Expensive. No food at the finish. Bad expo. You have to walk a mile after finishing to get your medal and shirt in the blazing sun. RD talks and talks but says nothing. Start is slow, as walkers lead the way; then you have to pass them on dark, narrow roads. I was told not to do this race for my 50 States quest, but I ignored the advice. I should have listened. Hope this helps someone avoid being disappointed like I was.

This was the first marathon in which I have participated and it was well organized. Due to health reasons, I walked the whole distance and this was a great experience. I was not impressed with the port-a-potties (disgusting), which needed a lot more lighting than was provided. The carb loading luau was a joke - amateur night in Honolulu and poor food. Yes, it was a long hike to the finisher's tent but I understand the rationale behind it. I am extremely proud of finishing close to the pace I anticipated despite the heat and humidity. I really like the "no finish, no shirt" concept - keeps out the "shirt collectors" and shows your commitment to the marathon. The puka shell necklace, medallion and certificate were a bonus. Finish line refreshments - yuk!

My 37th marathon. This race sucked. For the $135.00-entry fee and you get cheap beads, an apple, and a lousy key chain at the end. The shirt? If you do not finish this hot, humid, nightmare, you won't get a shirt! The course was narrow and congested. WALKER-friendly!! NIGHTMARE!! I just wanted to take a taxi back to the hotel and have a pina colada!! Never AGAIN!! I have run this race 3 times. Why? I have friends in Honolulu and it seemed like a good idea at the time.

The great things about the Honolulu Marathon are: A) Hey, you're in Hawaii. B) The race starts at 5:00 a.m. C) The cold wet sponges along the course. D) The showers you walk through to cool down after crossing the finish line.

The hills were not bad and the water/Gatorade stations were well stocked and organized. The 5:00 a.m. start was a must, with a low of 71 degrees, which quickly climbed to 80 degrees when the sun came up.

The not so good things about this event: A) You can't read the signs at the expo, start, or along the course and finish line; and you can't understand the speaker or announcers unless you understand Japanese (which I did not). B) The finish line food - or shall I say, lack of finish line food - was a disappointment. After running 26.2 miles, I'd like a little more than an apple and a hard, old cookie. The entry fee was high and you don't get any kind of shirt unless you cross the finish line. Most races give shirts at the expo.

Hawaii is a beautiful place to visit and I'll return to vacation again. But I'm not sure that I will run the marathon again.

This is a mega marathon where English was not the language of choice. Japanesse runners rule this race, and for good reason. This is not the race to run if you want to get in the state of Hawaii. Choose one of the other islands for a more user-friendly, hospitable, and nicer course.

I found the course to be an uninspiring out-and-back route along a highway, without much of the island's natural beauty to look at. Can you please find a nicer course.

The early start time could not be helped, but the chaos at the start line could be helped. If you are going to have 25,000-plus runners, then have corrals or a wave start; but stop the choas that exists - it is not necessary any longer.

The expo was much worse than I expected for a race of this size. A better job can be done. The finish line food was lacking - could you at least offer bananas?

At least some people turned out to cheer the runners on. Nothing like other mega marathons I ran though. In fact the support was less than you'd get at Des Moines or other mid-size races. Where are the people to cheer you on?

Generally this race was disappointing. Do one of the other marathons in the Hawaiian Islands because this race is to be avoided.

Course: The course was good, but there are portions of the course that are fairly mundane - especially the middle portion of the race where you are running through a residential area. Also, a good part of the course is out-and-back, which I didn't care for much, although it did provide an opportunity to see the elite runners during their home stretch. I enjoyed the start (with fireworks), running through downtown (seeing the Christmas lights), the main drag of Waikiki (filled with spectators), and the last few miles around Diamond Head.

Organization: Fairly well organized, although the finish area is a bit confusing with the various tents set up. The expo was okay, not great. Picking up the packet for marathon runners was fairly easy, although my wife, who did the Mayor's Walk, had problems picking up her packet. The line for the walkers was long and disorganized, and after waiting for 30 minutes to pick up her packet, they tell her she was not registered. Come to find out, she was registered but in the wrong line - she should have gone to the other end of the table where they have the packets for U.S. residents. However, this was never explained and there were no signs directing people where to go. The buses from the park to the start line was very efficient, very well organized. Water, Gatorade, and cold sponges were provided every couple miles. The sponges were great toward the end of the marathon, since it was getting into the 80s. Refreshments at the end were very disappointing. Basically, you get two oatmeal cookies and an apple. Also, instead of a medal, you get a key chain. The finisher's t-shirt was nice - a Nike Dri-Fit technical shirt, although the color was unusual (bright fluorescent yellow).

