For the past eight months, in the aftermath of a devastating fire in Lahaina that killed 101 people and displaced almost 10,000, reasons to celebrate on the island of Maui have been few.
On April 21, a bright spot emerged—the annual running of the Maui Marathon, The 2024 Maui Marathon was a memorial run for the 101 people lost in the fires in Lahaina.
The race that went off in 2024 bore little resemblance to previous editions of the race.
For one, it was known this year as the Lahaina Town Memorial Run, recognizing the catastrophic loss in that town on the west side of Maui. Participants were asked to wear red in honor of Lahaina, and most of the 1,400 finishers did so, many with the words “Lahaina Strong” on their shirts.
Second, there was no marathon—only a half marathon, 10K and 5K. There was no possible route for 26.2 near its usual location that wouldn’t stress the island’s frayed infrastructure and resources.
And third, the routes of the half, 10K, and 5K were different from previous editions. They all ended at the Maui Tropical Plantation, instead of their established finish line in Ka’anapali, a resort community four miles north of Lahaina. The former courses are currently admissible—and could be for years—because they go directly through the burn zone on Front Street in Lahaina. The fires wiped out everything from roughly miles 19 to 22 of the marathon course.
It didn’t matter this year that everything was different; what mattered was that the races happened at all.
“It was a beautiful event, with so much community support,” said Jim Lynch, the race director. “If we accomplished one positive event, where it put a smile on people’s faces, with all the tragedy that’s happened out there and people still trying to recover, it was all worth it.”
Lynch said 115 of the runners came from Lahaina. At packet pickup, runners expressed their thanks to race organizers for putting the event on.
Brad and Madeline Kukral were two of the 115 Lahaina survivors.
On the night of August 8, 2023, Brad Kukral was at work at the Westin Ka’anapali, where he’s a bartender and the running concierge for the hotel. Madeline Kukral, also an experienced runner, was at the home that they rented in Lahaina, four miles to the south.
When the devastating wildfire broke out and quickly spread into town, Madeline Kukral grabbed a half-packed suitcase and the cat they were fostering at the time and fled south. She spent the night in her car on a road outside the town.
Brad Kukral didn’t believe reports he started hearing from coworkers through the night—that the town was gone. He started running south toward the burn zone and made it as far as Baby Beach. Only then did the scope of the devastation begin to dawn on him. It took hours before he and Madeline were able to have a 30-second phone call on August 9; cell phone towers were destroyed in the area.
The two reunited later that day. Their rental home and everything in it was lost. They are currently renting a house from a friend, but about 4,000 of the displaced Lahaina residents still lack housing. The town residents and businesses are nowhere near rebuilding yet; the town is still in the debris removal phase.
As the Kukrals have started to rebuild their lives and plan for the future, running has remained a constant (as has that foster cat, Gilbert, now a permanent member of their family). They ran the Boston Marathon on April 15 and requalified for next year’s race—Brad, 40, ran 3:00:14, and Madeline, 28, finished in 3:21:06.
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“The race was great,” Kukral said. “Just a sea of people wearing red to represent Lahaina. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.” They stayed at the finish line after, talking to people from all over the island and tourists who did the race.
Lynch hopes by next year the race can reclaim its typical start and finish line in Ka’anapali and stage a marathon on a course using the road that bypasses downtown Lahaina.
“In all this destruction and sadness, with people heartbroken and suffering, this is a positive event that brings the community together,” he said.
Best Compression Socks is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World Best Walking Shoes, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
