The 35th Maui Marathon, 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 & our hotel/condo distance guide for more details.

Friday September 16

• 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, Runners Paradise - the latest in running shoes, Go Cycling Maui, California Triathlete-athletic accessories, Fit For Sports - sports apparel, Marathon Foto, Massages, Maui Marathon Logo Wear, Hawaiian crafters and Juice Plus)
• Carbo Load 5:30pm - 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
• Sports & Fitness Expo and packet pickup for all events: 9:00am-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 - 3:30am - Start line bus departure from Kaanapali Parkway fronting The Westin Maui and Whalers Village, for the Marathon only at 3:30am. Participants only, please.
• 35th Annual Maui Marathon - 5:30am Start - Queen Kaahumanu Center
• Second Annual Maui Half Marathon - 5:30am Start - Whalers Village
• Maui Marathon Silent Auction - 8:00am-11:00am - Whalers Village
• Maui Half Marathon Awards Ceremony - 9:00am - Whalers Village Center Stage
• Finishers Party & Maui Marathon Awards Ceremony - 4:30pm-6:30pm - The Westin Maui - Aloha Pavillion

• Finisher's Certificates & DVD Pick-Up - 11:00am-3:00pm - Whalers Village, Center Stage. See DVD details below.

The deadline for the rollover of your application from the 2005 to the 2006 event has now passed. No more rollovers will be considered.

Parking within Kaanapali Resort is very limited. We highly recommend walking to all marathon related resort wide events when feasible. See our hotel/condo walking distance guide. Otherwise, we recommend car pooling. The Westin Maui may have some valet spaces available (The Westin Maui's valet parking is $10) as well as the option of paid parking at the Whalers Village parking garage. Complimentary parking is available (follow event parking signs) at the top of Kekaa Drive on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with complimentary shuttles available to and from the top .

Shuttles will run as follows from the top of Kekaa Drive to Kaanapali Parkway either to The Westin Maui Ballroom entrance or the Whalers Village parking garage area (a 700' walk from The Westin Maui);

• Friday- 12:30pm-8:30pm
• Saturday- 6:30am-6:30pm
• Sunday- 3:15am-7:00pm (shuttle break from 2:00pm - 4:00pm)

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

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 activities 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 3:30am in time for the 5:30am 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 lots 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 5:30am start, a 4-hour run means you will be finishing at 9:30am 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.

For several years the Maui Marathon has provided finishers with a results booklet and a finisher's certificate less than 24 hours after the race has concluded. This year, we are going high tech. All marathon and half marathon finishers are invited to Whalers Village, Center Stage, to pick up their certificates and free results DVD on Monday, September 19, between 11am and 3pm. Sorry, no group pick-ups allowed.

The DVD will contain:

• Results from all three races
• Historical race statistics
• A video overview of Maui
• Professionally-produced video highlights briefly featuring race weekend
• A guide to Maui Marathon merchandise
• Link to Marathon Fotos, our official race photographer
• Links to the Maui Marathon website and selected sponsor websites

The DVD will play in DVD players as well as both Windows and Mac PCs.

Maui Total Visual is producing this project, and the DVDs are being authored and manufactured overnight by Final Phase DVD. Both are Maui-based companies.

Mahalo to our DVD sponsors, Whalers Village and the County of Maui !

Maui Marathon Champions Return

The 2004 winners of the Maui Marathon will return to the oceanfront course on September 18 to defend their titles.

Jacob Rotich, 28, the Kenyan-born runner who handily won both the 2004 marathon (his debut at the distance) in 2 hours 28 minutes and 14 seconds and the Maui Tacos 5K (15:07), will return to Maui for his second Maui Marathon and second-ever attempt at the distance. Rotich, who also ran a 4:49 mile in last year's Front Street Mile has vowed to only run the marathon this year in hopes to improve on his marathon time.

Jeannie Wokasch, 43, a Honolulu resident, 5-time winner of the Maui Marathon and a veteran of over 25 marathons, is always a crowd favorite. Last year, Wokasch conserved enough energy and fun-loving attitude for what has become her signature finish-line cartwheel. "I do the cartwheel just for fun," said Wokasch. "Running is fun." She won last year's marathon in a time of 3:11:37 and placed second in the 5K in 18:35.

The 2006 Early Bird Special Entry forms will be available at the Sports and Fitness Expo and will be online at www.mauimarathon.com in early October 2005. The 2006 date is Sunday September 17th, 2006.

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?

Win a Free Trip to Maui!

How would you like to win the ultimate runner's vacation?

Here's your chance: Enter the Runner's World / Marathon Tours & Travel Sweepstakes to be eligible to win a trip to one of the world's most exotic race events - including the 2006 Maui Marathon and Half Marathon!

One lucky winner and their guest will get to choose from four amazing races in 2006:

• Maui Marathon
• Paris Marathon
• Easter Island Marathon
• Great Wall of China Marathon

Learn more about these fascinating destination races by visiting www.marathontours.com.

Just click here to enter for your chance to win!

No purchase is necessary to win. If you are already a Runner's World subscriber or do not wish to subscribe, go to the very bottom of the page and click on "enter without subscribing."

And rest assured, from travel to accommodations, the winner will be well taken care of. Whether you want to run in the event or simply enjoy it as a spectator, this is your chance to win the vacation of your dreams.

Apologies to Billy

Photo www.TropicalLight.com

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