Looking for Hawaii advice

I can't believe this isn't a no brainer...LOL...but I'll be happy to give you some details.

First off...Pearl Harbor is ajoined to Hickam AFB.  And riding on those bases are a privilage most cyclists would only dream of.  Well paved roads and of course the saftey factor is above all since nobody speeds on base, and everyone will assume that you're a high ranking officer if you're on a road bike in spandex.  There aren't any hills on those bases...but a fair amount of wind...so getting in a short and challenging ride right out your door isn't a problem.

For longer rides, you need to go on the major roads for the most part on Oahu.  There are some popular routes that have decent bike lane availability...and stretches where you just have to deal with traffic.  Sometimes it can get a bit hairy...the best thing is to ride in a group here on Oahu if you're going outside of the base...you're stronger in numbers.

As far as racing, there are mostly just sprints on Oahu.  One full Olympic distance, and one semi-Oly distance (750m/40k/10k).  There are a few xterra races as well.  The big island does host a HIM which is a great race to do since the bike is on Queen K, but anything Iron distance (other than qualifying for kona) needs to travel 3000+ miles.

Neighbor islands are quite similar.  Mostly sprints and Olympic distance.  Shipping your bike to a neighbor island will likely cost you around $35-50 on the local airlines.

The non triathlon races you may want to consider include the Honolulu Marathon, the Waikiki Rough water swim, and the Dick Evans Memorial Road race (cycling)...which are the three races the original Ironman was founded upon.  They still run those races yearly on Oahu and are very popular.

Other popular races include Cycle to the Sun and Run to the Sun...where you ride or run from sea level to the top of Haleakeala on Maui (about 10k feet) or Sea to the Stars on the Big Island...where you ride from sea level to the top of Mauna Kea.

Weather here is ideal for training year round.  Right now it's about lows of 68 and highs of 82.  Humidity is a factor, but I suppose I'm used to it.  Summer time it gets hot, but not crazy hot...maybe highs in the low 90's.

Here's a link to the major local races in Hawaii.  These aren't all the races...but the major ones.

http://runningroomhawaii.com/races/2010.html#top

Feel free to ask any more questions.

Wow! Thanks for all the great advice! We'll factor this into our decision making.

basically what tri808 said, but I'd like to emphasize that riding here in Oahu is plain deadly, but since you are military, you can do a lot of training on base which is WAY safer than braving the oahu roads.

simply put, it's awful trying to enjoy road riding here.

One great thing about Oahu is that you can race just about every weekend (stand alone or some combo of swim, bike and run).  Today was the Xterra Trail Running championships.  Perfect December weather, beautiful scenery and then afterwards BBQ in Ka'aawa Valley for the rest of the afternoon...just another sunday on Oahu

http://www.freedomfesthawaii.com/images/kualoa%20valley.jpg

..and since you just referenced link from a race site that I help organize, I have to plug it.

Freedom Fest Hawaii is a 2 day fun filled adventure at Kualoa Ranch, that has something for everyone, 10K Trail Run, 20/40K Mountain Bike Race, 800/1600m Rough Water Swim, and Triathlon.

To be held on July 2nd and 3rd 2011, for our 3rd consecutive year

Please visit www.freedomfesthawaii.com for more info.

Registration is up now.