A course strategy – and overall race strategy – is a must for optimal performance on race day. Whether this is your first REVEL race and your goal is simply to finish, or you are REVEL veteran aiming for a PR or BQ, you should have a well-planned strategy for how you intend to manage the REVEL Kulia course!

The head coach of REVEL’s Online Coaching Program, who has run a Boston Qualifier in all the REVEL marathons, has prepared a detailed description of the Kulia Marathon and Half-Marathon courses.

Managing the Course Based On Segments
A critical component of your race strategy is the course profile itself. Where are the sharp descents? Where are the climbs? Where does the course “flatten” a bit?

You want to plan your race with course segments in mind, and with an overall strategy for varying paces throughout. Your varied paces will be dictated by the elevation losses and gains, and you want to know before the race where those variations will occur.

Generally, the Kulia Marathon course can be divided into five sections:

Miles 1-2: Warm Up
Miles 3-9: Accelerate Part 1
Miles 10-15: Hang on
Miles 16-20: Accelerate Part 2
Miles 21-26.2: Cruise to the Finish

Similarly, the Kulia Half-Marathon course can be divided into four sections:

Miles 1-2: Gently Fast Start
Miles 3-8: PR Territory
Miles 9-10: Short Slowdown
Miles 11-13.1: Final 5K Kick

You can study the courses yourself on the REVEL website. You can zoom in, use the interactive elevation chart, and get a feel for what lays ahead of you on race day.

If possible, you should drive the course before race day to get a feel for what the segments look and feel like. Knowing what to expect, and when, is helpful when preparing your course strategy.

The marathon and half-marathon courses are summarized below based on the segments described above.

The Marathon Course

Miles 1-2: The Warm Up

Starting at almost 5,700’ elevation, the marathon starts near the Kilohana Hunter Checking Station on the western slopes of Mauna Kea. The first 10 miles of the course generally trend north/northwest, which means that the rising sun will be mostly at your back.

The first two miles of the course lose just over 300' of total elevation (grade of -2.9%), making this a perfect gradual downhill warm up for the marathon. The very minor climbs in these first two miles are insignificant compared to the gentle downhill slope that you will enjoy at the start of the race. With the average loss of around 150', the downhill grade of this section is a great way to start the race: not extremely fast, but fast enough to get your legs moving right away. Resist the urge to push your pace hard in these first two miles. There is a lot of downhill ahead, and you want to manage the early downhills by easing into your pace, settling in for the long haul, and letting gravity pull you along at a comfortably fast pace.

Miles 3-9: Accelerate Part 1

Just past mile 2, the course starts heading into some notably sharp downhills. Miles 3-9 all lose well over 300' per mile, with the average loss in this segment at 369' per mile. That is an average of -7% grade.

You want to accelerate as you pass mile 2, and work hard to hold that pace all the way to mile 9. Resist the natural tendency to chase people ahead of you or passing you. Although you want to take advantage of gravity throughout this course by running “faster than normal” on the downhills, you should not feel as if you are running “too hard” or “too fast.” If you do, then you should ease back a bit and aim for a “comfortably hard” pace.

Miles 10-15: Hang on

When you pass the mile 9 marker and begin mile 10, you will have lost almost 2,900’ of elevation since the start of the marathon. That is 52% of the total elevation loss of the course, but only about one-third of the total distance of the race. Although there is still a significant amount of downhill remaining in the final 17 miles (more than 2,600' of loss), the first real challenge of this course will be holding onto your goal pace for miles 10-15 on legs that have worked hard over the first 9 miles.

Mile 10 actually loses the same elevation (-184') as mile 2. However, that 2nd mile was run on fresh legs, and the 10th mile might feel a lot more challenging. One important mental note to make here is that after mile 10, the course makes the first of only two hard turns on the entire course. After running on Saddle Road for the first 10 miles, you will make a hard left turn, heading south/southwest on Mamalahoa Highway. Not only does the elevation make a noticeable change, but you literally change directions.

Miles 11 and 12 together lose just over 30'. Essentially, this is a totally flat section. Mile 13 actually gains 51' overall. As you approach the halfway mark of the course, the slowdown you experience will simply mean that gravity is no longer assisting you very much (for the moment). Miles 14 and 15 together lose just over 140' of elevation, but you should start to feel gravity helping you again as you approach mile 15. That is where you want to starting thinking about a second surge of acceleration ahead.

