REVEL Kulia is an incredibly fast and remarkably beautiful road race that takes runners from the lush mountainsides and high meadows of Hawaii’s Mauna Kea to the lava fields and beaches of Waikoloa. Featuring a smooth downhill slope and spectacular scenery, this race will be sure to help you set your PR and finally hit that Boston Qualifying time. REVEL Kūlia is the fastest and most beautiful marathon and half marathon in Hawaii. REVEL in speed. REVEL in beauty. REVEL in PARADISE!
What does Kūlia mean?
Every REVEL event is named after a feature of its geographic location or landmark. Because the process of creating names is very important to Hawaiian culture and religion, we enlisted the help of the Hawaiian Elders to decide on a name for this race. After learning about our race route and the history of the REVEL Race Series, the Elders sanctioned the name Kūlia for this race. Kūlia means to exert one’s strength and strive fast. The name is perfectly fitting for the fastest marathon course in the world!
Marathon
The REVEL Kūlia marathon course offers the best of the Big Island, including sweeping views of the high meadows of Waikii Ranch and the lava flows of Waikoloa. Runners will enjoy the fresh scent of Eucalyptus and Cypress trees, glimpses of the Kona Coastline, and the charm of Waikoloa Village. If that were not enough, the course is entirely downhill on paved roadway and is a Boston Marathon qualifier!
The marathon staging venue is located at the summit of the old Saddle Road near the Kilohana Hunter Checking Station on the western slope of Mauna Kea. Standing at 5,687 feet above sea level and engulfed in the shadow of the sacred Mauna Kea, runners will experience a whole new side of the Hawaiian environment.
Measured from its ocean floor base to the summit, Mauna Kea earns the distinction of the tallest mountain on Earth, beating out Mt Everest. Translated to English, “Mauna Kea” literally means “White Mountain,” partly due to the fact that the peak is regularly covered in snow. Mauna Kea is extremely sacred in Hawaiian culture and religion.
The course begins with an incredible downhill slope right out of the gates as Saddle Road takes runners through the meadows and pastures of Waikii Ranch with the rising sun at their backs. This upper portion of the course shatters the stereotype of Hawaiian landscapes with its straight rows of Eucalyptus trees, highland prairies, and grazing livestock.
Upon reaching mile 10 the course leaves Saddle Road and turns south on Mamalahoa Highway. Runners will enjoy a brief respite from the downhill as they make their way through the relatively flat miles 10-15 with an inspiring view of the ocean off to the west.
The screaming downhill begins again at mile 15 when the course turns west on Waikoloa Road and continues straight down towards the coastline all the way to the finish venue just above Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway and the Waikoloa Beach Resort.
The entire marathon course drops 5,548 vertical feet (more than an entire mile!) and ends at an elevation of only 139 feet above sea level. REVEL Kūlia is the fastest and most beautiful marathon in Hawaii!
Half Marathon
The REVEL Kūlia half marathon course offers the best of the Big Island, including sweeping views of the high island meadows and the lava flows of Waikoloa. Runners will enjoy glimpses of the Kona Coastline and the charm of Waikoloa Village. If that were not enough, the race is entirely downhill on paved roadway and is a certified qualifier course!
The half marathon staging venue is located on Mamalahoa Highway roughly two miles north of Waikoloa Road on the western slope of Mauna Kea. Standing at 2,644 feet above sea level and engulfed in the shadow of the sacred Mauna Kea, runners will experience a whole new side of the Hawaiian environment.
Measured from its ocean floor base to the summit, Mauna Kea earns the distinction of the tallest mountain on Earth, beating out Mt Everest. Translated to English, “Mauna Kea” literally means “White Mountain,” partly due to the fact that the peak is regularly covered in snow. Mauna Kea is extremely sacred in Hawaiian culture and religion.
The course begins with a relatively flat first two miles on Mamalahoa Highway as runners make their way south past the meadows and pastures with an inspiring view of the ocean off to the west.
The screaming downhill begins at mile 2 when the course turns west on Waikoloa Road and continues straight down towards the coastline all the way to the finish venue just above Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway and the Waikoloa Beach Resort.
The entire half marathon course drops 2,505 vertical feet and ends at an elevation of only 139 feet above sea level. REVEL Kūlia is the fastest and most beautiful half marathon in Hawaii!
