⏵ Course guide · Oahu's extreme northwest-shore trail race
The Peacock Challenge climbs and descends the Kuaokala Forest Reserve above Dillingham Airfield on Oahu's northwest shore, extreme terrain, heat, and humidity that HURT itself says is "not an entry-level ultra run event." I will walk you through the venue and entry structure first, then give you a pacing and fueling plan built for a genuinely demanding Hawaii trail day, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from hurthawaii.com and an archived HURT Hawaii event page for a prior edition. The exact current-year date, aid, and cutoffs are not published here, confirm the current details directly with HURT Hawaii before you register or run.
The Peacock Challenge runs through the Kuaokala Forest Reserve above Dillingham Airfield in Waialua, on Oahu's northwest shore, part of the annual HURT Trail Series.
HURT does not soften the description: steep climbs and descents define this course, compounded by heat and humidity and the occasional chance of rain. High above the Pacific, the course also offers genuinely scenic coastline views, a real reward, but not a substitute for the physical demands of the terrain itself.
The event has historically been offered at 27.5 miles and 55 miles. There are no pre-qualifying requirements to enter the 27.5, but a successful, within-cutoff finish there has served as one path to qualify for the 55-mile distance in a future year, useful context if you are building toward the longer distance.
Consistent with the rest of HURT's Trail Series, the Peacock Challenge has run as a low-key, pre-registration event, no lottery, no waitlist, distinct from the weighted lottery used for the HURT 100 itself. Registration windows tend to open a few weeks before race day.
Without current-year cutoff numbers published here, build your pacing plan around the terrain's own known demands, then confirm against the official cutoff sheet once you have it.
A grade-adjusted pace target for genuinely steep terrain gives you a far more honest number than a flat-course estimate, especially on a course the organizer itself calls extreme. Go out conservatively, the exposed, remote nature of this course leaves little room for a blown-up late race.
Since current cutoff figures were not confirmed on this pass, build a preliminary finish-time projection from your steep-terrain training pace, then verify it against the official cutoff sheet from HURT Hawaii before locking in your race-day plan.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
Heat, humidity, and occasional rain, combined with a remote, steep course, mean your fueling plan needs real margin here.
Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and until you have confirmed the current aid station plan directly with HURT Hawaii, pack conservatively rather than assuming frequent resupply on a remote, extreme course.
Keep sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, leaning toward the higher end given Oahu's heat and humidity, which can sap you even without direct sun on a forested trail. Prepare for occasional rain as well, since that changes footing and body-temperature regulation on steep terrain.
⏵ Build your fueling plan
Get a carb, sodium, fluid, and caffeine plan per hour built for your weight, your goal time, and a hot, humid northwest Oahu day with the free ultra fueling calculator. Browse the rest of the free running tools at the tools hub.
⏵ Train for it with Summit Line
Get a race-day plan built around YOUR fitness, steep, extreme terrain, and your projected splits. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for a hot, humid, exposed course, and rehearses your fueling so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
HURT's own description leaves no ambiguity: the Peacock Challenge is "an extremely difficult event designed for the most adventurous and well-prepared runner (this is not an entry-level ultra run event)." Set in the Kuaokala Forest Reserve above Dillingham Airfield on Oahu's northwest shore, the course is defined by steep climbs and descents, heat and humidity with the possibility of rain, at elevation above a genuinely scenic coastline. Treat it with the same seriousness the organizers do.
Historically, HURT has offered both a 27.5-mile and a 55-mile version of the Peacock Challenge, on the same extreme Kuaokala Forest Reserve terrain. There are no pre-qualifying requirements to enter the 27.5, but successfully completing it within the race cutoff has served as a pathway to qualify for the 55-mile distance in future years. Confirm the current-year lineup and any qualification requirements directly with HURT Hawaii.
HURT has historically run the Peacock Challenge as a pre-registration event, with no lottery and no waitlist, distinguishing it from the weighted-lottery entry system used for the HURT 100. Registration windows have opened several weeks before race day and closed several days before, with a strict one-ticket-per-account rule in past years. Watch the HURT Hawaii event calendar for the current year's registration dates, since the exact 2026 date was still listed as TBD at the time of this research.
Given the organizer's own description of heat, humidity, and occasional rain on genuinely extreme terrain, plan your fueling and hydration for a demanding, exposed day. Aim for roughly 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour and sodium in the 300 to 700 mg per liter range, leaning higher given Oahu's heat and humidity even on trail high above the coastline. Build your numbers with the free ultra fueling calculator before race day, and confirm the current aid station plan directly with HURT Hawaii since it is not detailed here.
No, and HURT does not pretend otherwise, this is explicitly billed as not an entry-level event. The combination of steep, extreme terrain, heat and humidity, and remote course conditions in the Kuaokala Forest Reserve calls for real prior ultra and technical-trail experience. If you are new to ultrarunning, look at a more established entry-level Oahu trail race first, and treat the Peacock Challenge as a goal to build toward.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/peacock-challenge-55">The Peacock Challenge course guide</a><iframe src="https://runsummitline.com/embed/race/peacock-challenge-55" style="width:100%;max-width:420px;height:180px;border:0;" loading="lazy" title="Peacock Challenge course guide by Summit Line"></iframe>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, cutoffs, and aid stations come from public sources and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics with the official race before you register or run. The fueling and pacing advice is general and not medical advice.