Kona Marathon Events Reviews

Finished the race and the water was already gone. Snacks weren’t great either.

My finish time on konamarathon.com was nowhere close to what my watch showed. I get that GPS isn’t perfect and there can be small differences, but this was way too far off. On top of that, it took forever for the results to update, which was frustrating. It’s hard to trust the final times when the timing looks that wrong.

The parking situation was confusing, and the shuttle took way longer than we expected. We were just standing around with no clear signs or updates, which made it feel like nobody had really thought that part through. It added a lot of stress before the race, and it’s definitely not something I’d want to deal with again...

The start line was such a disaster. It felt like nobody had any clue where runners were supposed to go, and everyone was just packed in and wandering around confused. I was already stressed out before the race even started, which is the last thing you want. Not gonna lie, it kind of ruined the whole vibe for me.

I went on konamarathon.com hoping the travel and lodging info would make planning easier, and I guess it gives you a starting point, kind of. But it felt thin. The hotel details were vague, and I didn’t find much clear guidance on getting around or figuring out the best areas to stay. Maybe it’s enough if you already know the area, but for someone coming from far away, it wasn’t very helpful. I ended up checking other sites anyway, which was frustrating.

I was expecting more ocean views and classic Kona scenery, but the course was dull. A lot of it felt like long stretches of hot road with the same highway and lava rock views over and over. I get that not every course can be postcard-perfect the whole way, but if scenery is part of what you’re looking forward to, this probably isn’t the one. I got bored quickly and wouldn’t choose to do it again just for the views

The race itself might’ve been fine, but the vibe from some of the volunteers really threw me off. Maybe I just caught them at a bad time or everyone was stressed, but a few of them acted like basic questions were a huge inconvenience.

At check-in and the water stops, things felt rushed and not very friendly. I get that events can get hectic and timing can be rough, but a little patience would’ve gone a long way. It just wasn’t the experience I was expecting.

The aid stations were okay overall, but running out of water at times felt disappointing. For an event like this, I’d expect something that important to be handled better.

The race itself was a good time, but the results page annoyed me. I already had a feeling the website side of things might be a little clunky, and when the results took forever to show up, it kind of confirmed what I expected.

When my result finally appeared, my chip time didn’t look right, and I kept refreshing the page hoping it would update or make more sense. I also couldn’t easily figure out where to report a problem, which made the whole thing more frustrating than it needed to be for such a big event.

I was hoping for a fun race vibe but it felt flat. The crowd energy just wasn’t there and a lot of parts were really quiet. Even the finish area didn’t feel all that exciting. The views might be nice but overall it didn’t feel like much of an event to me. It felt more like I was just out doing a long run.

I was disappointed with how the hydration was handled. It feels like such a basic thing for a marathon, especially in Kona heat, but somehow it became a problem. There were long stretches where I was just waiting and hoping for water, and one station looked almost empty by the time I got there. I don’t expect everything to be perfect, but water on a hot course should be the easy part. I wouldn’t sign up for this one again.

I did eventually find the info I needed, but I kind of regret not checking somewhere else first because it took longer than I expected. The site works fine overall, but on mobile the menu feels a bit messy and some pages are harder to get to than they should be. It’s not terrible, just a little clunky and not as smooth to use as I hoped

I was let down after the race. The finisher medal felt kind of cheap, and the shirt fit really weird, which was frustrating after paying to participate and actually finishing. It also made me wonder where all the money went, because it kind of felt like there may have been extra costs or fees baked in without much to show for it.

I tried registering on konamarathon.com it was kind of a mess. The pages were loading really slowly, the form kept glitching, and for a while I couldn’t even tell if my payment had actually gone through. It’s not even about that I had to spend a few extra minutes online — it’s more that a race entry should feel clear and reassuring, especially when payment is involved. Not getting a proper confirmation right away just made the whole thing stressful. I was excited to sign up, but this definitely wasn’t a great first impression...

I kind of had a feeling packet pickup would be slow, and yeah, it pretty much confirmed that for me. The line did move, just not very fast. It wasn’t a disaster or anything, but it definitely felt like the usual packet pickup wait...

I want to be fair, the event itself may have been fine, but the communication leading up to race day wasn’t great. The emails came too late, which made it harder to plan and feel prepared. A little more notice would’ve made a big difference...

The course markings were mostly okay, but a few of the signs were confusing enough to mess up my pace and throw off the plan I had for the day. I’d mapped things out carefully, so it was frustrating to lose time second-guessing where to go.

The race itself was fun, and I’m glad I did it, but the entry fee felt high for what we actually got. It was advertised like there would be a bit more included, so I expected the experience to feel more worth the price. In reality, it just didn’t quite line up with the promises.

I had this question about my order and they replied faster than I expected. It wasn’t like a perfect answer or anything, but it helped enough to get that sorted out.

The crowds were okay overall, not amazing but not terrible either. There were a few loud spots that got a little annoying, then other stretches that were quiet. It was manageable this time, but if it gets much more chaotic, I’d probably just leave and go somewhere else.