Honolulu Marathon officials say they are pleasantly surprised to see a slight increase in the number of runners from Japan signed up for this year's race as the entry deadline approaches.

Marathon president Dr. James Barahal, now in his 21st year with the race, said he had been worried that the downward trend in the number of Japanese visitors to the state over the last decade would erode the number of runners for the annual race.

However, the latest calculations show that entries from Japan are "slightly ahead of last year and the year before," Barahal said. Entries from Japan are on pace to hit 18,000 by race day, which would top the 17,905 that entered in 2006 and 17,345 in 2005.

Another 2,000-3,000 Japan entrants are expected to take part in a shorter walk that is run in conjunction with the Honolulu Marathon.

"It runs completely counter to Japan tourism to Hawai'i which has been steadily dropping for 10 years," Barahal said.

The entry deadline is Nov. 9, although late entries that are hand-delivered will be accepted up until the day before the race. The race is set for Dec. 9.

With fewer flights from Japan, Barahal said organizers were bracing for bad news. "We were hearing different rumors ... we were nervously anticipating those first numbers."

Some Japanese runners sent e-mails saying they had hoped to run the race, but couldn't book a flight. "We know people who have been on waiting lists since September to come for the marathon and they can't get an airline seat," he said.

The Honolulu Marathon is the nation's third largest in the nation behind New York City and Chicago, he noted.

The overall total for mara-thon entries so far is 22,677, and is on pace to reach 30,0000 by race day, Barahal said. The percentage of Japanese runners has exceeded 60 percent in each of the last three years.

Hawai'i Pacific University professor Jerome Agrusa co-authored a study of last year's event and found economic impact of the race eclipsed $100 million for the second straight year .

Runners from Japan spent an estimated $256.20 per day, compared with the $158.20 per day spent by runners from elsewhere, the study found.

Agrusa said the marathon provides a major boost to the economy at a time of year when hotel occupancy usually declines.

Argrusa noted that about 36 percent of last year's marathon runners were first-time visitors.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.