Spectators: I was surprised how many spectators were out given that the marathon started at 5 a.m. Very supportive along the entire course.

Uniqueness: Over 60% of the runners are Japanese. Also, the marathon allows everyone to finish - no time cut-off. God bless them - believe that the last runners were coming in around 13 or 14 hours. The average finishing time is slower than most marathons, probably because there are a lot of first-time marathoners.

Overall: If you are looking for a marathon vacation, you can't go wrong with the race. The weather was beautiful (dry and high 60s in the morning and evening, and in the low 80s in the afternoon) the entire week we were in Hawaii. This may have been an unusual week since it is Hawaii's rainy season. Most likely, if you choose to run this marathon, don't expect a PR. First, the marathon is huge - over 23,000 runners - so unless you squeeze yourself to the front (or want to waste tons of energy bobbing and weaving between runners), you won't have much breathing room for the first 5 to 7 miles. Also, if you are not a sub-3-hour marathoner, it gets warm very quickly (into the 80s) after the sun rises after 7 a.m. But it is an enjoyable marathon and I would highly recommend it.

The weather was hot and humid. Wet sponges were wonderful. Organization was good. What a difference.

This was my second time running this race, and what a better place to run a marathon? I encourage all who can run to try this location, but make sure you train up for the event. I learned that lesson.

First off, you'll be racing with somewhere between 24,000 and 27,000 of your closest friends. It's a very big race. It also is entirely self-seeded - there are no starting corrals. Seed yourself and go farther forward than you think you should if you're running it.

The course itself is rather beautiful winding through Kapiolani Park, up past Diamond Head and around Hawaii Kai before heading back. You will get wet. Let me rephrase that: December is rainy season here, so you'll get drenched. We had over two hours of hard tropical rain last year (2008). It's a beautiful course for a walker as well.

The Kokua (helper) crew is very helpful, and there was water and real Gatorade every couple of miles as well as wet sponges for everyone. There is a dearth of outhouses for the number of people after the start, though, so be forewarned. There are some things you cannot do behind a bush.

If you're looking for a nice, scenic run in Hawaii - and some fun, but not a PR - this race is for you. I'll do it again, but not for a couple of years.

The Honolulu Marathon was my first marathon. I had started training in June with National AIDS Marathon Training Program that gave me the support, training and advice that I needed to understand what I was getting myself into and how to enjoy the experience.

The things I enjoyed at the 2008 Honolulu Marathon were:

1. The mile markers were very visible. This was great for tracking pace and just knowing "where you are" physically and mentally.

2. I made the mistake of waiting until past mile 18 to use those wonderful, refreshing, cold, wet sponges! This was great considering the humidity after the light morning rain.

3. The course was great. Not too many large uphills and the course at many points revealed very scenic views.

4. The random spectators were sooo uplifting, especially the ones in costumes around mile 22-24 in the residential area. This course is great because of the locals cheering you on.

5. Lastly, but possibly most amazingly, as a slower runner, I got to see the male and female leaders come down Diamond Head in their 25th mile while I was going up around mile 7 or 8. It was great to witness that history.

My suggestions to improve would be:

1. Find a way to improve the marathon packet that you get at bib-pickup. It was kind of a letdown as my first marathon to just get ads and a sticker and almost nothing I could read (it was mostly in Japanese). Nothing truly inspiring or motivational to pump you up for the run.

2. There are people who tend to those runners who want those ache relief spray gels. Watch out for them! The spray will waft all over and you might breathe it in. It's horrible. They need to be required to move off the course so as not to disturb the athletes whose main activity of the day is running. Why would you allow something that impedes breathing when clean air is so important for runners??

3. The finisher's tent at the Expo Park was too hard to find after the finish line. The last thing you want to do when tired is hike through mud aimlessly hoping to find the shirt and medal you worked so hard for. Check the maps before the race if you want to know where the tent might be.

Overall, I was very happy with the race and will never forget the experience.