The Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon

From the starting line on Poipu Road, runners follow a counter-clockwise out-and-back loop course that runs into the island’s interior and then back out again toward the beach, and includes a long, gradual uphill toward the half-way point (and a long, gradual downhill from the half-way point toward the finish). Run through the ‘Tunnel of Trees.’ In the early stretch of the race along Maluhia Road, runners get the chance to run through Kauai’s famous Tunnel of Trees, which were planted more than 150 years old by Scottish immigrant cattle ranchers and remain today as a lush, green eucalyptus-tree corridor linking Kalaheo with Poipu. After this stretch, runners continue on along the first half’s long, gradual uphill stretch along Highway 520 toward the half-way point near Omao, and then turn left (south) toward the town, beginning the long downhill stretch of the race’s second half. On their way through Omao, runners pass through this small town’s homes and shops on their way past the Omao Stream, running along the tree-lined road all the way toward the Kukui’ula Resort.