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Event Information:
The
Honolulu Marathon is the world's
sixth largest marathon. It takes
place annually in Honolulu, Hawaii
on the second Sunday in December.
The race began in 1973. During its
formative period (1973-1978) the
Honolulu Marathon doubled in size
every year - a rate that has been
equaled only once. That growth, like
the growth of long-distance running
itself, came about not from an
interest in competition, but from a
quest for personal longevity and an
enhanced quality of life.
At the
forefront of the growth of the
Honolulu Marathon was cardiologist
Jack Scaff, one of the first
physicians to prescribe running as
therapy for heart disease. In 1977
Sports Illustrated's senior writer
and Olympic marathoner Kenny Moore
wrote a feature story about the
race. That article was soon followed
by the book "The Honolulu Marathon,"
by journalist Mark Hazard Osmun; the
book was a revelatory chronicle of
the then-unfolding social craze
called the "Running Boom," as
exemplified in the Honolulu event.
Starting near Ala Moana Beach Park
across from Ala Moana Center, the
course progresses west along the
waterfront toward downtown Honolulu,
then loops through downtown and
bends back east through Waikiki,
around Diamond Head, and out toward
the eastern suburbs of Honolulu,
winding through Hawaii Kai before
doubling back toward the finish line
at Waikiki's Kapiolani Park.
Marathoners consider the course
moderately difficult because of the
tropical weather conditions, with
temperatures starting at around 65°F
(18°C) and rising to as high as 80°F
(27°C), and a relatively hilly
course compared with other
marathons. Nevertheless, the race
also remains a popular choice for
first-time marathoners.
Although the difficulty of the
course precludes world-record pace
performances, winners of the
Honolulu Marathon have used it as a
stepping stone to greater
achievements. For instance,
three-time winner Ibrahim Hussein of
Kenya later won the Boston Marathon
three times; and 1993 winner Bong-Ju
Lee won the silver medal in the 1996
Olympic Marathon in Atlanta.
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