MPRRC Race: Hawaii Peaks Virtual Elevation Challenge (Race held Saturday January 1 to Thursday March 31, 2022)
About the Race
Registration ends January 31, 2022 at 11:59pm HST.
Ready to climb out of the deep abyss that was 2020 and 2021? Here it is! A vertical challenge to take you to new heights in 2022! There are four island peaks waiting for you to climb virtually! The first peak is Ka’ala on Oahu at 4,060 feet. From there you climb (virtually) 1,183 feet to reach Kawaikini at 5,243 feet on the island of Kaua’i. Next, starting at the 5,243 feet you have already climbed, climb 4,780 feet, and step up to Haleakalā on Maui at 10,023 feet. (Is the air getting thin yet?). Finally, to reach the highest peak in Hawaii, you climb 3,780 feet more to Mauna Kea on the Big Island at 13,803 feet. (And now the air is really thin and clear!). You can run or walk anywhere to achieve these heights between New Years Day (January 1, 2022) and March 31, 2022. Distance is not a factor in this challenge, only elevation. You can do one peak or all of them – your call. You get not only bragging rights but a really cool medal with a dangle (an attachment to the main medal) for each peak achieved. There is also a nice long sleeve shirt. To measure your elevation gain use a device or app (such as Garmin, Strava, MapMyRun, etc.) so that you can enter an accurate elevation to be added to your total. Are you UP for this?? WANT AN EVEN BIGGER CHALLENGE?
The Pi’i Kuahiwi Challenge: For those of you who find 13,803 feet of elevation only mildly challenging, there is an added challenge this year – all of the peaks from sea level to top! It’s 33,129 feet of elevation. The Master Climber medal will have all of the dangles for the peaks achieved and an additional, gold dangle to designate reaching 33,129 virtual feet of elevation! It is not necessary to register separately for the Pi’i Kuahiwi Master Challenge – just do it!
How hard is it to achieve these heights? If you live on Oahu and run Diamond Head Road from Kapiolani Park to the Kahala neighborhood and back your approximate elevation gain would be 228 feet (various apps may differ slightly in reporting elevation so no worries if yours is a bit different). To reach the first peak (Ka’ala at 4060 feet) virtually you would need to run over Diamond Head Road about 18 times during the three months of the event. Keep in mind that all gains are measured so even if the road seems flat you may be gaining a small amount of elevation – it all counts!
Keep in mind that you must agree to abide by any COVID-19 distancing and other safety guidelines issued by the state, the community, or other governmental authority to participate in this virtual event.