We signed up to race the 2026 Hawaii Spartan Trifecta Weekend. Hurricane Lala had other plans.
Instead of a normal race day, we got a 6:30 a.m. start, sideways rain, slick obstacles, and one of the most memorable mornings our family has had on a course.
This is our full recap of the weekend and the lessons the course beat into us. We also break down what a Spartan Hurricane Heat is, plus everything we know about the 2027 race at Dillingham Ranch.
Planning to race next year? Registration is open now, and you can use our code HICKS20 for 20 percent off at spartan.com.
Related: Train for race day on real island terrain with our guides to Koko Head Stairs, the Kaʻena Point hike, and the Lanikai Pillbox Hike.
The Weekend Hurricane Lala Rewrote
The 2026 Hawaii Spartan Trifecta Weekend was set for August 15 and 16 at Dillingham Ranch in Waialua, out on Oʻahu’s North Shore.
We had planned to run on Sunday. Forecasts had Hurricane Lala approaching as a Category 1, with Oʻahu not expected to feel it until that day.
Then the storm sped up. Spartan canceled the official races, and the timed Trifecta weekend was off.
Credit where it is due, though. Instead of sending everyone home, Spartan pivoted to a Hurricane Heat, a stripped-down course that ran early Saturday before the weather closed in.
Gates opened at 6 a.m. First wave hit the course at 6:30 a.m., with laps running until about 11 a.m.
Perfect for us. We like our workouts early, and the earlier the better.
Watch Our Race Morning
We filmed our morning at Dillingham, from the dark drive out to the final soaked stretch. Watch it below.
Watch the full video on our Instagram if the player does not load.
What Is a Spartan Hurricane Heat?
The name is not a coincidence. The Hurricane Heat was born in 2011, when Hurricane Irene hit a Spartan event and a group of racers ran through the storm anyway.
Spartan turned that night into a format. Today, Hurricane Heats are team-based endurance events in 4, 12, and 24 hour versions, built around adaptability, grit, and working as a group.
The Hawaiʻi version was its own thing: a shortened open course, run in laps, squeezed in before a storm. Finish at least one lap and you earned a medal and shirt on site.
The laps did not count toward the official Trifecta. Plenty of racers had flown in from the mainland and showed up anyway, taking on repeated rounds of rain, wind, and short bursts of sun.
That spirit is the whole point. You adapt, you endure, and you finish what you came for.
Our 6:30 a.m. Start at Dillingham Ranch
A Spartan race, like most things worth doing, can be challenging, rewarding, and stressful all at once.
How it goes comes down to a few things. How you trained, what you trained, what you ate in the 48 hours before, how you prepped the night before, and how you slept.
There were moments out there where we wanted to quit. Racing with family changes that math.
We ran this one with our son. When your kid is charging up the next hill, the hard parts get easier to face.
The course itself was pure North Shore: open fields, muddy single track, and wind that shifted from drizzle to downpour and back before you could wring out your gloves.
Race Morning Logistics and What to Bring
Give yourself a bigger arrival buffer than you think you need. The drive to Waialua is easy and empty at 5 a.m., and parking sits right at the ranch.
Registration lines move slower than the course does. Get your wristband, drop your bag, and warm up before your wave gets called.
Our kit was simple. Water and electrolytes for before and after, a couple of gels, grippy gloves, and sunscreen we applied in the dark on faith.
The smartest thing in our car was a plastic bin with dry clothes and towels. After four hours of rain and red mud, that bin felt like a luxury resort.
Spectator tickets are a real option too. Family can post up near the festival area and the bigger obstacles, which is where the best cheering happens anyway.
What the Course Taught Us
We came in undertrained for the grip obstacles. No way around it.
Our base training helped to a point. Then came the twisted rings, and monkey bars spaced wider than we expected, and our form went out the window.
The lesson stuck, though. Engage your back on hanging obstacles instead of dangling from your hands.
Keep your elbows bent near 90 degrees. Straight arms feel easier for a second, then your shoulders and grip pay for it.
Next time, dead hangs, ring work, and towel pull-ups go in the plan months earlier.
Watch Your Ankles Out There
The most common injury we saw all morning was the rolled ankle.
We passed a couple of racers who had twisted an ankle early, either landing wrong coming off an obstacle or stepping blind while running through brush.
Wet grass hides holes, roots, and rock. Shorten your stride on descents, watch your landings, and pick lines you can see.
The Shoes That Saved Our Feet
Our biggest gear recommendation is simple: wear trail shoes, not road runners.
We run in Xero trail shoes. The low profile keeps your foot close to the ground, and the wide toe box lets your toes spread and grip.
Over time, shoes like these train the small stabilizing muscles that connect your feet to your shins, calves, and even your glutes.
There is a learning curve when you first switch, so ease in over a few weeks. Since moving to wide toe box shoes, we have not sprained an ankle once.
On a rain-soaked course like this one, that stability was worth more than any other piece of gear we carried.
How We Would Train for This Race
Dillingham is not a groomed gym floor. Train for the terrain you will race on.
