Honolulu Marathon - Race Reviews

This is my 290th marathon/ultra finish. I would give this truly international event 6s across the board if possible. Course: Generally flat with gradual inclines/declines and one small hill, but where I'm from, this was little more than a speed bump. Beautiful course, beautiful scenery, beautiful vegetation, beautiful people. This is paradise. The start and finish are an easy walk from the hotels at Waikiki. The fireworks display was outstanding. Organization: Absolutely top-notch. Packet pickup was a breeze. Plenty of very friendly race volunteers, before, during, and after the event. Plenty of port-a-potties. Aid stations were very very well stocked. TRAFFIC CONTROL AND OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT WAS THE BEST I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. Officers were not only pleasant and friendly, but downright encouraging. A most pleasant change from some events I have run. The only downside was the start. The marathon and 10k did start together, and as previous comments stated, this did cause problems. Walkers, strollers, young children, the uninitiated, and those who cheated on their seeding time seemed to be scattered throughout the first three color zones at the start. At approximately the 2-mile mark, I almost ran over a young boy (8-9 yrs old) who stopped right in front of me. I trust the race directors have become aware of this. Spectators: Spectators turned out in droves. In places along the route that was conducive to spectators, they appeared in legion. Encouraging, cheering, and providing aid of their own, these people are absolutely beautiful. They made this an amazing community event. All in all, not even the issues at the start could detract from this truly international and inclusive (no time limit) event in this idyllic land. Aloha and Mahalo.

From reading comments from past participants I was prepared to dislike this race. Maybe things are better, or maybe my expectations were low, but I have no complaints about this race and generally had a great experience in spite running my PW. The start area was well organized and an easy walk from Waikiki with ample port o potties. The finish line area was literally a quarter mile from most Waikiki hotels and had a great atmosphere. The race was challenging due to the heat and humidity but the 5:00 AM start helped, and it is Hawaii after all. There are two major hills at Diamond Head, otherwise most of the race is flat. I liked that the water stations in the beginning of the race stretched out over a city block, so runners need not hurry to get to the first volunteers or go thirsty. The expo was well done and had enough vendors to make it interesting, but not over whelming. The medal is among my favorites and the shirt is very nice too. There is an excellent brewery district in Honolulu including 5 brewers within easy walking distance of each other. Our favorites were Aloha Brewing and Lokahi Brewing Company.

Expo: - Pros: easy to get to, lots of swag to buy. - Cons: 50% fewer shirt options for women Race - Pros: It's Hawaii. Medal was great this year. Shutters were great. - Cons: Very long walk to start line from Drop off and Port-a-potties. No Gel of any kind on course as advertised. Some 'Einstein' decided it was a good idea to start the 10K runners mixed in with the Marathon Runners. So for the first 10K we were tripping over Stollers, double strollers, small children... all starting at the front of the race and not the back. Water Stations were rather a joke as you had to fill your own on several occasions. And as every year, many people cheating by cutting the course short. BUT THE WORST was the course was 26.49+ miles long... way over the typical 'extra:. Not just my GPS but numerous others when comparing notes after the race.

The Honolulu marathon course is great. Early start in a city, pass by some historic places, a little bit of climbing, some mid size towns, and opportunities for real bathrooms for those who care. Great crowd. The organizers though should be ashamed of themselves - watered down Gatorade, and mostly just water at the stops, first aid offering Vaseline, but not even salt, and I think one gel spot. It's not hard folks - real Gatorade at every stop and about 3 spots for gels. Would have made the course a lot more enjoyable for many people.

I brought my wife and two teenage kids to Hawaii and had an extended (9 nights) vacation between Oahu and Maui. Hawaii is amazing and I am glad we planned the trip. This was marathon #19 and state #18. The expo was a joke. A huge convention center where you were handed your paper bib, 4 safety pins, and a 50th anniversary sticker - seriously, that was it. I walked through the official merchandise for sale and found all of it to be garbage. I walked to the start line at 4 am on Sunday for a 5:00 start. There were thousands walking down the street and it took me almost 45 minutes to walk .8 of a mile and find my corral. I was lined up in the first corral after the pro's but there was no security, no corral safety volunteers, and nobody seemed to follow the color-coded corrals. The gun went off at 5 am and off we went....sort of. The fireworks were apparently nothing any adult has ever seen as I had to dodge people who literally stopped 5 feet past the start line to stop and take pictures - COME ON PEOPLE - grow up. The first 3-4 miles were very congested and hot. By mile 4, I was drenched in sweat based on the humidity. At mile 7, you ascend Diamond Head State Park. I underestimated this summit as the race guide said 100' in gain - no way. This was a climb! By mile 8, the course flattened out but you ran into a 30 mph headwind until mile 17. Running 9 miles into a hairdryer is not what anyone needed. Mile 22 goes back up Diamond Head and this is where i saw many people bonking out. Mile 24 is downhill and a nice ocean view to your left. The finish line was strange. I received my medal which was pretty cool and showcases the 50th anniversary of the event. We were then given a small/warm bottle of water. I had to ask where to find our finisher t-shirts. I grabbed my t-shirt and then found food. One banana, one donut, and a coconut water. Summary - Course was marginal. Spectators were sparse compared to other big city marathons. Organization was poor compared to other events. Conditions with wind, heat, humidity, and hills combined for a very difficult event. All in all, I would never run this event again but it's a great excuse to visit Hawaii.

