HURT 100-Mile Endurance Run

Event Overview

Course & Terrain

Five identical 20-mile laps from the Hawaiʻi Nature Center in Makiki, linking the Makiki, Mānoa and Nuʻuanu valleys on the trails above Honolulu. Each lap has partial out-and-back sections and passes three aid stations: Makiki, Mānoa at Paradise Park, and Nuʻuanu at the Judd Trail trailhead. The organizer describes the course as 99% single-track and 1% asphalt, with 20 stream crossings, four per lap.

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

• Maunalaha Trail, the “Hogsback” climb out of Makiki
• Mānoa Falls Trail down to the Paradise Park aid station
• Nuʻuanu Stream crossing on slippery rocks near the Nuʻuanu aid station
• Exposed ridge sections on Mānoa Cliff Trail and Nuʻuanu Trail up to Bien’s Bench

Almost all technical single-track on roots, rocks and soil that ranges from baked clay to deep mud. The organizer warns of sudden hairpins, climbs of up to about two miles, cliff-side sections with steep drop-offs, and few stretches where a steady stride lasts more than a few hundred yards. Mānoa Stream and Nuʻuanu Stream are each crossed twice per lap, and the course may be rerouted if the water is high. Poles are allowed.

At Honolulu airport, January averages 80.0°F by day and 65.8°F at night, with 3.34 inches of rain for the month. The forest is wetter, nights can drop below 60°F after rain, and the Mānoa Cliff and Nuʻuanu ridge sections are exposed to wind. Humidity is high. On race day sunrise is 7:11 AM and sunset 6:11 PM, but the canopy keeps the trail darker, so runners need lights for longer.

Entry & Logistics

Why This Race Matters

HURT stands for Hawaiian Ultra Running Team, a group of Oʻahu trail runners that traces its roots to the early 1980s. Four local runners took the idea of a Hawaiʻi 100-miler to the group’s leader, John Salmonson, and the first HURT 100 was held in 2001 with eight finishers. It has been held every January since, except 2021, when it was cancelled because of COVID-19. The organizer counts 1,149 finishes from 2,681 starts between 2001 and 2026, a 43% finish rate. Entry is by lottery, every entrant must do eight hours of trail work, and the 2027 race is a qualifier for the 2028 Western States 100.

Historical benchmark notes in the directory record (verify current records with the linked official sources):

• HURT record, men: Tyler Juza, 19:22:44 (2026). That year a landslide closed part of Mānoa Cliff Trail, so each lap used a bypass plus an added 2.5-mile lower loop.
• HURT record, women: Alyssa Clark, 23:26:32 (2025).
• Gary Robbins’s 19:35 from 2013 is the fastest men’s time on what the organizer calls the legacy course and was the race record until 2026.
• Most wins: Monica Scholz has four women’s titles (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005). Gary Robbins, Nate Jaqua and Tracy Garneau have three each.
• The organizer pays $500 for a new course record in each division.

Preparing for a Race Like HURT 100-Mile Endurance Run

The 100-mile race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:

• Walking strategy for ultramarathons: When and how to walk by terrain, effort and cutoffs.
• Crew and aid-station strategy: Crew tables, aid stops, drop bags and runner preferences.
• Gut training for ultrarunners: A six-week practice sequence for race-day fueling.
• Tapering for ultramarathons: Plan the taper and race week around your own recovery.

Best Fit

• Experienced 100-mile runners at home on steep, muddy, technical trail
• Runners who like a lap format with the same three aid stations five times
• Western States applicants who need a qualifier with a 36-hour standard

Planning Notes

• Treat intermediate cutoff gates as part of the course. Build enough margin for aid stops and late-race slowdown, and verify every current gate in the official rules.
• Train for terrain-specific fatigue. Technical trails and mountain courses demand downhill durability, hiking efficiency, and reliable night lighting.
• The directory does not mark this as having simpler logistics. Confirm qualification, terrain, support, registration, medical, and withdrawal requirements before planning around it.
• Entry needs a lottery place, a 50-mile qualifier and eight hours of trail work
• No refunds after November 17, and no transfers or deferrals
• Selected runners who do not show up without telling the race are banned for three years
• Stashing supplies or leaving waste on course counts as littering and can mean disqualification
• Wild pigs use the trails and are most active at dawn and dusk

Event FAQs

Related Preparation

• Compare verified US 100-mile races
• Open the 100-Mile format guide
• Open the Fixed-Distance format guide
• Compare all race formats
• Use the timed-race pace calculator
• Plan checkpoint arrivals and cutoff buffers
• Build a crew and drop-bag plan
• Build a race-specific gear checklist