A Month to Kaua'i!

Have I mentioned that Dean Karnazes and Bart Yasso are co-hosts of the Kaua'i Marathon?  Not only am I running my first marathon in Hawaii but I also get to meet two enormously inspiring and incredibly accomplished (and mostly crazy) athletes. I will likely be incoherent, I'm not so good with these things.  At least I won't be dressed in an Elvis suit.

Dean's books always make me want pizza, but regardless of all the fun they had, neither author makes me want to run naked.  Anywhere. Ever.

I had just started running before I read these books and each time I had the pleasure of discovering another one they made me believe in myself.  I went out and ran farther than I ever thought I could.  I mean seriously, a marathon? Me?  THIS IS YOUR FAULT GUYS!  Don't worry, I'll remember that at the finish line too.


Since it's all becoming real, this week I did an online Sherlock Holmes of The Kaua'i Marathon and found all this stuff:

• The Full course splits from the Half around mile 11 after gaining 251m. Both courses pass through a one hundred year old 'tunnel of trees' first.  It is uphill.
• The Full offshoot section resembles a giant lollipop and has 421m elev gain.  Lollipop Mountain!
• I found a blog where the runner tweeted every mile about how she was feeling.  I'll be lucky if I can remember to eat.
• Allegedly, Full runners have arrived at the course split, noticed the impending hill, changed their minds and done the Half.
• The course photographers cunningly camp out at the top of big hills.
• Allegedly, Dean Karnazes announced at the start one year 'if you're running the Half have a great day, if you're running the Full prepare to die'.  Bart Yasso should announce the race this year :)
• I'm not the only person crazy enough to do this as their first marathon.
• The Finish line is right at the beach, oh yes please.