Miles 16-20: Accelerate Part 2
Two important things happen as you approach mile 15. First, you make only the second hard turn of the course, which mentally is always helpful when running through a tough stretch. Second, you begin the next hard descent towards the finish: miles 16-20 lose 1,310' overall. Although those aren't the kind of whopping downhills you saw in miles 3-9, this section loses an average of 262' per mile, which is a -5% grade. Generally, you should find it easy to accelerate to a pace that is similar to what you maintained from miles 2-9. You might not be quite as fast as earlier miles, but the more gradual downhill of this section will make it easier to sustain your goal pace, or faster than goal pace, all the way to mile 20.

Miles 21-26.2: Cruise to the Finish

The last 10K of the marathon course is a continuation of the long, sustained downhill section that began way back at mile 15. Even better, the downhill in the closing 6.2 miles is less severe than the earlier segments, which is easier on tired legs.

The final 6.2 miles of the course lose 1,033’, or an average of roughly 166’ per mile. This is a comfortable downhill section of -3.2% grade, and you should be able to sustain your goal pace throughout the final 10K.

Summary of the Marathon Course

The REVEL Kulia Marathon course loses 5,548' overall, more than a mile of elevation from start to finish. Over the 26.2-mile course, you likely will surprise yourself with your speed on the downhill segments. Although it is generally true that you never want to run “too fast" at any point in a marathon, remember that gravity is your friend, and you want to take advantage of the benefits of downhill running. In that regard, it makes sense to run as fast as you can comfortably run on the downhills, hold on during the middle flats and climbs, and then turn on the acceleration again for the final 11+ miles.

The Half-Marathon Course

Miles 1-2: Gently Fast Start

Starting at 2,664’ of elevation, the course drops about 200' from the start to mile 2. That is a comfortable and manageable descent for your first two miles.

You will need to resist the urge to chase people as they pass you. While you want to take advantage of gravity throughout this course by running “faster than normal” on the downhills, you need to manage the downhill drops by easing into your pace, settling in for the long haul, and letting gravity pull you along at a comfortably fast pace. You should not feel as if you are running “too fast.” If you do, then you should ease back a bit and aim for a “comfortably hard” pace.

Miles 3-8: PR Territory

Miles 3-8 lose 1,440’ of elevation, which is an average of 240’ per mile. This is a series of very fast downhill miles averaging -4.5% grade, and the segment is where your half-marathon personal record (PR) will be made. Don’t be surprised to see that you have picked up significant speed and are running well ahead of your goal pace. At the same time, if you feel out of control, or if you feel yourself working “too hard” while running downhill, then slow down.

Miles 9-10: Short Slowdown

Mile 8 to mile 9 actually drops 144' overall, but there is a climb of about 35' that starts as you approach the 9-mile mark. After that, mile 10 drops only 65', which is the lowest amount of elevation loss since the first mile of the race.

You can expect a short slowdown in this two-mile segment due to the short climbs and flatter terrain. You will need to “switch gears” to a slower pace based on even effort, and should be prepared to run slightly slower than your goal pace on the uphill segments. Also, you really do not want to concern yourself with runners passing you if that happens. It is easy in a race to get caught up with the pace of other runners. Remember, you have some downhill miles ahead where you can expect to speed up significantly to finish the race, and you want to conserve your energy for the finish. If you feel yourself working too hard in this sections, then simply lower your overall effort.

Miles 11-13.1: Final 5K Kick

The final 3.1 miles of the course are similar to the long, sustained downhill section from miles 2-8. Even better, the downhill in the closing 5K is less severe than the earlier segments, which is easier on tired legs. Overall, this section drops 655’, or an average of roughly 211’ per mile. This is a comfortable downhill grade of -4%, and you should have no problem sustaining your goal pace throughout the final 5K. The last mile - which is always challenging in any race - takes a "final dive" towards the coast, losing 282'. The final .1 loses 34' of elevation, which allows for a strong final kick.

Summary of the Half-Marathon Course

The REVEL Kulia Half-Marathon course loses more than 2,500’ of elevation from start to finish. With an average loss of more than 191' per mile (a grade of -3.6%), this one of the fastest half-marathon courses you will ever run. Over the 13.1-mile course, you likely will surprise yourself with your "faster than normal" pace on the downhill segments.

Paul Carmona is the Online REVEL Coach who has designed training plans specifically for REVEL downhill courses. He is a 20-time REVEL Marathon Finisher and has run multiple Boston Qualifiers on every REVEL course that he has run, with his current streak at 18 BQs in a row at REVEL marathons!