Run rugged ground on purpose. Trails with roots, mud, sand, and climbs teach your ankles and hips things a treadmill never will. Kaʻena Point sits on the same stretch of coast as the race and makes a perfect training run.
Add grip work two or three times a week. Dead hangs, pull-ups, and carrying heavy things go a long way on a Spartan course.
Dial in the 48 hours before. Eat familiar food, skip the heavy night-before feast, hydrate all day, and protect your sleep like it is part of the race. Because it is.
Lay out everything the night before: shoes, socks, fuel, dry clothes for after, and a towel for the drive home.
Ready to put a date on the calendar? Sign up for the 2027 race and take 20 percent off with code HICKS20 at spartan.com.
The 48 Hours Before the Race
What you eat in the two days before matters as much as the morning of.
We keep it familiar and simple. Rice, protein, fruit, and plenty of water, with nothing new and nothing heavy the night before.
Carb loading works, but do it at lunch the day prior, not at 9 p.m. Your stomach will thank you on the first climb.
Then protect your sleep. Lay out your gear, set two alarms, and get to bed early. A 4:45 a.m. wake-up feels very different on seven hours than on five.
If Your Spartan Race Gets Canceled
Storm cancellations come with logistics, so here is how Spartan handled this one.
Every registered Hawaiʻi racer was emailed a transfer code good for any 2026 or 2027 US Spartan event. Codes must be redeemed by December 31, 2026.
Season pass and Unbreakable Pass holders got their Hawaiʻi fees refunded automatically. Photo partner Sportograf followed up with discounted photo options from the Saturday laps.
Full details live on the official Spartan post-event advisory.
Spartan Race Hawaiʻi 2027: Dillingham Ranch Returns
The 2027 Hawaii Spartan Trifecta Weekend is already on the books for August 14 and 15, 2027, back at Dillingham Ranch in Waialua.
The venue earns the hype. The ranch sits where the Waiʻanae mountains meet the ocean on the North Shore, and its scenery has appeared in Lost, Pearl Harbor, and Hawaii Five-0.
The course mixes open fields, dense single-track trail, steep ridgeline climbs, and coastal views you will want to stop for. Nobody stops, though. It is a race.
Every distance runs that weekend. The Sprint is 5K (3.1 miles) with 20 obstacles from $69. The Super is 10K (6.2 miles) with 25 obstacles from $89.
The Beast covers 21K (13 miles) with 30 obstacles from $119, and the Ultra stacks 50K (31 miles) with 60 obstacles from $159. Kids races run 1 to 3 km (0.6 to 1.9 miles) from $29.
Finish the Sprint, Super, and Beast in one calendar year and you earn the Trifecta. Doing all three in one weekend on one island is the special part.
One more thing. This coastline matters deeply to the community, so race with respect for the ʻāina and leave the ranch better than you found it.
Racing with friends or family? Register as a team. Teams lock in the same start wave and unlock group savings, which matters when you want to hit the wall together instead of waving from the sidelines.
Military, law enforcement, firefighters, first responders, and government employees can verify through GOVX for up to 25 percent off. Mahalo to everyone who serves.
Make a day of it afterward. Mokulēʻia Beach Park and ʻAweoweo Beach Park sit minutes from the ranch, and nothing beats walking straight into the ocean with your medal still on.
Lock in your spot early, since start waves fill fast. Use our code HICKS20 for 20 percent off your 2027 registration at spartan.com.
Hawaii Spartan Race FAQ
Where is the Hawaii Spartan Race held?
At Dillingham Ranch, 68-540 Farrington Hwy in Waialua, on Oʻahu’s North Shore. It is about an hour’s drive (roughly 35 miles / 56 km) from Waikīkī.
When is the next Hawaii Spartan Race?
August 14 and 15, 2027. The weekend includes the Sprint, Super, Beast, Ultra, and Kids races.
Did the 2026 Hawaii Spartan count toward the Trifecta?
No. The official timed races were canceled for Hurricane Lala, and the replacement Hurricane Heat laps did not count toward Trifecta standings. Racers who finished a lap still received a medal and shirt on site.
What shoes should I wear for a Spartan race in Hawaiʻi?
Trail shoes with real tread. We race in Xero trail shoes for the wide toe box and ground feel, and they have kept our ankles healthy on every wet course.
Can family come watch?
Yes. Spectator tickets get non-racers into the venue, and the kids races run all weekend, so the whole ohana can take part.
Is the race beginner friendly?
The Sprint is the friendliest entry point at 5K (3.1 miles), and every obstacle has a burpee or penalty alternative. Train on hills and grip work and you will be fine.
See You at the Start Line
Hurricane Lala took our race and gave us a better story.
We got the early morning, the storm laps, the medal, and a soaked drive home with our son grinning in the passenger seat.
We will be at Dillingham Ranch on August 14, 2027. Come race with us, and bring code HICKS20 for 20 percent off at spartan.com. Mahalo for reading, and train smart.
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