too bad. Later, a friend said she was told that if you can walk across a sidewalk without falling over, then you’ll be fine. This is pretty accurate. Even if it was raining I don’t think I’d be too worried about it. In fact, there are other places on Kalalau Trail that are more dangerous, although they don’t feel as dangerous (if that’s any comfort).
Cyndi making her way across Crawler’s Ledge
With the sun shining, it was quite warm on parts of the trail. There was high humidity and not a lot of breeze on this particular day. Some spots felt like an oven as we walked through them.
We found some passion fruit on the trail, which I thoroughly enjoyed
At one point after Crawler’s ledge we stopped at another ocean overlook and ate another bagel. I was scanning the ocean hoping to see a whale and sure enough I spotted one a long way out from the coast. It must have been at least a mile, but I spotted it because it blew a big sprout of water! We were excited to see a few more sprouts. I’d never seen a whale before. A little later we also saw a herd of goats hanging out on a patch of dirt that sloped into the ocean.
Eventually we rounded a turn and entered Kalalau Valley. We still had over a mile to go before our campsite. Approaching mile 10 we had to descend a long eroded stretch of trail that was pretty difficult on our tired legs. We were dragging after a long day of backpacking. We finally got to the bottom of that stretch and entered a large grove that had a bunch of passion fruit in it. That grove was bisected by the final big stream crossing, Kalalau Stream. This was probably the most difficult crossing, but it wasn’t too bad. I left my shoes on since they were filthy anyways and it made the footing much easier.
Kalalau Beach
We were so happy to see the beach after another ~half mile down the trail! We quickly selected a spot to pitch our tent, and then threw on our swimsuits and headed down to the water. There is plenty of space to camp in the trees right along the trail. If you walk all the way to the end of the trail there are a couple overhangs and some premium spots to camp right next to the beach.
The beach is gorgeous. There is cliff on behind the beach and a waterfall coming down on the south side which disappears into the sand. The valley is composed of towering green mountains that seem to rise directly from the beach below. (We didn’t take the best photo, which is looking from the beach towards the mountains – there are plenty of these online though.)
The sun was still out and it was nice to wash off all the dirt and sweat from the day’s hiking. The waves were really tame, so I actually did a little body surfing. This might have been unwise, but I was careful not to go very deep (only just over my waist). We walked along the beach to some cool caves carved into the cliff walls. There were probably 15 other campers in the area that night. Only one had passed us on the trail, so the rest had either camped at Hanakoa or had been at Kalalau Beach for more than one day.
After a swim, we retrieved our stove and Mountain House meals and cooked dinner on the rocks by the sand as the sun went down behind the cliffs. We did a little reading and went to bed really early since it was dark, our home timezone was three hours ahead, we were exhausted, and we couldn’t have a fire. Some of our stuff was pretty wet from the hike so we just hung it on the trees.
Salty dinner tastes so good after a full day hiking!
That night it RAINED! It must have started around midnight and then didn’t let up until about 10am. At one point during the night I found a little puddle of water next to me in the tent — the rain had dripped down the side of the tent and through a gap where the two zippers meet. I fixed it by moving the two zippers up. Luckily our tent was pretty waterproof otherwise. I had a small two-man tent, but before the trip I purchased a cheap three-man tent at Walmart to have enough space for our bags. Despite being cheap, it had a nice tarp floor and it held up very well. Thank goodness we had our bags in the tent and out of the rain. Since it was warm, any wetness that got into the tent really didn’t bug me a lot. I was actually hot most of the night as it doesn’t get below 60F in Kauai.
Hiking the Kalalau Trail, Days 2 and 3
When we finally got out of bed, the big concern was whether we’d be able to cross the stream to get out. We took our breakfast to one of the overhangs so we could get out of the rain at least. Streams of water were running down the trail. We met another couple who had the same concern and decided to hike out together to help each other cross the stream. Another couple ladies wanted help across as well.
Fortunately the rain had lifted early enough that the stream flow subsided. It was still much more water than the prior afternoon, but we carefully forded it with a couple of us anchoring in and then helping each other across.
