So yesterday I did a 28 mile run up on Mauna Loa. The idea was to run all miles above 11,000 feet and feel out what it would be like to run most of the actual Mauna Loa Trail. So this way I would reach the summit after over 20 miles on tired legs. I also wanted to test myself with no acclimatizing – so I drove to 11,000 feet and just went for it.
This was an exploratory mission on May 7, 2019, to check out the summit of Mauna Loa and to find the best descent route. In around 8 weeks I’ll attempt to run from the ocean next to the Chain of Craters Road to the summit of Mauna Loa. It’s around 54 miles to the summit […]
On the water’s edge, the air is calm and tranquil yet you can hear the wind busting through the palm trees overhead. The full moon lights up the night sky as we step towards the gentle lapping waves offering our friend Bill Melson’s ashes to the sand and sea. Toby reaches into the ocean, filling […]
This is one of the harder ways to run up Mauna Kea. Though there is a road the whole way to 1/8 mile from the top, your greatest hurdle besides the distance and elevation will be the wind. The prevailing winds come from Hilo through the saddle and blow right down into Waikoloa (We jokingly refer to the area as Waiko-BLOW-a). So you will face a headwind from 5-35 mph for 41 miles until you reach the Mauna Kea Access Road.
