Marathon entries down 17% so far

By Sean Hao
Advertiser Staff Writer

Registrations for next month's Honolulu Marathon are running about 17 percent below last year's level on a dip in entries from both Japan and the Mainland.

Through midday yesterday there were 23,655 entries for the annual event, which was down from 28,474 at the same time last year. However, event organizers hope a last-minute rush of registrations for the Dec. 14 event will lift the number of participants to within 8 percent of last year's level of 30,428.

Despite the drop in entries, the 31st running of the marathon is expected to remain among the top six marathons in the world, said Jim Barahal, president of the Honolulu Marathon Association.

Participation "is still outstanding, but I'm a little disappointed," he said. "They're still good numbers. It's still like bringing in a small city from Japan."

So far 14,246 marathon entries have come from Japan, compared with 16,202 this time last year. Mainland and other international registrations also were down, Barahal said.

Barahal pegged the drop to strong participation in last year's running, which was the 30th anniversary of the marathon. In addition, last year's figures were probably inflated by those who were unable or chose not to participate in the 2001 marathon, after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Other factors for this year's decline could include competition from new Mainland venues as well as concerns about SARS among the Japanese, Barahal said.

Even with diminished attendance, the marathon's impact on the local economy will be significant. Last year the marathon, which receives no state subsidies, added an estimated $62.2 million to the state's economy. That eclipses the effect of other big events such as the Pro Bowl, which pumped about $23.84 million into the economy.

"The impact of the (marathon) is almost so big that it's hard for people to get their arms around it," Barahal said.

Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8093.