Another runner might have expressed at least a hint of frustration.

But there isn’t much that can douse Wilson Chebet’s smile.

Chebet won the Honolulu Marathon in the rain in 2014 then lowered his time in each of his next three starts in the event. Yet his chase for a second title yielded three consecutive runner-up finishes.

But each time Chebet remained an upbeat presence in the media tent as he expressed pride in his fellow Kenyans’ achievements and his own.

“Sometimes in marathons everyone has his own day and whenever you finish you have to smile,” Chebet said Friday, two days before his next attempt at that elusive second Honolulu Marathon win.

“Whenever I finish a race no matter the time, I still feel happy because this is my business, this is my duty so I have to be happy with it.”

Chebet will again join the pack of professional runners at the starting line in the dark of Sunday morning. The 5 a.m. fireworks show along Ala Moana Boulevard will send the throng onto the 26.2-mile course that winds out to East Oahu before circling back to the finish at Kapiolani Park.

Chebet covered the route in 2 hours, 15 minutes, 35 seconds when he churned through the rain to win his Honolulu debut in 2014.

He took nearly three minutes off his time in 2015 but Filex Kiprotich pulled away to claim the title. The following year, Chebet finished under Jimmy Muindi’s 12-year-old course record at 2:10:12 but trailed Lawrence Cherono across the finish line.

Cherono lowered the record again last year to 2:08:27 — posting the fastest marathon finish in the U.S. in 2017 — with Chebet placing second at 2:09:55, the third-fastest time in the event’s 45-year history.

Chebet said he enjoys the early start, allowing the elite competitors to finish before the humidity reaches full force, and the support of folks along the route.

“I have a lot of joy, especially when you get the spectators cheering for you,” Chebet said of running in Honolulu. “Some of them know me and they call my name, I feel just really proud. it’s really enjoyable.

“You feel awesome and you find strength without even noticing that you are gaining energy.”

Chebet, 33, plans to compete in marathons for “maybe another four or five years” and hopes to continue to contribute to the Honolulu field in another capacity.

He coordinates a running team in Kenya, Kimomu Training, and has used his earnings in the sport to sponsor runners to compete in various events. Among his goals is to help one or two join him in Honolulu.

“I know at some point before I excelled some other runners used to help us,” Chebet said. “So because I have excelled I have to do the same. … I have to assist the runners in their efforts.”

Cherono did not return for a shot at the third straight Honolulu title, but the three who followed him, including Chebet, are back.

Vincent Yator placed third last year at 2:10:38 followed by Titus Ekiru in fourth at 2:12:19. Ekiru is coming off a win in the Mexico City Marathon on Aug. 26. Philip Tarbei has two wins in Hawaii as the Hapalua half-marathon champion, and will make his Honolulu Marathon debut on Sunday.