Marathon entries from Japan down 40 percent

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the United States' subsequent response, Japanese entries for next month's Honolulu Marathon are down 40 percent from last year.

To date, the Honolulu Marathon Association has received 6,279 entries from Japan, down from 10,591 last year.

"The major issue is people may be afraid to travel," said marathon association president Jim Barahal. "We usually get all of our Japanese entries in September and October. I think a lot of people are waiting until the last minute and watching to see how world events progress."

The association earlier extended its Japanese deadline by two weeks, to Nov. 15, to give potential entrants more time to decide.

Since the mid-1990s, Japanese runners have accounted for more than half of each year's marathon field. Prior to the terrorist attacks, all indications pointed to an increase in overall participation, Barahal said.

Non-Japanese entries, including those from Hawai'i and the Mainland, are up by about 500 from last year.

Before the latest entry numbers became available this week, Barahal said the association would consider a 20 percent drop in Japanese participation a "major success" given the current situation. Now he and the association are waiting to see if the traditional last-minute entry surge will move figures closer to that goal.

"I'd say we're hanging tough right now," Barahal said. "We'll be strong, just not as strong."