Honolulu Marathon

The Honolulu Marathon (branded JAL Honolulu Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is a major 26.2-mile (42.2 km) marathon in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is one of the world's largest marathons,^[2] taking place annually on the second Sunday in December.^[3] The marathon is popular for its exotic location in Hawaii, and is also popular among first-time marathoners, many of whom are visitors from Japan.

The 2012 Honolulu Marathon was held on Sunday, December 9, 2012. The field for the 40th Honolulu Marathon reached 30,898 entries at the marathon expo at the Hawaii Convention Center. 16,067 of those registered entrants were from Japan. The 2012 marathon was the largest in 15 years, and the second largest in America of 2012, only surpassed by the Chicago Marathon.^[4]

History

Honolulu Marathon 2006

The race began in 1973. During its formative period (1973–1978) the Honolulu Marathon doubled in size every year—a rate that has been equaled only once.^[5] That growth, like the growth of long-distance running itself, came about not from an interest in competition, but from a quest for personal longevity and an enhanced quality of life.^[6] Former Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi has been inducted in the Honolulu Marathon Hall of Fame after documents proved that he was the true founder of the race 40 years ago.

Mayor Fasi died in 2010. With the Honolulu Marathon just days away, race officials say they have undisputed proof that Fasi made it all happen.

"We were clearing out some files and we saw a box labeled 1973 and we saw the documents that showed beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mayor Fasi was the creator and the founder of the marathon," said Jim Barahal, Honolulu Marathon President.

Now drawing more than 20,000 entries a year, the Honolulu Marathon is one of the biggest in the country. Back in 1973, there wasn't widespread interest in it. But Mayor Fasi knew about the Boston Marathon, and saw its potential here. At the forefront of the growth of the Honolulu Marathon was cardiologist Jack Scaff, one of the first physicians to prescribe running as therapy for heart disease. In 1977 Sports Illustrated's senior writer and Olympic marathoner Kenny Moore wrote a feature story about the race. That article was soon followed by the book "The Honolulu Marathon," by journalist Mark Hazard Osmun; the book was a revelatory chronicle of the then-unfolding social craze called the "Running Boom," as exemplified in the Honolulu event.

Over time, the race grew and changed, luring large corporate sponsors and paying substantial prize money to the winners. In 1995, the Honolulu Marathon enjoyed the distinction of being the world's largest marathon when it drew 34,434 entrants and had 27,022 finishers.^[7]

Unique to the Honolulu Marathon among American marathons is its popularity among runners from Japan, where there are very few marathons open to all entrants. In recent years, the majority of entrants have been visitors from Japan. The marathon is popular enough that the Honolulu Marathon Association maintains an office in Tokyo to process entries. Japan Air Lines has been the title sponsor of the race since 1985.

In 2008, 14,406 of the total 23,231 entries were from Japan, which made up nearly 62.0 percent of the field.^[8]

Course

Starting near Ala Moana Beach Park across from Ala Moana Center, the course progresses west along the waterfront toward downtown Honolulu, then loops through downtown and bends back east through Waikiki, around Diamond Head, and out toward the eastern suburbs of Honolulu, winding through Hawaii Kai before doubling back toward the finish line at Waikiki's Kapiolani Park. Marathoners consider the course moderately difficult because of the tropical weather conditions, with temperatures starting at around 65 °F (18 °C) and rising to as high as 80 °F (27 °C), and a relatively hilly course compared with other marathons. Nevertheless, the race also remains a popular choice for first-time marathoners.^[6]

Satellite races in Iraq and Afghanistan

The Honolulu Marathon has been popular with U.S. military personnel stationed in Hawaii. With many Hawaii-based troops deployed abroad, the marathon coordinated with the military to organize satellite marathon races on U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan on the same day as the main race, with finishers receiving the same T-shirts and medals. The first such race was held in 2004 at a U.S. base in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan. In 2005, the marathon organized a similar race at Camp Victory in Baghdad.^[9]

On Dec. 12, 2010, the 43rd Sustainment Brigade, home stationed in Fort Carson, Colo., now deployed to Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, organized a satellite run on the base. Nearly 135 people from several different nations participated in the run.