We then had a very pleasant hike back to Hanakoa Valley. It was overcast with some wind, but it wasn’t raining and I hiked in shorts and a t-shirt again. The waves were enormous, contrasting the mild ocean just the day before. When we got to Crawler’s Ledge, the mist from the ocean waves battering the cliffs reached all the way up to us. Sometimes the waves would bounce off the cliffs and then crash into the waves behind them and spew water into the air.
Can you see us coming back on Crawlers Ledge? Some hikers in front of us took this photo and sent it to us.
The two ladies we crossed the stream with went ahead, but Cyndi and I hiked the whole way with the couple we met and we quickly became friends. We ended up camping in Hanakoa next to them and playing some card games that night, and then we hiked out the following day with them.
Drying off our clothes and gear after a wet night
We also made the mile hike to Hanakoa Falls, which was worth the hike. (There are some helpful orange tags on some trees to help guide the way.) I wish I’d jumped in the pool of water under the waterfall, but I was rather cold from a wet, windy day and from rinsing off in Hanakoa Stream.
We kept waiting to cross paths with the South Korean. We never saw him, and when we arrived at the camping spots we saw that his spot literally had a stream of water flowing through it. We felt really bad that he must have had a very wet night.
We woke up early in the morning to finish hiking out the Kalalau Trail. We had 6 miles to go and we were rather worn out.
The trail was completely empty until we crossed Hanakapi’ai Stream. Evidently, the trail had been closed the day before due to the rain, which was no surprise to us. The last two miles was full of people making the day hike to Hanakapi’ai Falls.
We made it to our car by 11am after a very successful trip. Our car hadn’t been touched.
Backpacking the Kalalau Trail was truly the trip of a lifetime. It was so different to what I’m accustomed to, with lush vegetation, beautiful coastal views, steep green mountains, and moderate temperatures. It was the highlight of our stay on Kaua’i. I hope to do it again someday.
This year was my 8th time doing the Zeitgeist Half Marathon. It’s a great race that keeps me coming back every year. It has a decent amount of runners – about 600 this year. It’s a challenging course with two big hills and one little one. It’s late in the year after things have calmed down from the summer. It has become part of my November routine.
Last year I wasn’t quite prepared for the hills, so since August I had been trying to get at least one good hill in every couple weeks. I don’t live right by a big hill, so this usually means driving to the foothills before work and running trails in the dark. I also got in a good hill run at Hood To Coast this year and another on Catalina Island before FitOne.
Being more prepared for the hills this year, and after some good training in late September and October, I hoped to set a personal best on the Zeitgeist Half Marathon course and to potentially take first place.
The weather was cold this year, and leading up to the race it looked like it would be sub 30F. Luckily it was sunny without too much wind and it was about 32F when the race started. I ran in a t-shirt, shorts, and gloves. I ditched my beanie right before the race started.
I was happy to see that some of the really fast runners in the valley didn’t show up, but there were plenty of runners I didn’t know. Sure enough, there were two guys up front with me during the first mile. I stuck right behind the first guy for most of the first hill (which peaks at 3.1 miles), and the 3rd place guy fell behind a bit. However, after pushing up the hill the #1 runner started leaving me behind and gradually stretched his lead for the rest of the race.
Around mile 5 a volunteer lady asked me, “How tall are you?!” I’d never had a volunteer ask me that before, and I thought it was pretty funny. I wheezed out a reply of “6-4.”
Despite being #2 I still pushed for my course PR, and I was helped by noticing runner #3 close behind me about 6 miles into the half marathon. That kept me running scared and faster than I otherwise might have. I also hoped that #1 would fade or tie his shoe or something. I ended up pushing pretty hard up the final large hill and all the way down. I hit most of my time targets and had a good race. I faded a bit in the final mile, but still felt good about my performance.
I ended up finishing a solid #2 FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW! Oh well. There’s always next year. The good news is that I improved my time a little more than expected. In fact, this could be the best running shape I’ve been in, ever. I hope I can build on it over the winter.
After the race I did a cooldown run with my friend, Chad, who got 6th. We ate the lunch they served and didn’t stick around for awards. (My one complaint about Zeitgeist is they wait until about 4 hours after the race begins to hand out awards and raffle prizes.)
It’s fun to see improvement over time. I dread the year the trend reverses. It could be next year for all I know. Until then, I’m grateful for the improvement and grateful for another year running the Zeitgeist Half Marathon. I plan on being back in 2020.
