The 34th Maui Marathon, inaugural Maui Half Marathon and Maui Tacos 5K are only a few days away. In this newsletter we will provide some last minute reminders, running tips, packet pickup information and general information on what's happening during the Maui Marathon race weekend. The following is a summary of the weekend activities. See www.mauimarathon.com/info_race_week.html for more details.

Friday September 17

• Sports & Fitness Expo and packet pickup for all events: 1:00pm-8:00pm - Valley Isle Ballroom - The Westin Maui (Some of the exhibitors include: Asahi-Japanese Sports Drink, Tropical Bag's, Go Cycling Maui, California Triathlete-athletic accessories, Fit For Sports--sports apparel, Marathon Foto, Massages, Maui Marathon Logo Wear)
• Carbo Load 5:30pm-7:30pm - The Westin Maui - this event is sold out (If you have purchased tickets you must stop by the carbo/info desk at the expo to pick up your ticket)

• Maui Tacos 5K Fun Run - 8:00am - Whalers Village (no packet pickup available Saturday morning)
• 5K Awards Ceremony - 9:00am - Whalers Village, Center Stage
• Meet Bart Yasso of Runner's World Magazine - 1:00 pm at the Westin Maui (Pequod Room) for Bart's Marathon of Travel Tales -- From The Mount Everest Marathon to the Mount Kilimanjaro
• Sports & Fitness Expo and packet pickup for all events: 9:00pm-6:00pm (last chance to pickup Marathon and Half Marathon packets - no Sunday pickup) - Valley Isle Ballroom - The Westin Maui
• The Front Street Mile - 3:00pm-5:00pm - Front St. in Lahaina

• Start Line Bus Departure for Full Marathon only - 3:00am
• 34th Annual Maui Marathon - 5:00am Start - Queen Kaahumanu Center
• Inaugural Maui Half Marathon - 5:30am Start - Whalers Village
• Maui Marathon Silent Auction - 8:00am-10:30am - Whalers Village
• Finishers Party & Awards Ceremony - 4:30pm-6:30pm - The Westin Maui - Aloha Pavillion

• Finisher's Certificates & Results Book Pick-Up - 11:00am-3:00pm - Whalers Village, Center Stage

Results, photos and stories will be posted on the mauimarathon.com web site immediately following each of the events. See coverage from previous years!

Procrastinators will be pouting 'cause the Maui Half Marathon has reached its first-year capacity of 1,000 runners and registration for the event has closed! The 13.1-mile trek through paradise has attracted participants from 44 states and several foreign countries. Read more!

Please note: Transfers from the Maui Marathon to the Maui Half Marathon are no longer allowed.

Bart Yasso, Runner's World Promotion Director and finisher of over 150 marathons and five Ironman triathlons will be running in the 2004 Maui Marathon.

Join Bart on Saturday, September 18 at 1:00 pm at the Westin (Pequod Room) for Bart's Marathon of Travel Tales -- From The Mount Everest Marathon to the Mount Kilimanjaro, an entertaining first-hand account of some of marathoning's greatest adventures.

Come take advantage of all the great deals at this year’s silent auction. The auction will include hotel stays, dinner gift certificates and tons of Maui actives such as luau’s, dinner cruises and snorkeling excursions. The auction will also feature fine artwork, hand blown glass, sports memorabilia and much much more. 100% of auction proceeds will benefit charities. The auction will be located at the entrance of Whalers Village on Sunday from 8:00am-10:30am.

We just wanted to let you know that we will be at the event taking photos to record your achievement. Please remember to do two things to make this work well:

1. Smile when you see the photographers!
2. Make sure your bib number is clearly centered and visible so we will be able to identify you after the race.

With only a few days to go most of the hard preparation work is behind you now. It's now time to prepare for race day. If you are flying into Maui make sure you arrive early enough to adjust to the local time zone. Remember you will be up at 2:00am on race morning for the Maui Marathon and possibly a little later for the Half Marathon. For the Marathon the buses leave at 3am in time for the 5am start.

If you arrive a few days early, try to adjust to the local time zone by going for some walks or gentle jogs early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Avoid the heat of the middle of the day.

The plane ride might dehyrate you so please drink losts of water before, during and after the flight. Try to avoid coffee 24 hours before flying and on the flight. Water and juice can be much more effective.

Make sure you have the right clothing for the run. Even with a 5:00am start, a 4 hour run means you will be finishing at 9am when it is really beginning to get hot. Make sure you have a couple of running outfits to choose from and select the appropriate one for the day. Two pairs of "run-in" shoes are also a good idea, one for the race and one pair for any warm-ups. After a long flight your feet might be a little swollen for a few hours after you arrive. Look after them during this period.

Good luck with your race and we hope it will be a great day for you.

All of the items on our website are available only on the website and will not be available at the Sports and Fitness Expo.

We will have a wide variety of all new merchandise at the Sports and Fitness Expo, so plan to purchase your items early as we will most likely sell out of nearly everything during race weekend.

The 2005 Early Bird Special Entry forms will be available at the Sports and Fitness Expo and will be online at mauimarathon.com in early October 2004.

Before or after the big race, treat yourself to the "Heavenly Maui Marathon Massage" at the new Spa at The Westin Maui. Specially created with marathon runners in mind, this indulging treatment offers the choice of a 50 or 80 minute full body massage, including a special warm foot mask to stimulate, relax and alleviate soreness of tense muscles. Mention you're with the Marathon and you'll receive a 10% discount on this and ALL Spa services. Book your appointment in advance by calling (808) 661-2588 or email TheSpaMaui@westin.com. You've worked hard, don't you deserve it?

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