Finishers

In recent years, on average, about 25,000 runners finish the Honolulu Marathon each year, and it has consistently placed among the world's ten largest marathons in terms of total finishers. Entry to the Honolulu Marathon is open to anyone who can pay the entry fee. Unlike other marathons of similar size, popularity, and stature, there are no qualifying standards to meet, no fixed limits on the number of runners, and no time limit to finish the course (all runners receive an official time and certificate).

Over the past 34 years, more than 585,000 runners have started the Honolulu Marathon, with over 482,000 finishers, for a finishing rate of over 82%.^[10]

Winners

Although the difficulty of the course precludes world-record pace performances, winners of the Honolulu Marathon have used it as a stepping stone to greater achievements. For instance, three-time winner Ibrahim Hussein of Kenya later won the Boston Marathon three times; and 1993 winner Bong-Ju Lee won the silver medal in the 1996 Olympic Marathon in Atlanta.

Men

Year	Athlete	Country	Time
1973	Duncan Macdonald	United States (Hawaii)	2:27:34
1974	Jeff Galloway	United States (Georgia)	2:23:02
1975	Jack Foster	New Zealand	2:17:24
1976	Duncan Macdonald	United States (Hawaii)	2:20:37
1977	Jeff Wells	United States (Texas)	2:18:38
1978	Don Kardong	United States (Washington)	2:17:05
1979	Dean Matthews	United States (South Carolina)	2:16:13
1980	Duncan Macdonald	United States (California)	2:16:55
1981	Jon Anderson	United States (Oregon)	2:16:54
1982	Dave Gordon	United States (Washington)	2:15:30
1983	Kevin Ryan	New Zealand	2:20:19
1984	Jorge González	Puerto Rico	2:16:25
1985	Ibrahim Hussein	Kenya	2:12:08
1986	Ibrahim Hussein	Kenya	2:11:43
1987	Ibrahim Hussein	Kenya	2:18:26
1988	Gianni Poli	Italy	2:12:47
1989	Simon Robert Naali	Tanzania	2:11:47
1990	Simon Robert Naali	Tanzania	2:17:29
1991	Benson Masya	Kenya	2:18:24
1992	Benson Masya	Kenya	2:14:19
1993	Lee Bong-Ju	South Korea	2:13:16
1994	Benson Masya	Kenya	2:15:04
1995	Josia Thugwane	South Africa	2:16:08
1996	Erick Kimaiyo	Kenya	2:13:23
1997	Erick Kimaiyo	Kenya	2:12:17
1998	Mbarak Kipkorir Hussein	Kenya	2:14:53
1999	Jimmy Muindi	Kenya	2:16:45
2000	Jimmy Muindi	Kenya	2:15:19
2001	Mbarak Kipkorir Hussein	Kenya	2:15:09
2002	Mbarak Kipkorir Hussein	Kenya	2:12:29
2003	Jimmy Muindi	Kenya	2:12:59
2004	Jimmy Muindi	Kenya	2:11:12
2005	Jimmy Muindi	Kenya	2:12:00
2006	Ambesse Tolosa	Ethiopia	2:13:42
2007	Jimmy Muindi	Kenya	2:18:53
2008	Patrick Ivuti	Kenya	2:14:35
2009	Patrick Ivuti	Kenya	2:12:14
2010	Nicholas Chelimo	Kenya	2:15:18
2011	Nicholas Chelimo	Kenya	2:14:55
2012	Wilson Kipsang	Kenya	2:12:31
2013	Gilbert Chepkwony	Kenya	2:18:46
2014	Wilson Chebet	Kenya	2:15:35
2015	Filex Kiprotich	Kenya	2:11:42
2016	Lawrence Cherono	Kenya	2:09:39
2017	Lawrence Cherono	Kenya	2:08:27 (race record)

