Saturday, December 5 

Waikiki Beach Walk (227 Lewers St, Honolulu, HI 96815) 

Sunday, December 6

Kaaawa Valley - Kualoa Ranch (49-560 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744)

The start for all three race distances is at the Kaaawa Valley base camp. Runners leave on a hard-packed dirt road and with a quarter-mile face their first task – a long, undulating one-mile climb.

At the 1.5-mile mark, the 5K runners will head down a pasture and back towards the ocean and the finish line. The world championship 21K and 10K runners will continue on the upper road until heading steeply downhill, some on road, some on grass towards the back of the valley.

A hard right and the 21K and 10K runners head to the very back of Kaaawa Valley before turning around at the second aid station which marks the beginning of the scenic single track.  It’s high pasture that dips into volcanic gulches to rise again into the sun. You’ll do this several times.  Ultimately, the 10K runners will take a well-marked and marshalled left turn down the slope about a quarter-mile and take their own, new single track down the mountain and to the finish. For the 21K world champ runners, the fun has just begun.

The half-marathoners will eventually exit Kaaawa Valley on dirt roads and past a cave from the movie “Pearl Harbor” as they move from one valley to another. After aid station 3, runners will head into some up-and-down single/double track. Here, runners venture deep into forest, and out on the edges with spectacular ocean overlooks and finally a dip into a dark, tropical rain forest with three stream crossings. If it looks familiar, think about the scenes from the movie “Battleship”.

Just when runners might be thinking “this isn’t so bad,” the terrain starts to climb. Easy at first, and then brutally steep, and totally exposed to the sun. Just as you think it has leveled, the lie comes true and it is up again. At last a feed station that appears to be a dead end, but it’s not. We are taking you up narrow single track – by narrow, we mean a foot at most – the spine that separates Hakipu’u and Kaaawa valleys. You’ll wish you could stop as you can see a thousand miles of blue Pacific Ocean no matter which way you turn. Then the single track plunges steep downhill into muddy, rutty, drop-offs that are slimy and slippery. We’ve put ropes to help you stay upright and you’ll want to use them.

The good news? That steep downhill section is only about a quarter-mile. At the bottom, you’ll find the terrain familiar as you return to the back of Kaaawa Valley and run that gorgeous, fast and soft single track one more time to the finish.

COURSE MAPS

Course maps subject to change.

HIGHEST POINT – 706 feet

TOTAL CLIMBING – Approx 2800 feet

AID STATIONS

There will be two aid stations for the 5K race, three for the 10K, and nine for the 21K.  Locations are identified on the race map. Gatorade and water served at all stations. Please do not trash the course. Dispose of cups and gel packs in designated areas at aid stations.

TRAIN WITH WHAT’S ON COURSE

Lemon-lime Gatorade Endurance Formula will be available on course at all aid stations. Endurance Formula has nearly two times the sodium and three times the potassium of traditional Gatorade. Newly reformulated, it now contains no artificial flavors or sweeteners and a new, lighter flavor.

TRAFFIC AND PARKING INFORMATION

There is a one lane highway in both directions to the Ranch, so heavy traffic is expected. Please come early, set-up and relax!

The gates open at 7 a.m. It is $5 per car, and to help speed things up you can prepay and get a parking pass at packet pick-up in Waikiki on Saturday. Place the parking pass on the dashboard of your car. If you can’t come Saturday, please bring a $5 bill on race morning.

If you are coming from Honolulu the entrances into Kaaawa Valley are PAST the Kualoa Ranch main entrance. We’ll have two entrances into the middle of Kaaawa Valley – the traditional surf gate entry for those coming from Honolulu and another northern entry for those coming from the North Shore.

When the traffic starts to back-up at “surf gate” volunteers will waive you down to the next gate. The distance to parking is the same and this maneuver has proven to dramatically improve traffic on Kamehameha Highway so please go with the flow.

EVENT RECORD

2018 Revised Course Run Record Times:

Joe Gray: 1:23:07
Dani Moreno: 1:41:07

PRO TIPS

Bring a chair, rain jacket, umbrella, maybe some mosquito repellent, a towel, change of clothes, your patience (while you’re in line to park), and a cooler!  You’ll have easy access to your car to retrieve whatever you need, and we’ll also have a bag check at the ranch.  Breakfast and lunch will be available for purchase, and some cool new XTERRA apparel will be on sale. Bring your kids too, they’ll love it, but please leave your dogs at home.

RAIN OR SHINE – The race will go on.  We actually think it’d be very cool if it rained.  Can you imagine how much fun we’d have slipping and sliding down the muddy slopes in the Valley.  It’d be like a scene straight out of an Indiana Jones adventure!  We’ll have a wash area for you to clean-up regardless

The fastest runners will be racing for $10,000 in prize money – awarded to the top seven men and women in the 21km as follows: $2,000, $1000, $750, $500, $300, $250, $200.  XTERRA will also be crowning world champs in age groups starting at 9 & under, then every five years (ex. 10-14, 15-19, etc…) up to 80+.  Champs win a commemorative long-sleeve winners T and all racers get a short sleeve shirt and goody bag filled with cool swag.

