My marathons

Honolulu Marathon

05:005:00 AM Honolulu
A frame from the Honolulu Marathon course film Watch the course 4:00

Imagery: Google Earth and its imagery providers

The course

Pick a place, or drag along the profile

A slow rise of 30 m to km 13, downhill from km 15 to km 28, then flat home.

StartFinish

© OpenStreetMap contributors

  1. Photo: Edmund Garman from Salem, Oregon, USA, CC BY 2.0
  2. Photo: Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC0
  3. Photo: The U.S. Army, Public domain
  4. Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown, Public domain
  5. Photo: Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view from Los Angeles, USA, CC BY 2.0
  6. Photo: Janine from Mililani, Hawaii, United States, CC BY 2.0
  7. Photo: Daniel Ramirez from Honolulu, USA, CC BY 2.0
  8. Photo: ErgoSum88, Public domain
  9. Photo: Nesnad, CC BY 3.0
  10. Photo: Daniel Ramirez from Honolulu, USA, CC BY 2.0

km 3.1mile 1.9

Aloha Tower

Ten storeys, the tallest building in Hawaii when it opened in 1926. The first Honolulu Marathon, in December 1973, started at its foot at 6:30 am.

Photo: Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC0

Height drawn many times taller than life. Heights: USGS 3DEP 1 m digital elevation model.

Course elevation profile, 8× vertical exaggeration Elevation along the course from km 0 to km 42. The trace runs between 2 and 32 metres, a range of 30 metres, drawn at 8 times vertical exaggeration so the shape is legible. Smoothed over 1 km before this profile was derived. An unsmoothed urban surface carries the buildings and would assert a climb that is not there. The dashed stretches are bridge decks: Kalakaua Avenue, over the Ala Wai Canal, km 7.2 to 7.3; Kalaniana'ole Highway, bridge, km 24.4 to 24.5. A bare-earth model reads the ground or the water beneath a bridge, not the deck the runner is on, so those runs are interpolated between the ground either side rather than measured, and they under-report the real climb across a span.
0 10 20 30 40 km
0 10 20 26.2 mi

Dashed: bridge

  • slow rise to 13
  • downhill to 28
  • flat home

Your 5 gels, at the orange marksFor a 4:00 finish, one every 40 minutes

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Get them on AmazonAmazon partner link

The course in short 2 lines
  • Diamond Head, climbed at km 12 and again at km 39One summit, climbed from both sides, and it is the highest point of the course twice over.
  • Fourteen kilometres within 2 mBetween the two climbs the profile is a flat line.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
km 11 to 40GradientDiamond Head, climbed at km 12 and again at km 39One summit, climbed from both sides, and it is the highest point of the course twice over.

Away from it the course stays low, so the profile has two big bumps and they match. Going out, the road rises 28.8 m between km 11.3 and km 12.9, to 32.2 m. Coming home it rises 28.6 m between km 37.7 and km 39.7, to 32.1 m, and then falls to the finish by km 41.3.

The second climb arrives at km 38, with the whole course in the legs. It is the same height as the first, and it is the last obstacle between the runner and the finish.

Measured

km 20 to 34GradientFourteen kilometres within 2 mBetween the two climbs the profile is a flat line.

Between the hill on the way out and the hill on the way back there is no climbing to speak of. For 14 km, from km 20 to km 34, the elevation varies by about 2 m. The first 11 km are just as flat, between 1.9 and 4.6 m, so the only real climb before the half is the single hill at km 12.

Start and finish are at the same height to within half a metre (1.9 m and 2.4 m), so the point-to-point course nets out at zero.

Measured

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Honolulu, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile. Honolulu stays within 30 m98 ft of height, so they go by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Order by 22 November to test them on two long runs first.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
climb
88.3 m290 ft

A pre-dawn start against December heat and humidity, on a course with no time limit.

The Honolulu Marathon is a point-to-point course of 42.2 km (26.2 miles) with 88.3 m (290 ft) of climbing. Its lowest point is 2 m (7 ft) and its highest 32 m (105 ft) above sea level. Next race: Sunday 13 December 2026, starting at 5:00 AM.