I have run this marathon 38 times and have run 127 total marathons throughout the US. Honolulu Marathon has always been one of my favorites equal to Boston. This year, its 50th running, was spectacular as it has always been except for one critical function. The early morning shuttle bus service from the finish area to the starting line was terrible. Previous years it has always been flawless. This year it was awful. So few busses for so many people. I barely was able to get on the last bus and barely got to the starting line to start before it closed down. It is unbelievable that this stellar marathon could mess up something so critical. I saw many runners left behind as I got on the last bus. It was sad. I'm sure many of them traveled from far away to run this usually flawlessly organized race.

After running for years, I enjoyed the course but have a disappointing feel overall. The end was chaotic. I had to ask someone if I could pick up a medal as no one was handing them out! C'mon. That should have been done to honour the runners. For all the money we paid, the good bag was zero to talk about and no bottles of anything but water. Not good. I shall warn others about that. And by the way, my husband never got a medal at all in 2011... did not see them to pick up and I guess no one was giving them out then! Aaagh... still hoping to get one for him. Had I realized he never got one, I would have picked up two finisher medals this year as there was no date on the medal. What's with that? Oh well...

I am sorely disappointed in the CEO of Honolulu Marathon. As a medical doctor, his views should dictate this poorly organized and apathetic Marathon structure.I'm no stranger to marathons, having finished 14 previous marathons in all terrains. This marathon appalls me. Okay, so the pandemic scaled back some of the previously mentioned support systems. Take away the post-marathon party. Got it. The Japanese folks aren't coming. Got it. Absent supports: WHERE WERE YOUR MILE MARKERS?? This critical absence is appalling. And for the record, it doesn't 'add local flavor' to the race. It's HOW WE PACE OURSELVES. Kilometer markers, from time to time. Can you multiply 18 kilometers x .62? Start Line Shuttle: Thousands of runners walked 2 or more miles to Ala Moana from their hotels when organizer canceled all shuttles from the Zoo. 'It was on the website,' said the expo help desk. But not on email, text, or posters. Portapotty: New skill: using a portapotty in pitch dark. Corral: What happened to 'social distance' here? Chaos. Course: Kalanianaole Highway at mile 11, for 11 miles more. Unmonitored out-and-backs, where tired and hot runners simply cut the course. Water and Food: Self-Service ran out of cups... runners drank directly from the spigots. No gels. No food. Sponges, Ice, Misting Hoses: Hyperthermia is a DANGEROUS MEDICAL CONDITION in 83 degrees in direct sun by 10 a.m. Helpful neighbors at MILE 22 sprayed runners with garden hoses. Where were the organizers?? Medal/Lei/Shell Necklace: Quarter of a mile from the finish, pull your medal from an abandoned Self-Service stand like pulling potato chips from a convenience store. No lei. No shell necklace. Shirt: Keep walking. Take your shirt from a cattle pen and go. Expo: A Convention Center ballroom the size of a basketball court held bibs, pins, and one vendor. No goodie bag. In and out in 6 minutes, for $12 parking fee. Not even the garage attendant let me know that it was free to park if you were out in 30 minutes. Fully trained, and with a medical background, I developed hyperthermia and staggered to the finish in 7 hours 10 minutes. Pros: Nice shirt.

I grew up in Honolulu and desperately want this to be a world-class race. But it's not. Any race, regardless of size should have the following things right: 1. Consistently supplied fluid stations: it was not clear to me when Gatorade was going to be available (hardly ever) and there were times when water was in both water-labeled and Gatorade-labeled cups (same with Gatorade). 2. Course distances consistently and accurately marked: the distance from '41km' to the end was at least 300m longer than it should have been. There were fewer than five mile markers. I'm ok with km markers but those were very sporadic. 3. Organized start: I knew this is a reality of this race. The majority of runners dutifully stayed in their 'corrals' but hundreds did not. Most runners in this race are slow, so a 4:15 runner who assigns themselves to the second corral would have been behind a ton of walkers. If there's a 10km race happening on the marathon course they should at least release them 30 minutes after the marathon start. 4. Finish area well-signed and with volunteers to direct exhausted finishers to the right locations. If you don't know the drill with this race, there's a very good chance you will forget to pick up your finisher shirt. 5. Immediate removal of course-cutting cheaters from the standings. A good 3% finishers ahead of me are obvious course cutters, missing multiple checkpoints or having an impossible second half split. This should be nipped in the bud big time. It's a travesty. It's clear this race fails on all of these dimensions. I am not asking for 4 waves of runners with 6 corrals each. Or clocks every mile. Or good food at the finish line. I just want to run my best, do so safely, and be timed with other runners on a level playing field. The race director dismisses these comments, saying this is 'a people's race.' This is complete BS. It's abject laziness and incompetence. My expectations are lowered because of COVID but sadly, the Honolulu Marathon falls below that significantly reduced standard. It will be much worse next year with a larger field. If you run this race with rock bottom expectations you may find your experience irritating, but at least you will do so with your eyes wide open. Do not expect a dream race and you will be fine. I would hate for anyone to register with sky high expectations and be heartbroken.

