Maunawili Out & Back 2016 Race Report

Maunawili has always been a race that has kicked my royal tush! My goal for this one was simple: run a strong race and finish happy. That, I did!

I true Nate form, I rolled my ankle about 2 miles into the race. It was a borderline drop out sprain, but I figured I’d give it a chance, and it held up (although it was a mean one). I was wearing my new glasses that day, which I think turned out to be a mistake and contributed to my rolled ankle. Drizzle, fog, and condensation made it tough to see the trail trough my lenses. (One day, I’ll get some nicer ones.)

It’s basically 11 miles downhill, then 11 miles uphill. The sections where I remember I was dying in previous years were floating by for me, and I fell in love with the course. I wasn’t in it to win it for this race. In past years, they didn’t even keep time, and I didn’t think they were keeping time this year either, so I just started getting back to my joyful roots of running. I was doing great, keeping near the front of the pack, and even went right past the final turn-off to get to the finish, adding an extra mile or something. Did I care? Nah, loved it, and am stoked to have made a friend out of a course that used to be an enemy.