Sunday morning, a near-record number of racers will take part in the 40th running of the Honolulu Marathon. With registration passing the 30,000 mark, the event nears its high mark of 33,000 competitors, set in 1997.
The arrival of so many visitors has been embraced by the state as a boon to tourism, but it’s a seminal personal achievement for its many participants, some of whom have been training for the better part of a year to take this on. On any level, the marathon has to be seen as a huge success.
The 2012 runners will make their way as usual to Ala Moana Beach Park, where the crack of a gun shatters the Sunday morning peace at 5 a.m. That early start, and the fact that the race happens on the second Sunday of December each year, ensures that the runners will get the coolest hours for their test of endurance, although all but the most elite runners will still be out on the course as the day heats up.
From its humble beginnings — only 167 ran the first Honolulu Marathon in 1973 and only 151 finished — the event has grown in popularity by leaps and bounds. Among its early and still persistent champions is one of its founders, cardiologist Jack Scaff, who in 1974 also started up annual training clinics.
After a few years, the winners’ circle soon became populated with international athletes, with the flags of Kenya, Ethiopia, Russia and other nations being posted next to the runners’ names in men’s and women’s contests.
Many come with compelling stories.This year, Star-Advertiser writer Jason Kaneshiro related the tale of Julius Arile of Kenya, for whom the sport provided a path away from the violent cattle-rustling environment of his youth. Also this year, the race has drawn William Kipsang, another Kenyan, reputed to be the world’s top marathon runner.
What gives the event its most noteworthy international flavor is its popularity with runners from Japan. Typically, they comprise roughly half the field.
Hawaii always is traditionally a big draw for Japanese visitors, but runners especially feel the lure because the Honolulu Marathon lacks the restrictions of similar events in their country. It is open to all; there are neither qualifying times required nor any limit to the number of entries. Two women representing Japan were rewarded with a win: Eri Hayakawa in 2003 and Kiyoko Shimahara in 2008.
Truth be told, some local residents find the race an occasion to grit their teeth for several hours on a Sunday morning. Traffic snarls can wholly disrupt weekend routines; anticipating this and planning a workaround is a must.
For most residents, however, there are many reasons to appreciate the Honolulu Marathon — roughly 107 million of them, to be precise. That’s the estimated dollar impact of last year’s event on the local economy. It’s pretty hard to grouse about that.
Beyond even that advantage, most kamaaina see hosting a world-class marathon as a point of pride. It suits our athletic culture, it showcases our scenic beauty and its open-door policy perpetuates our welcoming traditions.
Aloha, marathoners. We wish you all the wind at your backs — and hope it can be free of vog, which is perhaps the lone, occasional drawback to a long run on a fleet of volcanic islands.