This was my first (and last) Honolulu Marathon. The start of the race was a total chaos. In the darkness the marathon runners, 10-km runners and walkers were allowed to start at the same time. The corrals did not improve anything, my first one hour was a never ending attempts to stay on foot and avoiding slow walkers. The course is not flat, considering the crowd at the start and many hills, you can forget about your PR. Volunteers and spectators deserve a high 5. Some local residents delivered ice cold drinks, fruits and other life supporting items. Thank you! The finish line was below my expectations. Medal, picture and than what? Uncharted territory without many signs where to go, what to do...

This was my 9th marathon and a wonderful reason to visit Honolulu and stay a week after. For that reason this race was worth doing. Expo was good and it was fun to spectate the day prior for the Merrie Mile event. The course itself was difficult and much more so than anticipated despite viewing the course on Strava and the website. The first hill up Diamond Head Rd (miles 7-9) is a very long gradual grade that is manageable but taxing. After that it felt like a 4-6 mile gradual decline to Hawaii Kai for the turn-around...followed by heading back up that decline. Mile 24-25 back up Diamond Head was the nail in my race coffin - by then the sun was up and my body was done. I ended up finishing about 10 minutes slower than another fall marathon this year about 8 weeks prior. Crowd support was great. My two complaints are echoed by many other reviews I read: 1) the starting line is a disorganized mess. I started near the front and lined up next to people I didn't could finish a 5k much less a marathon. 2) the finish area - dry nasty bagels, bananas and donuts. The donut thing is cute and unique but honestly in 80 degree heat after a marathon I don't want a donut. No drinks other than water, no beer tent and no food...hugely disappointing for a race this size and relative to the high entry fee. Lastly keep in mind while considering this race that the 5am start time means the first 2 hours of the race were completely dark so do not plan on a visual tour of Honolulu during the first half to 2/3rds of the race. Overall, I'd do this race again if it meant another trip to Hawaii but otherwise no reason to do it again.

REVIEW FOR THE JAL HONOLULU MARATHON The Ultimate Paradise Run! This is the first marathon race-trip that I took my parents along. I wanted to impress them, so we stayed 5 days/4 nights at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, where everything is within walking distance. We experience the very best that Honolulu had to offer including the Hilton's Waikiki Starlight Hawaiian Luau with premiere seatings, Benihana's seafood lobster medley, Hatsuhana, 24hrs Wailana Coffee house for traditional Hawaiian breakfast, Saigon Salad Cafe (inexpensive), Hawaiian Hula dancers, being on the live film set of Hawaii Five-0, photos with Hawaiian girls, a great 26.2 course, awesome 4 1/8 in diameter x 1/4 in thick Gold Finisher's Medal, original Finisher's Certificate, Finisher's Booklet with your name included (available on Monday), and meet/greet with Honolulu Marathon's champions! FYI: The Honolulu Marathon is the fourth largest marathon in the US, and unique in that there is no cut off time, therefore attracting both fast runners as well as walkers. In 2016, the last official finisher (60-64yrs) took 16:11:44! Japan Airline (JAL) is the official sponsor of the Honolulu Marathon and more than half of the marathon runners are from Japan. On Race Day Sunday, December 11, 2016, I ran for 16 miles nonstop, starting at 5:00am, going at top speed of 8.5 miles/hr, but humidity & jet leg hit me like a brick wall. I walk the remainder. My time is 04:42:02 and I placed in 3082. Based on 40,000+ marathon runners in attendance, I then rank in the top 7.7% for Honolulu! Through hard work, determination and perseverance, I NOW RANK IN THE TOP 1% FOR CALIFORNIA - AND THE WORLD! - BY WINNING THE MOST CONSECUTIVE MEDALS! View my other review with photos for more info.

Good: Course, volunteers, support, HPD. Volunteers, as always are the best. From packet pick-up through aid stations along the course, to assistance in the park, they are all to be commended. Bad: No staging control (10K walkers starting ahead of marthoners!) Took me :21 to cross Start Line! Entry fee continues to soar while service declines. Ugly: Garish, clunky, China-made medals. Old ones had class. T-shirts worse every year. Sizing wrong and who abbreviates FINISHER like this: FINI - SHER? Can no longer have certificate mailed. No pick-up the next day? Print it yourself or go without! I've completed 41 consecutive Honolulu Marathons and my streak keeps me going, but there is less joy each year because it is now HONOLULU MARATHON, INC. Finishing used to feel like an accomplishment. Now it feels like a chore!