Note: You must be present to receive your awards at the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship. Awards will not be mailed after the event.

Note: All prize winners (top 7 in the 21K) will be required to complete a W-8/W-9 prior to receiving prize money. If you finish in the top 7 please report to award stage to fill out the paperwork at the start of the 21K awards ceremony. 

2020 Non-U.S.A. Athlete Prize Money Policy:

You will be contacted by TEAM Unlimited via email to complete a US Government W-8BEN form.  When we receive your W-8BEN, we will issue prize money via bank wire to your account.

We will withhold 30% of total 2020 prize money paid over treaty limits specified in IRS Publication 901 (find your country starting on page 2 – Personal Services Income – and clause related to athlete limitations).  If your country is not listed, we will withhold 30%.

You may file for a refund of 2020 withholdings on IRS 2020 Form 1040NR by April 15, 2021.  Business expenses may be deducted.  Review the instructions and/or seek tax advice.

PACKET PICKUP AND REGISTRATION
SATURDAY IN WAIKIKI, SUNDAY AT KUALOA RANCH

Experience the best of both worlds.  Registration and packet pick-up will take place in the heart of Waikiki at the Waikiki Beach Walk ® on Lewers Street on Saturday, Dec. 5 from 9am-5pm (on the grassy area next to the Yard House on Lewers Street), while the race site for Sunday is Kualoa Ranch – a sacred place untouched by development.

Note: You can also pick-up your packet race morning at Kualoa Ranch starting at 7 a.m. (but there is no race day registration).

Parking for Packet Pick-up:  Be adventurous and find your own in Waikiki or valet park at the Embassy Suites (enter from Beachwalk street) which offers free lunch parking – Valid daily, between 10am – 3pm with same day receipt.

Google Maps Directions

Shuttle from Waikiki – For $25 a 60-passenger school bus will take you from Waikiki to the Ranch and back in hassle-free air conditioned comfort.  Pick-up is at 7am at the Waikiki Beach Walk ® on Lewers Street, you’d arrive a little before 8am, and the first two buses head back to the same spot from Kualoa Ranch starting at 1pm.  Good way to save on parking, gas, rental car, and directional worries!

Parking at Kualoa Ranch – $5 per vehicle.
To speed up your entry to Kualoa Ranch, please purchase a pass at online or at packet pickup in Waikiki and display it on your dashboard.

We are offering a discount for Students and Active Duty Military. Valid ID must be shown at packet pickup. Event shirts are limited. Only athletes signing up by October 31 are guaranteed a shirt.

OUTRIGGER® RESORTS

Outrigger Resorts is offering discounted rates for the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship. Book now as these hotels will sell out.

BOOK YOUR OUTRIGGER ROOM NOW

Promo code: XTOAHU

Kualoa Ranch is only 45 minutes from Waikiki. To get there, take the H-1 Freeway west to the LIKELIKE Highway / Route 63. Proceed up the LIKELIKE Highway and through the Wilson Tunnel. Descend towards Kaneohe town and exit onto KAHEKILI Highway / Route 83, heading north. You will go straight through the light at the end of the KAHEKILI exit.

Continue along Kahekili Highway – note that the road becomes Kamehameha Highway as you pass the historic “Hygienic Store” in the village of Kahalu`u. In about 10 minutes you will see signs indicating you are approaching the Kualoa Ranch entrance which will be on your left as you round the curve past Mokoli`i Island (Chinaman’s Hat). Parking at Kualoa Ranch is $5 per vehicle. To speed up your entry to Kualoa Ranch, please purchase a pass at packet pickup in Waikiki and display it on your dashboard.

We are looking for people who have a few hours to spare to help with the event. Volunteer Check-In will be at the XTERRA Expo at Kualoa Ranch- Kaaawa Valley Entrance. All volunteers will receive an XTERRA t-shirt, drinks, and lunch.

What experience or qualifications are required to be an XTERRA volunteer?

• No experience necessary
• You must be at least 15 years old, or 12, if accompanied by an adult
• You must have a willingness and desire to help others
• You must have a few hours to spare

Run volunteer positions:

• Course Marshal (direct runners)
• Aid Station (Hand-out water/ Gatorade to runners)
• Finish Line/ Athlete Recovery (cut-up & stock food at the finish line)

Kids Zone volunteer positions:

• Registration (sign-in kids )
• Course marshal (assist with the obstacle course and kid’s races)

Please email or call the XTERRA Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer [at] xterraplanet.com with any questions or just show up and we will find you an exciting spot. Hope to see you there!

For more information about the XTERRA  Trail Running World Championship, email trailrun [at] xterraplanet.com or call 877-983-7721 x 3.