The challenge of this weekend’s stormy weather may have been more stressful for the organizers of the 53rd Honolulu Marathon than the runners.
The Conversation caught up with the marathon association's president Jim Barahal. He was able to exhale after Sunday’s event, which broke records, attracted elite runners from across the globe and cemented the race’s standing in the sports world.
Barahal said organizers had concerns leading up to the event that severe weather could force the race to stop and that its no time limit may affect participants' visibility as the day prolonged.
Fortunately, the event was not impacted by any issues.
“It's also kind of unspoken that this thing is going rain or shine,” Barahal said. “It's the nature of the beast, and the runners know that, and we know that it's going off at 5 a.m. That's one of the beauties of it. There's very few things in life that you can say, I know exactly at the time and place, this is what's going to happen, but we know that going into race week, if it's raining, pouring, whatever, here we go at 5 a.m. but there's definitely an overhang from worrying about what might happen. And we planned for that.”
The Honolulu Marathon also featured the Kalakaua Merri Mile, an accompanying event for friends and family of marathon participants. The race also includes a component of showcasing 16 of the fastest male and female runners.
Barahal told HPR that the marathon has grown dramatically with the help of the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority and sponsors.
“We're up 27% across all markets from last year. We're up 60% in a two-year period. We had over 43,000 entrants this year. We had over 33,000 finishers between the Start to Park 10k and the mile. And so this thing is moving up to the top of the list in the world,” Barahal said.
Barahal added that over 30,000 participants came from outside of Hawaiʻi, bringing an estimated 60,000 people to Oʻahu because they don’t travel alone. He hopes that the event will continue to grow and bring in a market of sports tourism for Hawaiʻi.
The competition broke participation records. Congrats to marathon winners Tsegay Weldlibanos from Eritrea, who ran the men’s race in 2:13, and Calli Hauger-Thackery from England, who ran the women’s race in 2:30. Their high altitude training in Arizona paid off in their winning times.
This story aired on The Conversation on Dec. 16, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn adapted this story for the web.