This is one of the largest marathons in the country. There are a few very unique aspects of the race. First off, there is no time limit and no entry limit. So it just so happens that this year, an 81 year old woman was the last to cross the finish line after about 16 hours. You will notice right away that the race attracts a lot of walkers. If you are even slightly towards the front half of the pack in the average marathon, you will place high. Japan Airlines sponsors the event, so it attracts thousands of participants from Japan. The course itself could definitely highlight more parts of the city. Besides downtown, the only other two major parts include Diamond Head and a big loop around Hawaii Kai. For the 2017 race, we got very lucky with the weather for it being in the tropics, and as a result the mens and womens course records were both broken and I broke the four hour mark at a 3:59:06 despite being way behind that pace in the first half. We even got some rain during the race, which didn't stop the spectators from coming out making it a big plus. Overall, I had a great time and plan on doing it again sometime in the future.

I really enjoyed this marathon! I've seen some fairly harsh reviews and I think the race committee must have seen them as well. The medals and lei are given to you right when you cross the finish line and they really do TRY to get you to line up per your corral. You can't change the nature of the runners. I would say AT LEAST 50% of the folks running are not 'runners'. They didn't train; they've never done a race before; they don't get running etiquette. So yes, people will line up in your corral when they shouldn't and it did take me about 4-5 miles to weave in/out of slow runners and walkers. But it was a VERY well organized race with tons of support and aid stations. I liked the fact that I could walk and chill out and didn't feel super pressured to finish with a good time. It was a fun race and I'd totally do it again. This was my 10th marathon.

The route/Course was a 5 stars with very beautiful scenery. The organization and spectators too. My friend and I had a wonderful time in Honolulu. this is our 'RUN VACATION' trip. Really miss Honolulu and hope one day I can came again.

This was my first BIG marathon, so I don't necessarily have a large baseline against which to compare Honolulu. My two prior marathons were both much, much smaller local races. I thought aid station support throughout was great. Trying to negotiate the crowds was difficult. As near as I can tell, no one paid attention to the corrals at the start line. I lined up towards the back of the 2:00 to 3:00 hour expected finish time, yet people were walking right from the gun. I enjoyed the course, particularly with the sun coming up at the turn-around. Also enjoyed seeing the elite runners on their return. The post-run setup was a little confusingit wasn't clear to me where to pick up shirts and the likebut manageable in the end. We stayed near the zoo (kind ofcloser to the finish than the start), but I walked to the start rather than take the shuttle. It was a little surreal navigating the streets of Waikiki at 3:30 in the morning, at least until I merged with the stream of other runners and left the prostitutes and drunks to their own futures without my further assistance.

I chose this race out of convenience and timing (uncle lives there and plans to move next year so I went ahead & took advantage). HUGE race. Logistically getting to the start wasn't bad if you had someone to drop you off or spent the $$$$ to stay nearby. Positives: -Cool medal -lots of spectators, however most were Japanese and weren't cheering for you. -three days of Expo prior to race. -some nice views of the ocean. -Big finish area (although the finisher T-shirt tent was buried deep inside the finish area. Negatives: -The start line was a small banner strung across an intersection with a few crowd control barriers. (for a race with 25K+ people). -The corral system was worthless. More than 50% of the runners were Japanese and either didn't understand the corral system or didn't care and were too focused on getting a 'front row (ie starting line) seat' to the fireworks at the beginning. I am a comfortable 4:30ish marathoner. When I saw the amount of people in FRONT of the corral marked '2:00-3:00,' I joined that corral. -Fireworks: When the gun went off, the fireworks started. Instead of running, people just stood there and videoed the fireworks. For like 5 minutes! I wiggled my way through them to run. -Way too easy to cheat on this race: There were a lot of volunteers but several out & backs that weren't separated and as crowded as it was, hundreds cheated. This throws off the results for those of us who were actually trying to get a good, official time. -Race started at 5am (not a bad thing) but it was pitch black for the first 9 miles (for me at least) so those advertised views of Waikiki and other beaches were nonexistent. There were a substantial amount of Christmas lights and decorations in that area though. Would NOT do this race again. Checked off Hawaii so I'm satisfied. We also came early to partake in a few 75th Anniversary Pearl Harbor ceremonies. That was the highlight of our trip. If you have the opportunity to run another race, I suggest doing that.

I was warned about the amount of people running this marathon so I came into it with no expectations of having a decent finish time. It's advertised as having 34k+ runners but many less than that showed up, closer to 24k. I'm a local so the weather didn't bother me as much as folks from cooler climates. My plan was to park near the zoo and take the bus. I was there early and all the street parking was blocked off. I ended up parking across from the Hale Koa and walking to the start which worked out very well. The start line was a madhouse and I jumped into the moving crowd of people with no idea where I was. No corrals and I didn't see any signs of where to line up. Unless I totally missed them, I didn't see any restrooms after the start until mile 6. Luckily some restaurants had their doors open and welcomed us. The Christmas lights and decorations in town were really beautiful. The finish area could be organized better. I would compare this race to Disney in that it was very crowded, plenty of people unfamiliar with race etiquette, lots of folks taking pictures, etc. Don't take it too seriously. If you are on Oahu on vacation for this race, get out of Waikiki and explore the rest of the island. It really is gorgeous. I'll do it again because I live close but I would recommend looking at other islands if you want to check Hawaii off your marathon list. And the expo was meh. For such a major marathon it was a letdown.

