Security at Sunday’s Honolulu Marathon will be tighter than in past years given recent attacks at large gatherings, race officials said.
Honolulu Marathon Managing Director Ricky Taniguchi described race security as “the largest ever” and “extremely enhanced” from past years.
There have been no credible or direct threats to the marathon,” said Dean Chappell, FBI Honolulu acting special agent in charge, “but we are prepared to respond in partnership or collaboration.”
Taniguchi said officials are mindful of potential threats since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing; several recent high-profile van and truck terrorist attacks in New York, London and Spain; and the mass shooting in Las Vegas. “All of these events have adjusted our thinking,” he said. “There’ll be 400 Honolulu Police Department officers on event day, and we’re expecting 20,000 people to be in the crowd.”
Melvin Kaku of the city Department of Emergency Management said security personnel, traffic cameras and multimedia, including social media, will be used to monitor the route. Officials said drones will not be allowed to fly over racers or crowds.
The race is expected to draw 28,000 runners, down about 2 percent from the 28,664 participants last year, said Jim Barahal, Honolulu Marathon president and CEO. A fee hike to $45 from $32 may have contributed to a drop in early entries by some 3,000 runners, but an uptick every month since April chipped away at it.
“By race day, attendance could be even. Even if it’s not, our revenue is up, and we’ll probably be ahead of the $130 million that we generated last year for Hawaii’s economy,” he said.
Adjustments will be made to traffic and bus schedules along the route.
Some lanes will be closed as early as 12:30 a.m. Sunday, reopening as runners clear the route. Tow-away zones also will be in effect from 1 a.m. until 5 p.m.
For information on bus routes that will be disrupted, call TheBus or visit 808ne.ws/marathonbus. For questions regarding Honolulu traffic closures, email info@honolulumarathon.org.
