intro

Beautiful, beautiful Honolulu Hawaii, also known as the most expensive state in all of United States. Saving money while traveling here? Level: impossible. But thankfully the local Chinese restaurants softened the blow to my bank account a bit. But hey I get it, shipping everything by sea isn’t cheap. This trip also didn’t last just three days. Normally it’s arrive, race, leave. But this time? Four days! Now it's arrive, explore, race, leave. This is also going to my 5th Spartan Race.

Exploration

I arrived late Thursday night to my hotel around 10 PM, and was immediately greeted by the sound of live music, people singing, and playing instruments. It perfectly captured the island spirit. My room was simple: a bed and a bathroom. Honestly that’s all I needed. Friday was a full free day before the race, and if you’ve never been to Hawaii, you have to swim in the ocean. I booked a tour with Island Splash Tours and swam with sea turtles in crystal-clear blue water. From above, you could see them gliding along the ocean floor, looking like the size of an elephant.

While talking to one of the staff they asked me where I was from, and told her I was from Vancouver British Columbia. She told me that she had

Later that evening, I headed to Chief’s Luau. I learned about the island's history, got to try a few dances, and watched incredible fire performances up close. The whole event was packed with energy, laughter, and good vibes. Easily one of the best cultural experiences I’ve had on any trip.

race day

The next day Saturday, also known as the main event, Spartan Race Hawaii at Dillingham Ranch! The moment I stepped onto the venue, it felt like walking into Survivor. At one point I even overheard another Spartan say, “This feels like the African savannah,” and I couldn’t have agreed more. The weather was hot and humid, but clouds occasionally covered the sun, giving us brief moments of relief. At the start line, I noticed there were only about eight of us in my heat, exactly the kind of race I like. Smaller crowd, bigger focus, better vibes. Rock music blasted in the background, and it set the atmosphere.

And off I go, tropical rainforest, open plains, mountains, volcanic rock. Yeah, it felt like racing through 1993 Jurassic Park. One minute it was dense jungle, the next, wide-open savannah.

At one point, I found myself completely alone on the side of a mountain. I could still faintly hear the music and the crowd in the distance, which really put into perspective just how far up I’d climbed. The trail just kept going. And going. And going. I couldn’t help but think, "Where am I even going?"

Then came the barbed wire crawls, two of them. The first wasn’t too bad, but the second one was set directly on sharp volcanic rock. It was less “obstacle” and more “lava field spa treatment.” Every inch of movement scraped skin, but you just had to suck it up and crawl through it. And don’t even get me started on the water stations, lukewarm at every single one. Nothing says “refreshing” like sipping on warm bathwater while you’re drenched in sweat. Still, that’s what makes these races so great, the suffering became part of the fun... Well, that's how I put it.

As I was grabbing a quick drink of warm bath water at one of the water stations, something sharp entered my left shoulder and my left arm went numb. A fellow Spartan took a look at my left arm and apparently I got stung by maybe a bee or something, I never had been stung before so that's a first. Thankfully, it wasn't too serious and after 10 minutes my left arm was back to normal.

Crossing the finish line felt incredible. They were handing out energy drinks, and I swear, that first sip of ice-cold lime flavor was the best drink I’ve ever had in my life. Oh, and apparently, my headband was on backward the entire race. Not one person told me. Thanks guys. Post-race meal? Some good comfort combo from the Chinese restaurant near my hotel, mac and cheese, rice, and fried pork with gravy. Just $20 CAD, and it absolutely hit the spot. I even had leftovers for breakfast.

air canada

Sunday morning I was planning to explore more of Honolulu since my flight wasn’t until later that night. Apparently Air Canada was dealing with a flight attendant strike. And of course it ended up affecting my flight, which got canceled since I booked Air Canada. Thankfully, I was able to rebook pretty easily at the airport. I just had to add an extra three hours to the trip, which I’ll take. I decided to just relax at the airport instead of risking being late, and honestly, I don’t regret it. They had chair massages for $8 for 19 minutes, and you better believe I made full use of that.

overall review

The experience was an unforgettable experience, challenging, and beautiful. Getting to explore the island and learn its culture. Spartan Race Hawaii absolutely delivered. I enjoyed the mix variety of all different types of terrains in the race. If you’ve ever dreamed of testing your limits in paradise, this is the race for you. Out of the 7 Spartan trips I done in my lifetime, I rank this 4th.