HOST Park’s Inaugural 5K/10K Race and Wellness Fair
HOST Park’s inaugural Cold Start, Warm Finish 10K and 5K and Wellness Fair in Kona, Hawai’i, January 10, 2026
I have attended many inaugural races and love how you never know what to truly expect, so when I heard about HOST Park’s inaugural 5K/10K race and wellness fair, I was thrilled. Not only was this event family-friendly, but it was a call to all lovers of health and ocean to come together to celebrate the sea and learn more about our role in caring for our reef. So that I could fully immerse myself in the energy of the race day and wellness fair, I logged my miles early, then grabbed my camera and bolted for HOST Park.
Parking
At a race, parking is often expected to be heinous, so unsurprisingly, they did encourage carpooling—which is better for our planet anyway—but parking was remarkably easy (perhaps many patrons did carpool!).
Race Course Terrain Notes
As a mom who races with her kids, I always check out the terrain of the route. At a different inaugural race on the East Coast, my family and I encountered such a poorly marked course that the experience burned its way into our race-prep checklist. This course, however, was well marked and easy to follow, with no confusing turn-arounds or strange forks. At the start line there was a Keiki (Kids’) Dash, perfect for kids being introduced to racing or building running stamina. The course runs along the Makako Bay Drive and trails the Pacific Ocean. The 10k course is a moderately hilly, out-and-back course. About half of the course is on road surfaces, while a portion of the running course is on gravel roads or sandy trails alongside the Pacific Ocean. Normal running shoes are fine, but a good multi-terrain trail running shoe would serve you well.
Wellness Fair
As soon as I arrived, the excited energy was palpable. The Kohala Coffee truck greeted me with the aroma of their coffee and enticing descriptions of health-forward smoothies. They also offered hot foods if you like a heartier breakfast. Tina Schor hosted high-energy Zumba throughout the morning in the middle of the fair. Zumba participants matched her vibrant energy, while we all benefitted from the fabulous playlist. Right out front, following the Keiki Dash, Hawaii Keiki Museum sponsored a giant bubble machine, making about three feet of foam! HOST Park even provided cold and warm seawater foot plunges after runners cross the finish line to relax their tired feet. The raffle prizes were anything but mainstream. Emcee, Eddie-O, called out a certificate for two to Merriman’s; one-hour introductory to ocean swimming; gift certificate for two parasail ride; $50 Big Island Running Club gift certificate; Life Flight Network’s one-year membership certificate gift bag; $100 Walmart gift certificate; round of 18-hole golf at Kona Country Club; gift certificate for two guests for 4.5 hour deluxe snorkel and dolphin watch; gift certificate for a bowling party for six, I could barely keep up! The bubbles, music, food, ocean advocates, and incredible energy from the HOST Park team are already marking this new race as a fabulous event for runners and spectators alike. Runners—bring your family!
Among the vendors were: Bike Works Kona | Kona Limu Company | Zumba | Hawaii Keiki Museum | HMAA | Salty Swim School | Hawaii Life Flight | Big Island Running Company | Life Flight Network | Kohola Coffee | Rabbit Hill Co. | CrossFit Kona | The Kohala Center | Kona Salt Farm.
Sponsors
Check out this impressive roster of sponsors! Curious about sponsoring next year’s race and wellness fair? Contact Rae Nguyen, Marketing Specialist, Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA). Email here. Or go to nelha.hawaii.gov
About the Race
The Cold Start Warm Finish HOST Park Fun Run race name came as a way to celebrate with the running & walking community the three sources of seawaters HOST Park pumps to its clients. Those source seawaters include:
3000 ft. depth (900 M), 41°F (5°C)
2100 ft. depth (640 M), 45°F (7°C)
75 ft. depth (23 M), 78°F (26°C)