I decided to do Honolulu as part of my 50 states quest and a vacation celebration of 25 years of marriage. We stayed at the military hotel, so we were able to get a break in the price and stay out of some of the madness. Approximately 30000 registered for the race but only 22009 showed up to run and many of those were Japanese runners treating this as a destination marathon. The pros and cons were: Pros 1. Lots of support on the course 2. Frequent water stops with water, Gatorade, sponges, and PowerGel. 3. Fireworks at start 4. No time limit 5. Nice medal and finisher tech shirt 6. Well prepared medical staff Cons 1. Lame small expo with many booths having little running connection 2. No easy transportation to start or from finish 3. Bags with clothing needed to be checked day before race at finish line 4. Out and back 10 miles of course on highway with no shade that compounded high temp and high humidity weather that is common for the marathon 5. Insufficient portapotties and placed too close to start 6. Pace signs at start, but no corrals so many runners did not line up appropriately 7. Sold as destination run to many Japanese runners many of whom were not adequately prepared 8. Finish line poorly arranged forcing runners to walk long distances to claim medal, finisher shirt, and post race food. 9. Registration was over $150 unless you registered in the first few weeks or were a local I recommend considering a marathon on one of the other islands or coming into Honolulu with significantly reduced expectations.

If you want to run a marathon and then have a nice relaxing vacation after...make sure you book a flight to Kauai after the race! Or at least head to another quieter part of Oahu. Waikiki is busy, loud, crowded, and very touristy. Several local businesses accept Yen so we starting calling the race the 'Little Tokyo' Marathon. I'm a 4+ hour marathoner and I wasn't looking to PR. If you want to run Honolulu for time, train for heat and get close to the front. It was one big 30,000 runner wave at the start and many runners had smartphones or cameras and were taking pictures. I saw one guy take a pic of the 1K sign and thought 'is he going to do that for all 42?' There were a lot of tourist runners. I had to run around droves of people walking and taking photos. The COURSE - mostly flat except at mile 23-24 around Diamond Head (ugh) and scenic after the sun came up and you could see. Best part was the final couple miles down to the finish! Worst was the heat and humidity, even with the very early start. ORGANIZATION - mostly good with lots of aid, water, and ice cold sponges. They were prepared for heat. The shuttle was really fast and efficient. Start was a MESS but they did have fireworks! The streets were wide the first few miles so it wasn't too crowded even with a single wave start, but they had early water stations on just ONE side of the street&can you say STAMPEDE! Worst part was the finish line. You mean I just ran 26.2 miles and I need to walk WHERE to get my medal? It was like trying to find a piece of cheese in a maze, and yes it was on the OTHER side of EVERYTHING. The FANS - they were scattered along the course, slightly less than LA Marathon but better than Surf City, and they were loud and full of encouragement. The best turnout was all through Waikiki and the big loop at the turn around point. HIGHLIGHTS - visiting Pearl Harbor on Dec-7, the post-race 'Becado' cheeseburger at Teddy's in Waikiki, five peaceful and relaxing days in Kauai, and crossing Honolulu and Waikiki off the bucket list!

This was my 33rd marathon, including large and small races. The race line up was very confusing. My friends and I couldn't even find the corrals. Crowds were everywhere. We weren't even sure we were in the crowd for the marathon, there were no fences to separate spectators from the runners. The pre race logistics were poor, not specifying where general parking was, where the exact start was, descriptions were broad. The expo was disappointing, not many vendors and seems like most of it was geared towards the Japanese participants with the signage in Japanese mostly. Plus, the set up of the booths were not set up in logical rows, so I am sure booths were missed. The course was good, pretty in some parts, challenging and friendly. There was plenty of water stations which were needed and the sponges were great. The medal was sub par. I would have thought for a big marathon like this it would have been a good looking one with a great ribbon. I like the finisher shirt, but usually at this price you would get a t shirt pre and possibly post marathon. There was a lot of Japanese people screaming into microphones, which was hilarious. The finish line was also confusing, medals being a distance from the finish. I had to ask several people where to go to get it and the food tents seemed to be for the Japanese as well as the gimmicky tents. I felt like I wasn't in my own country. So, having said all that I would not recommend it to my friends for any other reason than getting another state.

