WAIKOLOA — The hundreds of anxious athletes that toed the line on Saturday morning for the Revel Kulia could take solace in a simple statement.
It was all downhill from there.
Nearly 800 athletes took on the inaugural event, which featured a half- and full marathon route with a nearly 5,548-foot drop in elevation. The half-marathon started two miles north of Waikoloa Road, while the marathon course kicked off at Waikii Ranch, both finishing near the bottom of Waikoloa Road.
Revel prides itself on providing fast and beautiful courses, which the Big Island venue provided in spades. Personal records were aplenty as participants rolled into the finish line.
Premier among those were the first place finishers in the marathon — Jay Catbagan on the men’s side and Terri Rejimbal for the women. Catbagan finished the 26.2-mile route in 2 hours, 49 minutes and 26 seconds, besting his previous best by nearly 10 minutes.
It was a great day — just beautiful,” Catbagan said. “Downhill made the difference.”
Catbagan — who island hopped over from Oahu — was the race personified, turning on the boosters for an enthusiastic explosion to the finish line on the final hill.
“I had to restrain myself a bit,” Catbagan said with a laugh.” There were a couple downhills right off the bat but I knew I couldn’t come out too hard. I just told myself to be conservative because I knew at the end there was a bunch of downhill running.”
Rejimbal also set a new mark, breaking the three-hour barrier for the first time in her running career with a time of 2:56:44.
“It’s just a beautiful route,” said Rejimbal, a Florida resident. “It feels like you are alone in nature because you can see so much all the time.”
It was the first Revel-branded race for Rejimbal and she couldn’t have asked for a better result.
“I just wanted to come here and have fun,” Rejimbal said. “I just went by feel and it turned out great.”
The race offered something for everyone. As a Boston Marathon qualifier, those looking to set new PRs and push their limits could. Meanwhile, the race was also available to those just looking to get out and have some family fun time.
The Hargetts — Kai, Jan and Sophia who flew in from California — raced as a family in the half-marathon, taking in the sprawling views down Waikoloa Road from Kohala to Kona together.
“It was just beautiful out there and there was a real aloha feel to the race,” Jan Hargett said. “A fast downhill race gave us the perfect opportunity to come experience the Big Island.”
Sophia Hargett said she was dealing with a knee issue, but the incline of the downhill race was perfect to provide speed without too much stress.
“This was the most fun we’ve had in a race,” she said.
Cydney Lundahl, vice-president of business development for Revel, said that there was little question when scouting the Hawaii locations that the Big Island was the perfect place.
“We went to other islands, but we loved the idea of the Big Island,” Lundahl said. “We wanted it to be the home of Revel.”
Lundahl said the demographics of the race included about 25 percent Big Island racers and 75 percent visiting from out of town. It was a near 50-50 split between the marathon and half-marathon.
“It’s a challenge people are not used to,” Lundahl said. “For many of the athletes the training is completely different.”
Lundahl praised all of the boots on the ground over the nearly two-year planning process, from the 300-plus volunteers to all those who did their part to make the event happen. Revel plans on making the race an annual event, with the 2020 edition moving to January.
“Our whole pitch is fast and beautiful,” Lundahl said. “The Big Island is the epitome of what we want for our races.”