The Honolulu Marathon is an annual event that takes place along the coast in Hawaii. It is one of the 10 largest marathons in the world with approximately 25,000 runners participating each year.http://www.adventure-marathon.com/Honolulu-Marathon.aspx The first race took place in 1973 with just 151 runners finishing the race. The competition is noted for its high concentration of Japanese participants, which can sometimes account for more than 60% of total entries.http://www.adventure-marathon.com/Honolulu-Marathon.aspx

The event attracts approximately 50,000 spectators each year. For those who wish to participate in the event without running the entire length of the course competitively, a non-competitive 10 kilometer walk is also offered.http://www.adventure-marathon.com/Honolulu-Marathon.aspx The Honolulu Marathon takes place on the second Sunday in December of each year.http://www.hawaiiforvisitors.com/oahu/events/honolulu-marathon.htm

In the 2010 Honolulu Marathon, 22 year old Belainesh Gebre won the race in the women's division. She won the event with a final time of 2:32:13 even though it was her first marathon. She led for the majority of the race, running beside her boyfriend for the duration of the event. Defending 2009 champion Svetlana Zakharova complained that Gebre's boyfriend was passing her water, acting as her coach and giving her illegal assistance. While race officials and photographers who were on site confirmed that they were in fact running together, the victory was allowed to stand.http://www.alohaupdate.com/2010/12/12/2010-honolulu-marathon-results-with-controversy/