I really enjoyed this race. There were, however, some logistical problems I think that could be easily resolved to make this a great race. 1. The porta-potties were lined up along the road next to each corral making it difficult to get to the road. (Move these on the other side of the canal). Another issue with these which was totally humorous was the ratio of MEN/WOMEN signs on them. In one section there were 8 women signs and 2 men signs. Ratio of men to women in race is relatively equal. I have never seen a race with SIGNS on the porta-potties 2. I was asked twice to move from the corral indicated pace (2:00-3:00) section which I did, but was unable to return when the 3:00-4:00 wave was moved up. I ended up standing behind two guys with full back-packs on (about 500 deep). (Color coded sticker on race numbers might help, else why did we even submit projected times) 3. For mile markers, the first one was easily found, but I did not see another one until 5 miles (glow sticks, lights, etc would help, and yes, I know most participants look for the kilometers, but we are still in the US). I did enjoy the crowd support along the way. Although most of them spoke Japanese, this inspired me more since it was different and more distinct than the usual 'Good Job' and added to the atmosphere of the race. I totally enjoyed the sponges at the different aid stations later in the race. I took full advantage and I believed this help keep my cooler in the warm temperatures. The post-marathon activities were a bit sub-par for such a big/expensive race. Different varieties of food would've helped. I didn't mind going the extra distance for the medal/finisher t-shirt. The water sprinkler (shower) right after the finish line was amazing.

I actually was in the 2003 Marathon but this won't let me enter that. I loved this event because it was my first marathon and because there were a lot of people on the track going at different paces so you are never alone on the track. Also, the spectators are everywhere cheering you on. Also the scenery and the route can not be beat. It' Hawaii for heaven's sakes!!

INTRODUCTION: I am a race-walker with a median marathon completion time of 5:14:54. The Honolulu Marathon was my twenty-seventh 26.2-miler accomplished. COURSE: It was already 73 degrees at the 5 a.m. start, a few clouds, 76 percent relative humidity with a 9 mph wind from the northeast. The long, entertaining fireworks display temporarily distracted us from remembering we were to embark on a marathon. Beginning on Ala Moana Boulevard at Queen Street, we headed off to the edge of Chinatown before circling back eastward toward downtown, passing mile 2, Iolani Palace, King Kamehameha Statue, and City Hall, fronted by a non-traditionally attired Santa Claus displaying the shaka sign to all who passed by. Continuing eastward, we later returned to the place where we started just short of four miles earlier, this time heading in the opposite direction toward Waikiki. With shops and hotels lining the boulevard, Kalakaua Avenue was Waikikis answer to the Las Vegas Strip, but with far less wattage. Things began to quiet down at mile 6, where we entered Kapiolani Park, the site of our finish line festivities. A mile later, we began our ascent on Diamond Head Road. The course narrowed down to one lane, making it difficult for those of us who prefer to charge up a hill rather than hang loose, easily adding a half minute to our pace at this point. The congestion cleared a bit upon reaching the summit, and as the sun rose, we rounded Diamond Head and faced our second ascent as we approached 22nd Avenue at mile 9. Entering the Waialae district, we soon encountered the Kalanianaole Highway at mile 11, which was to be our home for most of the next eleven miles. As we headed away from the city center out to Hawaii Kai, we had access to two of the three eastbound lanes, and the moderate headwind gave us relief from an otherwise difficult weather situation. The flat, asphalt artery afforded us views of Koko Crater as we approached Maunalua Bay Beach Park, where we headed inland and circled the Hawaii Kai marina and returned to Kalanianaole Highway now heading back toward Waikiki, where we would have only the far right eastbound lane at our disposal. By the time we reached the Waialae Country Club boundary at mile 22, the weather started to get warm, and the scant cloud cover did little to help. After two miles of flat terrain in one of Honolulus pricier neighborhoods, we began the ascent of our final hill as we soon came to retrace our steps on Diamond Head Road, which gave us one last spectacular view of the Pacific. After reaching the peak just before mile 25, it was all downhill as we returned to Kapiolani Park and the finish line, which we had a clear view of from 4/10 mile back. A shell lei was waiting for each one of us as we completed this years second largest U.S. marathon. Weather conditions at the finish: approximately 81 degrees, partly cloudy, 60 percent relative humidity, and 13 mph wind from the east, with gusts up to 26 mph. ORGANIZATION: While the spacious Kamehameha Hall in the Hawaii Convention Center would allow for otherwise, the expo was small for a marathon of this stature. (On the flip side, one had plenty of elbow room at this venue.) But size of the expo should not be confused for the quality of service provided by the volunteer staff that went out of their way to accommodate the marathon visitor. Also of interest at this expo were the enlarged photographs of some of the more famous (not necessarily elite) runners who have participated in this race over the prior 39 years. No problem with the 2:00 a.m. bus service that shuttled us from the Honolulu Zoo parking lot to the start at Ala Moana Park. All 26 mile and 42 kilometer markers were visible and in the right place. And while it was unusual to be required to venture far from the finish line to obtain ones finisher medal and tech tee, there were a sufficient number of signs to lead the runner to the right location. The next day finisher certificate pick-up in Kapiolani Park started on time and was efficiently executed. FANS: Some observers showed up early to see us tens of thousands at the start and travelling down Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki, and there were some associated with the Japanese tour groups on hand to cheer us on every now and then. The greatest concentration was reserved for the final stretch on Kalakaua Avenue in Kapiolani Park, to the point where the enthusiastic crowd took much of the course away from the participants. CONCLUSION: Given the 6 hour 9 minute average completion time, one would surmise that this marathon was for the everyman. No other city would have celebrated the 24117th place 14:21:41 finisher with the same amount of enthusiasm as the 2:12:31 winner. And just about every everyman from Japan and the United States showed up to be a part of it. This race clearly demonstrated the aloha spirit, where everyone can just hang loose and enjoy. Mahalo nui loa, Honolulu.

