For 50 years residents of East Oahu have been trapped in their homes for nearly all of Sunday (“Ethiopians break through in 50th Honolulu Marathon,” Star-Advertiser, Top News, Dec. 11).

No surfing or viewing from Diamond Head, unless you are paying to run. No public use of roads, parks and beaches — that’s the reality of the only marathon in the nation without cutoff times. This allows streets to be closed to taxpayers who pay for them, so that tourists and a smattering of locals can do a leisurely mall stroll, with plenty of rest stops, to the finish line, more than 12 hours later.

I would question if this is an accomplishment or embarrassment. And then consider who profits from this multimillion-dollar event. Does the city rent out the roads and does the public receive any benefit for loss of use and disruption of life? It’s time for the city to represent residents and put cutoff times on the permits it grants to the marathon. That’s the reality.

Bryan Holt

Niu Valley

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