Race week

Expo and bib pickup at Hawaii Convention Center, 1801 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii 96815

Timetable

Thursday 10 December Expo

  1. 10:0010:00 AM–18:006:00 PM

    Honolulu Marathon Expo and packet pick-up (day 1) Hawaii Convention Center, 1801 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii 96815. Expo and mandatory packet pick-up open; late entries are also taken here.

  2. 10:0010:00 AM–17:005:00 PM

    Free Waikiki Trolley shuttle to the Expo Loop from Waikiki (Duke Kahanamoku Statue, DFS, Hilton Hawaiian Village) to the Hawaii Convention Center

Friday 11 December Bib pickup

  1. 09:009:00 AM–19:007:00 PM

    Honolulu Marathon Expo and packet pick-up (day 2) Hawaii Convention Center, 1801 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii 96815

  2. 09:009:00 AM–18:006:00 PM

    Free Waikiki Trolley shuttle to the Expo Loop from Waikiki to the Hawaii Convention Center

  3. until 18:556:55 PM

    Kalakaua Merrie Mile packet pick-up deadline Hawaii Convention Center, 1801 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii 96815. All registered milers must collect their race packets from the Expo by 18:55 on Friday, December 11.

Saturday 12 December Last bib day

  1. 09:009:00 AM–17:005:00 PM

    Honolulu Marathon Expo and packet pick-up (final day) Hawaii Convention Center, 1801 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii 96815. The Expo closes at 17:00 sharp; there is no race-day pick-up and packets are not mailed.

  2. 09:009:00 AM–16:004:00 PM

    Free Waikiki Trolley shuttle to the Expo Loop from Waikiki to the Hawaii Convention Center

  3. 10:0010:00 AM–17:005:00 PM

    Clothing Check-In (bag drop) opens at the finish area Kapiolani Park, finish area. Bags must be in the clear official bag labelled with the runner’s number collected at packet pick-up; there is no clothing check-in at the start area on race day.

  4. until 17:005:00 PM

    Marathon packet pick-up deadline Hawaii Convention Center, 1801 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii 96815. Runners must collect their own bib in person with valid photo ID and their race-week bib-number email; nobody may collect on a friend’s or family member’s behalf.

  5. until 17:005:00 PM

    Late entry registration closes Hawaii Convention Center, 1801 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii 96815. Late entries are accepted at the Expo up until 17:00 on Saturday, December 12.

  6. 19:007:00 PM

    Parking ban takes effect around Kapiolani Park Kapiolani Park and its parking lot. No parking is allowed in or near Kapiolani Park after 19:00 on the Saturday before the race; unauthorised vehicles are ticketed and towed.
Side events (2)

  1. 06:006:00 AM

    Kalakaua Merrie Mile start area opens Monsarrat Avenue, Honolulu. Participants meet from 06:00 and listen for their wave to be called to the starting chute.

  2. 07:007:00 AM

    Kalakaua Merrie Mile start Monsarrat Avenue, Honolulu (turnaround at 2424 Kalakaua Avenue, finish at Queens Beach). One-mile road race started in waves based on predicted finish time, followed by a beach festival area with medals and post-race food.

Sunday 13 December Race day

  1. 02:002:00 AM–04:004:00 AM

    Complimentary shuttle from Honolulu Zoo to the start Honolulu Zoo to Atkinson Drive & Ala Moana Boulevard. Shuttle capacity is limited and not guaranteed; the organiser recommends walking or being dropped off.

  2. until 03:403:40 AM

    Car drop-off on Waimanu Street closes Waimanu Street (via Pensacola, exit mauka on Piikoi). After 03:40 drop-off moves to Pensacola Street / Kaimaile Street or Piikoi Street / Kapiolani Boulevard.