I read all of the comments that so many runners posted over the last many years about this race. Quite honestly, I was so worried about all of the horrible things that were going to take place, that I was about to cancel my trip. But I decided not to and I am glad I didn't. Let me discuss the good and bad. Expo. This was not up to par for a large race such as this. Not many vendors and the main vendor, Addidas Japan pretty much monopolized the entire expo. Why not invite all of the major running and athletic companies and let them compete? It would have been great to have seen Nike, Mizuno, Brooks, Garmin... I could go on and on. Please consider this for next year as it would really help the runners! Go visit Chicago if you want to see a first class expo! The start. Even though there were no corrals, I thought it was fine. Plenty of toilets were appreciated. Good announcers. Everyone was nice and in good spirits. Yes, it was a bit of a cluster f_ _ _ at the beginning but show me a marathon with over 25,000 people that is not. Good job here! Runner etiquette. I am a mid-packer, so my comments should be taken as such. I thought the etiquette was on par with any other race. The Japanese people were extremely polite, great spirited, and I did not experience ANY problems with them lined up blocking the course. The race would not be the same without them so please don't complain! The course. It was nice. Started out through downtown. Fireworks were fantastic. Some areas very scenic, some were not so. Much of it (I think from about mile 11 to 20) was run on an out and back highway. Still was nice and saw some cool residential areas. Mostly flat. Anyone who thinks this is a hilly course has never really experienced HILLS! I was waiting for the big hill at the end coming up Diamond Head and it was tame! Be careful when sun comes out. Be prepared with hat/sunscreen/neck protection. It does get hot. Fans. I must admit, I was prepared for the worst. I read that the Japanese who line the course will ONLY cheer for Japanese runners. That is SO untrue. Whenever I passed a large group of Japanese cheering on the side I would give them a thumbs up and they LOVED IT and gave me even more energy back. They were great. Don't let anyone else fool you... this would not be such a cool race had it not been for all of the energy on the sidelines! Water stations. Not bad. Sometimes got a little clustered up, but again... there were 25,000 people running so give them a break, they were all working HARD! And the water was CLEAN! People in previous threads said the water was from trash cans. Simply not true. It was held in large industrial sized water containers made for this purpose. It was cold and refreshing. I do not drink Gatorade so I could not comment on this other than it looked like there was plenty! Volunteers. They were awesome. What else can I say other than the race would not go on without them! Porta-potties on course. Could have used more. The last thing anyone wants to do is to wait in a ten minute line. I didn't wait in the lines. Yes, I was the one stealth peeing when I could! One time I peed behind a clothing donation trailer only to find that I wet a few articles of clothing. Sorry! Food on course. I carry my food and gels. There was gel distributed by official race volunteers as well as occasional pretzels, candy, etc by residents. Thanks. Finish area. TOTALLY FINE! When you cross the finish line, yes... you do have to walk a little bit to get your shirt and medal. But it was not a mile like many said previously. Give the race directors a break, this finishers area was actually set up very nicely. Maybe a few more signs would have helped but come on, there was NO WAY to miss the tent that was giving out the shirts/medals. And yes there were real medals. There was plenty of food this year at the finish. I saw bagels, bananas, and these really cool looking deep fried donuts and you could take as many as you wanted. So please don't complain about an apple and cookie. Just not true. Summary. This was an incredible race. I will DEFINITELY do it again. Will skip a year due to the long travel and expense but I will be back in 2014. Hawaii is a beautiful place and I want to give my thanks to the local residents, the race directors and everyone else that made this marathon happen. Sorry about all of the negativity on this forum about the race. In my opinion, it just doesn't seem to add up. See you back in Honolulu.

Course rating is low as it is filled with throngs of runners who are busy stopping to take pictures, talking or texting on their phones. It's also narrow in places at the start so with 20,000+ runners it becomes a slow slog. I never fought so hard for road real estate in the fifty plus marathons I have run. If there was ever a race that needed a wave start for runners who needed to prove their split times, this is the one. The race organization is fantastic. Great volunteers at the water stops and traffic control. Thank you volunteers. You always make the day! They had ice at many water stops and a fill system for your water bottle that was terrific. Transportation to the race start was efficient and very well-run. Take a light with you to use the port a potties as they're very dark at 4 am and there's no cover in the park. The park bathroom is lit but you're going to wait a very long time to use it so that leaves the plastic box. Everybody is 'in-tune' with the racing tourists and so nice and accomodating. This year was hot and humid so enjoy the destination. It's Hawaii.

OK, it was Hot, Humid and Hilly and the start was crowded. And we enjoyed it anyway. Amazingly well organized expo. The ice and sponges at the water stops were very much appreciated. Beautiful weather, lovely scenery, enthusiastic volunteers and spectators and many other activities in the area for friends and family. Highly recommended.

