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On average, about 25,000 runners finish the Honolulu Marathon each year. In recent years it has consistently placed among the world's ten largest marathons in terms of total finishers, due largely to the popularity of the race among runners from Japan.
Entry to the Honolulu Marathon is open to anyone who can pay the entry fee. Unlike other marathons of similar size, popularity, and stature, there are no qualifying standards to meet, no fixed limits on the number of runners, and no time limit to finish the course (all runners are officially timed).
Starting across from Ala Moana Beach Park, the course progresses west along the waterfront toward downtown Honolulu, then turns east through Waikiki, around Diamond Head, and out toward the eastern suburbs of Honolulu before turning 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 relatively hilly course compared with other marathons.
Many winners of the Honolulu Marathon have gone on to win prestigious marathons such as the Boston Marathon, and some have won medals in the Olympic marathon after winning in Honolulu.
In 2003, a total of 22,161 people finished the race, of which 14,183 were from Japan. Jimmy Muindi of Kenya won the men's race in a time of 2:12:59, while Eri Hayakawa of Japan was the first female to cross the finish line in a time of 2:31:56.
The men's course record for the Honolulu Marathon is 2:11:43, set by Ibrahim Hussein of Kenya in 1986. The women's course record, set in 2000 by Lyubov Morgunova of Russia, is 2:28:33.