Posted on: Saturday, December 8, 2001

Editorial

Honolulu Marathon arrives at needed time

Let's take a break tomorrow from Sept. 11-related travel jitters and money woes, and celebrate the spectacular Honolulu Marathon, and the more than 15,000 out-of-state runners it's drawing to our tourist-hungry shores.

So what if the gridlock keeps East Honolulu residents trapped at home for a few hours? For those whose running shoes are staying in the closet, the race is a great excuse to loll around in bed on Sunday morning or stand outside and cheer the gung-ho and exhausted athletes on.

If not for the Honolulu Marathon, the first two weeks of December in Hawai'i would be flat, visitor-wise. And so the race provides a nice boost to our economy as the curtain draws on 2001, even though the number of Japanese runners, who usually account for about half of the year's marathon field, is down.

The day after the Sept. 11 attacks, only 164 Japanese runners had signed up for the race. But that number has since risen to more than 8,000. That's 8,000 runners, plus family and friends, who will get the message that a trip to Hawai'i remains a rewarding bargain.

Aside from drawing an international crowd, the marathon shows off the best of O'ahu.

Where else in the world can you run a 26.2-mile course that passes the ocean, beaches, mountains, parks, historic monuments, volcanic craters, world-famous Waikiki and the posh mansions of Kahala?

As for the athletes, they're jazzed to be here. And so are we. As marathons go, Honolulu's is a well-organized event, and what's more, it's fun.