Run for the Reef

Run for the Reef takes place in Kailua, Hawaii, on February 6, 2027. The event is a single 5K (3.1 miles) with an early start at 7:30 a.m., which is the sensible hour to race in the islands whatever the season.

An early gun means an early alarm, and the fueling question answers itself: something small and familiar an hour beforehand, water rather than a full breakfast, and a warm-up that starts as soon as you have your bib. As for the racing, a 5K is decided in the middle mile — almost everyone runs the first one too fast and hangs on for the last one, so the runners who hold their pace through the second mile finish ahead of people who were in front of them at the start. A few weeks of consistent running is enough to prepare.