JAL Honolulu Marathon
A pre-dawn fireworks start launches runners through downtown history, Waikiki, and twice around Diamond Head, finishing in Kapiolani Park as the morning heat rises. Open to all with no time limit and no qualifying standard required.
The course.
Race-day weather.
Mid-December in Honolulu means tropical conditions even at the 5am start: lows in the upper 60s, climbing past 80°F by mid-morning. Humidity is typically 70 to 80 percent. Trade winds along the Kalanianaole Highway out-and-back are a defining factor.
Entry.
Open registration. There is no official time limit on the marathon and no field cap. Most international runners (particularly the large Japanese contingent) register through tour package operators. The race is famous for welcoming first-timers, walkers, and run-walkers; everyone who starts is welcome to finish.
Register on race siteLogistics.
HNL, 8 mi from the start.
From the community.
Race history.
Founded in 1973 by Dr. Jack Scaff and Dr. Jim Barahal as a community fitness event, Honolulu grew from 167 finishers to one of the largest marathons in the world in the 1990s when Japanese running tourism took off. It is consistently the most international US marathon by participant share.
First run in 1973. Roughly 22,000 finishers in a recent edition.