LESS
All downhill from here 🌴
BOTTOM LINE: If you’ve ever run a REVEL race, then you know exactly what awaits you on the Big Island… and if you haven’t, you may want to carry a … MORE
BOTTOM LINE: If you’ve ever run a REVEL race, then you know exactly what awaits you on the Big Island… and if you haven’t, you may want to carry a fire extinguisher just in case your legs spontaneously combust. With nearly 5,700 feet of descent according to my Garmin, Kulia wears the downhill crown as the steepest of the eight REVEL courses — which is a bit like calling the Pacific the deepest of the oceans.
Physically, my own race could be broken down into two clear segments — 18 miles of “Count me in!” followed by eight miles of “Get me OUT.” Even a tailwind in the last six miles couldn’t save me from imploding. Granted, I’d run Tokyo six days earlier or I might have expected more of a 20/6 or 22/4 split. In any case, based on my previous REVEL experience at last year’s Mt Charleston Marathon in Nevada, I knew the last few miles would be painful… I just didn’t expect that my quads and calves would call it quits in unison.
On the bright side, it’s Hawaii so the scenery is beautiful. Gazing out across the Pacific Ocean and seeing Maui in the distance certainly helped to distract from my mounting fatigue. Best of all, once you cross the finish line you are now free to move about the island and to enjoy all that Hawaii has to offer — if you can still walk, that is. It’s no accident the medical tent is only steps away from the finish line.
PRODUCTION: This year’s inaugural Kulia race definitely delivered on REVEL’s promise of “fast and beautiful,” though the evidence suggests that with 5,700 feet of elevation loss, the company may well have reached the law of diminishing returns on speed.
Not surprisingly given its venue, Kulia is the most expensive of the REVEL events — I’d paid an early-bird registration price of $130 including a $10 discount code. Still significantly cheaper than say, Honolulu, and probably not a deal-breaker if you’re traveling from the mainland to run in Hawaii. Plus, your registration comes with all the niceties you’d expect from a REVEL event, including free gloves/heat sheet to stay warm on race morning, near-immediate results via email, free race photos, and even free goodr sunglasses. Race day also featured some distinctly Hawaiian touches including a pre-race conch blowing and native prayer, plus purple orchid leis at the finish line. And who doesn’t love a lei?
The expo was small and easily navigated, with several of the same vendors I’d seen at last year’s Mt Charleston expo including doTERRA (essential oils) and Rapid Reboot (recovery). We also met the garrulous race director of the Big Island International Marathon who was none too pleased (understandably so) that REVEL had shown up in his ‘hood and scheduled a marathon/half marathon one week before his own.
On-course support was excellent, including a bottle of Maurten that Katie dropped off and which was waiting for me at the mile 15 aid station. (Mahalo, volunteers!) Be aware, though, if you’re a runner who feeds off spectator support and raucous crowds: outside of aid station volunteers, I could count the number of spectators on two hands. On the plus side, few spectators meant few vehicles, and despite the fact we shared the road with traffic for much of the race, the organizers did a nice job of allowing us a wide berth such that safety concerns were minimal.
That said, the course definitely needed more trash bins, as discarded Dixie cups or GU packets in several spots lay one gust of wind away from becoming island detritus for a grazing goat to find.
The post-race party felt more functional than festive, held as it was in a gravel clearing on the side of the highway with a spread of Domino’s Pizza, water, chocolate milk and canned beer. As the lead singer of Suicidal Tendencies once lamented, all I wanted was a Pepsi, and sadly there was none to be had. Chocolate milk or beer definitely wasn’t going to cut it for a stressed-out stomach that wasn’t yet ready for protein, fat or alcohol.
On a semi-related note, with the REVEL team now in charge things are looking up for this year’s newly resurrected Portland Marathon, which after several years of poor management and underperformance (culminating in a 2018 cancellation and change of leadership) finally promises to live up to its potential.
SWAG: REVEL takes its swag seriously. In addition to everything mentioned above (gloves, goodr sunglasses, lei), their race tees are among the best in the business, while their finisher medals are always hefty and well crafted, even if they insist on featuring their company logo (and was this year’s spiral supposed to represent a… nautilus shell?) rather than, say, a true Hawaiian-themed design. But the ultimate swag, really, is the opportunity to explore and experience the beauty of the Big Island. In the words of legendary marathoner William Shakespeare, “I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.”
Want a better sense for the REVEL Kulia experience? Check out my race report at https://blisterscrampsheaves.com/2019/07/09/revel-kulia-marathon-race-report/