Women

Year	Athlete	Country	Time
1973	June Chun	United States (Hawaii)	3:25:31
1974	Cindy Dalrymple	United States (Hawaii)	3:01:59
1975	Jacqueline Hansen	United States (California)	2:49:24
1976	Kim Merritt	United States (Wisconsin)	2:44:44
1977	Cindy Dalrymple	United States (Hawaii)	2:48:08
1978	Patti Lyons	United States (Massachusetts)	2:43:10
1979	Patti Lyons	United States (Massachusetts)	2:40:07
1980	Patti Lyons Catalano	United States (Massachusetts)	2:35:26
1981	Patti Lyons Catalano	United States (Massachusetts)	2:33:24
1982	Eileen Claugus	United States (California)	2:41:11
1983	Annick Loir-Lebreton	France	2:41:25
1984	Patti Gray	United States (California)	2:42:50
1985	Carla Beurskens	Netherlands	2:35:51
1986	Carla Beurskens	Netherlands	2:31:01
1987	Carla Beurskens	Netherlands	2:35:11
1988	Cyndie Welte	United States (Ohio)	2:41:52
1989	Carla Beurskens	Netherlands	2:31:50
1990	Carla Beurskens	Netherlands	2:33:34
1991	Ritva Lemettinen	Finland	2:40:11
1992	Carla Beurskens	Netherlands	2:32:13
1993	Carla Beurskens	Netherlands	2:32:20
1994	Carla Beurskens	Netherlands	2:37:06
1995	Colleen De Reuck	South Africa	2:37:29
1996	Ramilya Burangulova	Russia	2:34:28
1997	Svetlana Zakharova	Russia	2:33:14
1998	Irina Bogachova	Kyrgyzstan	2:33:27
1999	Irina Bogachova	Kyrgyzstan	2:32:36
2000	Lyubov Morgunova	Russia	2:28:33
2001	Lyubov Morgunova	Russia	2:29:54
2002	Svetlana Zakharova	Russia	2:29:08
2003	Eri Hayakawa	Japan	2:31:56
2004	Lyubov Morgunova	Russia	2:27:33
2005	Olesya Nurgalieva	Russia	2:30:24
2006	Lyubov Denisova	Russia	2:27:19
2007	Alevtina Biktimirova	Russia	2:33:07
2008	Kiyoko Shimahara	Japan	2:32:36
2009	Svetlana Zakharova	Russia	2:28:34
2010	Belaynesh Zemedkun	Ethiopia	2:32:13
2011	Woynishet Girma	Ethiopia	2:31:41
2012	Valentina Galimova	Russia	2:31:23
2013	Ehitu Kiros	Ethiopia	2:36:02
2014	Joyce Chepkirui	Kenya	2:30:23
2015	Joyce Chepkirui	Kenya	2:28:34
2016	Brigid Kosei	Kenya	2:31:11
2017	Brigid Kosei	Kenya	2:22:15 (race record)

2007 winner disqualified

Ethiopian Ambesse Tolossa was disqualified as the men's champion because the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency found he had a banned substance in his system.^[11]

Deaths

• 2002 Grant Hirohata-Goto, 33

Timing problems in 2007

In 2007 the Marathon organizers switched from the ChampionChip timing system they had used since 2000 to a new system from SAI which utilized a smaller, lighter, chip implanted in a strip of paper. For a myriad of reasons that are not yet entirely clear (heavy rains, improper usage, failed generators) the timing devices apparently failed to accurately record the start, split and finish times of all 24,300 participants, forcing race officials to manually review finish line video tape of all 24,000+ runners in order to confirm their correct finishing times.^[12]

References

Further reading

• Moore, Kenny (27 February 1978). "Honolulu Marathon Clinic". Sports Illustrated: 60–68. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
• Osman, Mark Hazard (2006). The Honolulu Marathon. Lulu.com. ISBN 0-9673079-2-9. The Honolulu Marathon
• Scaff Jr, Jack (1988). Your First Marathon: The Honolulu Marathon Clinic's Rules of the Road. Honolulu: Kakui Plaza Medical Associates.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Honolulu marathon.

• Official website
• Marathon Info
• Account of the 2004 Honolulu Marathon satellite race in Afghanistan (PDF)
• Honolulu Advertiser - report on 2005 satellite race in Iraq