The Honolulu Marathon is just three months away, but it’s already on track for record-breaking numbers.
Runner sign-ups are elevated in a huge way. Marathon President Dr. Jim Barahal thinks it's in part due to a resurgence in the sport.
The marathon also received funding from the Hawaiʻi Visitors and Convention Bureau for the first time in its 53 years.
Barahal crunched the numbers and said that as of early September, the marathon has over 32,000 entries.
“This year we're tracking to about 45,000,” he said. “It's going to be huge, staggering growth, about 28% from last year and about 60% over a two-year period. So it's growing rapidly, which is pretty amazing for an event that's been going on for 53 years now.”
And what about participation from international and U.S. entries?
Barahal told HPR that the marathon is close to seeing 13,000 participants from Japan, a 28% increase from last year. And California has always been its largest market on the U.S. continent.
"We're up 128% in a two-year period from California, 44% from last year. So that's huge growth. Internationally, Canada from last year is up 36% and over a two-year period is up 65%. Europe, we’re up 19% and over a two-year period, we're up 61%. South Korea, we’re up 289% from last year," he said.
“Granted, those aren't big markets, ... but it shows that the growth is coming from all over.”
Barahal said that there is no question that this resurgence is related to a running boom.
This year, Japan Airlines will be the title sponsor of the marathon, and Barahal hopes that this title sponsorship will deepen the relationship between Hawaiʻi and Japan.
“I think that this title sponsorship is such a huge commitment from Japan Airlines that they really see the Honolulu Marathon as an important event, and they really see Hawaiʻi as a key market,” he said.
“The exchange rate is still problematic. It's stabilized a little bit, but I think once the exchange rate does come down some more, I think we'll see more people from Japan, and if you put that on top of the growth we're having from other markets, I think the marathon can get even bigger in the years to come.”
The 2025 JAL Honolulu Marathon is on Dec. 14, 2025. Click here to sign up.
This story aired on The Conversation on Sept. 4, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn adapted this story for the web.
