* FAQs *
COURSE:
Is Hula Loop USATF Sanctioned? Yes, each race will be sanctioned for insurance purposes.
Are the courses USATF certified? No
What are the courses like? We try to choose courses that are mostly flat, drain well, have some shade, are near real restrooms, and have a little bit of scenery. That's about ALL these courses will have in common!
Is there a timing system? Yes, Hula Loop has computer-based lap counting. It won't capture the fraction of a second, but there's plenty of lap detail.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
Is there an official Race Hotel? No. The Hula Loop series will mostly appeal to local runners. If you're coming from out of town, send us an email, and we can give you hotel suggestions.
WEATHER:
What's the weather like? The races will continue rain or shine. Look for weather updates in the final pre-race email.
Under what circumstances might a race be cancelled? A race could be cancelled due to a severe weather event that causes dangerous conditions, or at the request of local authorities
SERIES:
How do you win a race? The most miles in 6 hours wins!
I won this week, what do I get? It varies by year and by sponsor. The first year, weekly winners just won a round of applause. Since then, weekly winners have gotten bigger versions of the weekly medal, and/or products donated by sponsors, and/or tropical-themed artwork!
How are Series points calculated? Runners earn points for top mileage at each event: 5 points for 1st Place, 4 points for 2nd Place, 3 points for 3rd Place, 2 points for 4th Place, 1 point for 5th Place.
Can I get Bonus series points? YES! there are FOUR ways to earn bonus points:
- Run an ENTIRE race in a Hawaiian-themed article of clothing, get one bonus point. (Max 5 total 'clothing' bonus points per runner per year.) For the 'Halloween' race, any Halloween costume will do!
- Bring a volunteer and earn 1 bonus point for each 3-hour shift they volunteer!
- Bring something to share that will build Ohana (Family/Sharing/Togetherness). Any food or beverage items need to be packed in individual portions.
- Run a Half-Marathon distance or greater and earn 1 bonus point; run a Marathon distance or greater and earn 2 bonus points!
What if there is a tie in the series? If two runners of the same sex have the same number of points, the one with more total miles will win.
I won the series, what do I get? 1st Place Male & 1st Place Female each get a cool award! They also get free entry to the next year's series!
MISCELLANEOUS:
Why does registration for individual races open later than series registration? We want to encourage people to sign up for the series - we think it's a much better, funner, and more encouraging atmosphere. (Plus it helps us to manage our costs so we can keep the races inexpensive.)
Is there swag? Yes. Each week, there is cute, fun, tropical-themed swag. Past swag included: visors, flip-flops, insulated tumblers, fanny packs, rubber ducks, bandannas, key chains, tropical-flavored cupcakes, etc!
Do I get a shirt? The shirt is only included in the Series price. However, you may purchase a shirt during registration, or we may have some for sale at the race.
Are there finisher medals? Yes, each participant that finishes at least one lap can take home our cute finisher's medal. We'll have a different medal each week!
What's with the homemade medals? It's mostly just math. Our registration cost is very low, and even lower for Series registrants. Out of that pool of money, we offer professional timing, a swag item, and a full aid station every week. Medal companies use bulk pricing: the more you buy, the less you pay per medal. Which works great for races with 40,000 runners, but not so well for races with 40 runners. Even if we gave the same medal every week, we'd only be buying 200 medals, so there wouldn't be much cost savings - plus, we tried it in 2019, and the series runners didn't like getting the same medal each week. So now we make them. :)
What are lifetime coins? We keep track of your mileage at every Hula Loop you run; once you hit 100 miles, 500 miles and 1000 miles, you earn the 100-mile coin, 500-mile coin and 1000-mile coin respectively. (Only one of each type of coin per runner.) If you don't see your name on the mileage spreadsheet, just email us - everyone is on there, but unless you've run with us this year, we've hidden your row for space reasons.
MORE MISCELLANEOUS:
Is there an early start? Unfortunately, we can't accommodate an early start.
I only have 6 hours? Technically, you have until 06:00:59 to get your miles. We round the seconds down, the way Boston used to for qualifying.
Are there any discounts? You're kidding, right? You can't get cheaper than $30/race (that's $5/hour!!) ... Unless you sign up for the series!