  3. 05:005:00 AM

    JAL Honolulu Marathon start Ala Moana Boulevard / Queen Street Extension, by Ala Moana Beach Park. Mass start lit by a full fireworks display; all start groups, including the invited elites, start at 05:00

  4. until 05:305:30 AM

    Start line closes Ala Moana Boulevard. All participants must have crossed the start line by 05:30

  5. 09:309:30 AM

    Public buses begin picking up finishers Monsarrat Avenue bus stop between the Kapiolani Park Bandstand and the Honolulu Zoo. Approximate time; Oahu Transportation Service (OTS) public buses.

  6. until 15:003:00 PM

    Clothing Check-In bag collection deadline Kapiolani Park, finish area. Bags not collected by 15:00 will be donated to charity.

  7. Time not published

    Colour-coded start group staging Ala Moana Boulevard and Ala Moana Beach Park. Bibs are colour-coded by predicted finish time: WHITE elite, GREEN 2:30-3:59, BLUE 4:00-4:59, ORANGE 5:00-5:59, PURPLE 6:00+. Runners assemble beneath the banner of their colour, and entry to the start area is only from Piikoi St, the back entrance off Atkinson Dr, or from Waikiki, never from in front of the start line.

  8. Time not published

    No course cut-off: the finish line stays open Kapiolani Park. "There is no cut-off time!" The finish line at Kapiolani Park remains open until the last person has finished and all starters are permitted to finish regardless of their time; participants must remain in motion and officials may remove anyone for safety reasons. No aid station closing times are published.
Other races (2)

  1. 05:005:00 AM

    Start to Park 10k start Ala Moana Boulevard / Queen Street, Honolulu. Starts at the same time and place as the marathon and finishes 10 km into the marathon course at Kapiolani Park; no time limit.

  2. Time not published

    Awards ceremony (elite, wheelchair and Kama’aina divisions) Bandstand, Kapiolani Park. Age group and resident awards are not presented here; they can only be collected at Finisher Monday.

Monday 14 December The day after

  1. 08:308:30 AM–16:004:00 PM

    Free Waikiki Trolley shuttle to Kapiolani Park Loop from Waikiki to Kapiolani Park

  2. Time not published

    Finisher Monday Kapiolani Park (the finisher village area). The day after the marathon: finisher certificate collection and lamination, official merchandise, the finisher booklet, and the only chance to collect marathon age-group awards (top three men and women per age division), which are never mailed.

  3. Time not published

    Virtual Beachfest window opens The 2026 Virtual Beachfest can be completed anywhere from December 14, 2026 to January 14, 2027.

Times as published by Honolulu Marathon Association, in Honolulu time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Honolulu time

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

Honolulu Marathon Association, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

Make your postcard

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Questions about the Honolulu Marathon

Is the Honolulu Marathon course flat?

Not entirely. It has 88.3 m (290 ft) of climbing over 42.2 km (26.2 miles). The highest point is 30 m (98 ft) above the lowest.

When is the Honolulu Marathon 2026?

Sunday 13 December 2026. The start is at 5:00 AM.

How do I enter the Honolulu Marathon?

Entry is through the organiser. Entry fee: US$255 (US$320 from abroad, for the 2026 race). Entry details on the organiser’s site

2 more questions
Where does the Honolulu Marathon start?

Start: Ala Moana Boulevard / Queen Street Extension, by Ala Moana Beach Park.

Is there a video of the Honolulu Marathon course?

Yes. A 3D flyover film of the whole course, start to finish (4:00), plays at the top of this page.

In the news

All race news →

Sources and licence

Last checked.

Course line matched onto OpenStreetMap road geometry: (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License 1.0 (ODbL). Elevation sampled from USGS 3DEP 1 m digital elevation model (bare earth).

Elevation gain computed by us from that line, smoothed over 1 kmsmoothed over 0.6 mi.

The line follows the road down its middle, so it measures 0.76% longer than the certified distance, which is measured on the shortest legal line through every bend.

Date and entry information from Honolulu Marathon Association.

Film built from Google Earth imagery, credited on screen.

Rendered from USGS 3DEP 1 m digital elevation model (bare earth) (Public domain (work of the United States Government)), OpenStreetMap (Open Database License 1.0 (ODbL)).

Every source and licence behind them →

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