I wanted to say that choosing the Honolulu Marathon as my first marathon was a great choice! I was scared not knowing, because I never ran one! However, because of the support of Mom who did the marathon before gave me great advice. Also, doing the Marathon readiness series helped me a lot! I enjoyed doing this marathon. I think others should as well.

Dec. 11, 2011-This was my first marathon. The course was fantastic. The Honolulu Marathon is clearly loved and supported by so many residents of this island who could not have been nicer or more accomodating. Finishing in Kapiolani Park was an awesome experience! It was a priviledge to be there and be part of such an amazing event.

This was a brilliant experience for a first time marathoner as organisation is very good and has a very relaxed atmosphere. For a 5am start the spectators were amazing in number and noise, and an impressive fireworks display sets the runners off. Only slight negative for organisation is the number of walkers who managed to start at the front and subsequent requirement to dodge them for the first couple of miles. The course itself it pretty flat with the exception of Diamond Head at miles 9 and the 23 on the way back (the latter being a near killer for me). Temperature also not too bad, but I would advise traveling at least a week beforehand if you are not used to running in an average close to 25 degrees. The humidity is actually worse for the first few hours - i.e. if you will be around 4hrs race time then it will affect you worse than the temperature will. This being my first I set a PB, but I wouldn't expect to ever do so again at this race. Lots of water, (diluted) Gatorade and sponge stations after the first few miles - crucially these were nearly always ice cold. And remember, even if everything is horrible you still get to go to Hawai'i.

I really enjoyed this marathon! In spite of the climate, it was a succesfull experience for me!!! I would like to participate in it again!!

After reading previous comments regarding the marathon, my friends and I were expecting to be elbowed off the course, lack for aide along the way and have little support after the race. What we did find was that the expo was well organized - we didn't need to speak Japanese - and there was a decent selection of clothing. The fireworks at the start of the race was impressive and the 5am start in the dark was fun. We didn't have any trouble with making our way under the street lights. Every water station served up icy cold water in large cups which was very refreshing. There were no gels but we were prepared for that. The course was mostly flat and Diamond Head was not a huge challenge. It seems that the organizers listened to previous suggestions because along with a seashell necklace, we also received a medal for our efforts. We also got more that a piece of fruit at the end. A big, warm donut awaited us at the finish. In our group there were 4 first-time marathoners and they all enjoyed their first marathon experience. No complaints in this group.

Wonderful race, You do feel like you are running a race in Japan but what of it? Everyone added to the spirit of the race. Who could not be moved by the courage of the 11 year blind girl who finished. And lets not forget that JAL is the major sponsor. I had no difficulty entering the seeded coral despite it being unenforced. The sponges were the coldest I ever had and the shower at the finish line unmatched. Be prepared for one of the largest fields and plan ahead. My hat off to anyone that can attack that hill at mile 25!

For starts, many thanks to the countless volunteers that helped make this event happen. Overall I had an enjoyable experience, but there is lots of room for improvement. This marathon is way overpriced for what you get. I am not expecting a five meal course at the end of any marathon, but the food options for this event were pathetic. The start of the race could be better organized. Leaving seeding on the hands of runners when you have over 22K participants is pretty chaotic. The finish area wasnt all that great either. My biggest pet peeve was that overly diluted drink they were handing out as Gatorade and the fact that the volunteers were not wearing any gloves. To boot, the water/Gatorade was being dispensed from trash barrels that were not lined with a plastic bag. Pretty gross and very poor hygiene practiced at this race. Moreover, other than water and diluted Gatorade nothing else was provided on the course. Thankfully, there were some spectators handing out peices of bananas and oranges on the course. Also, for those of you traveling from the mainland be aware that this marathon is catering to Japanese runners. I felt like I was running in Japan and most of the spectators and signage were in Japanese. Not a bad thing, just something to be aware of when considering this race.

I ran Honolulu as my first marathon. I fared well and the course was fantastic. The weather was the only thing which wasn't perfect but I didn't mind a little wind and rain at the start, some rain at the finish when I flew in from snowy Chicago. I am glad I trained indoors to acclimate to the higher temps. There was water every 2.5 miles and fans had occasional snacks. The famous sponges were a nice treat. Watch out for the Diamond Head hill at mile 9, especially at mile 25 on the way back to the finish line.

Don't get me wrong, I really love this race and have looked forward to it every year since moving here. My likes are far to numerous to mention, suffice it to say I love virtually everything about it with two glaring exceptions. 1. Finishers medal and T-shirt. The finish area is very poorly set up with finishers having to traverse quite a distance to recover their shirt and medal. It's been mentioned before, but apparently the race committee doesn't care. They keep doing it. 2. Lack of facilities for locals, specifically parking. Everything about this race is geared towards the tourists. A little concern for local runners, ie; providing some sort of parking would be of benefit. Having all the major parking areas within several miles of the start blocked off by police was a bit of a downer and a definite dissatisfier for this runner. Otherwise enjoyed it.