Over the years, some things have become common knowledge among the Honolulu Marathon community of runners:

The Honolulu Marathon is always staged on the second Sunday in December.

Gatorade is better than Amino Vital.

Jonathan Lyau will win the Kama'aina Award.

Lyau, 43, earned the distinction of being the fastest Honolulu Marathon finisher from O'ahu with a 2:47:52 finish in yesterday's race. It was the 14th time Lyau has won the kama'aina category.

Lyau placed 25th overall and first among all runners from Hawai'i.

Honolulu's Rachel Ross, 31, was the top female kama'aina winner with a time of 3:12:19.

Lyau, who has been recovering from a spate of injuries this year, didn't start training until October. It hardly mattered.

Lyau spent much of the race by himself.

"I normally try to get behind people to draft, but no one was around me," he said. "I just ran conservatively."

And while winning may never get old, Lyau did find a way to add a new wrinkle to this year's race. Like several other runners, Lyau experienced stomach problems during the race and had to visit the Port-a-Potties for the first time in his marathoning career.

"I wonder if the Gatorade was too strong," Lyau said, echoing the comments of other runners at the finish area. "It got progressively bad after I drank the sports drink."

That, in addition to his late training start, likely was a factor in Lyau's time.

"It was my slowest Honolulu," he said.

HPU'S DALGAARD, KONA'S WEE TOP LOCAL WINNERS

Hawai'i Pacific University oceanography major Esben Dalgaard was the top local male finisher, though he needed to find race officials just to verify he ran the race.

Dalgaard, 22, who recently finished his eligibility for the HPU cross country team, ran with the leaders of the women's race for most of the marathon. He finished in 2:36:40, but his name wasn't listed on initial posts of results. Officials were later located and clarified the matter.

"It was a really good pace," Dalgaard said. "That was pretty much what I was hoping for."

HPU teammates followed him throughout the course, even bicycling out to Hawai'i Kai, to lend support.

"They helped picked it up, yelling and stuff, and giving me times," Dalgaard said.

Bree Wee, 27, of Kailua, Kona was the top local female finisher in 3:03:10. The award is given to local residents who didn't grow up in Hawai'i.

SOEJIMA, RICE-KAMANU WIN WHEELCHAIR TITLES

Early morning showers may have cooled off runners, but it also slicked the race course and made it difficult for wheelchair competitors.

Masazumi Soejima of Japan won his third straight men's wheelchair title, while Susannah Rice-Kamanu of Sand Island won the women's race.

Soejima, 37, finished the course in 1:33:17. Byun Hoon Yoo, 35, of South Korea was second in 1:45:11.

"The rain was bad on Diamond Head," Soejima said. "I don't like racing in rainy places, but I had fun."

Soejima's main competition, seven-time winner Krige Schabort of South Africa, pulled out of the race due to — what else? — stomach problems.

John Greer of Kalama Valley was the top Hawai'i finisher in 2:59:54, eighth overall.

"It was brutal," Greer, 43, said of his sixth marathon. "I was slipping the whole way. I had no traction on my gloves. I actually thought about stopping because I was wasting so much energy."

Greer is part of a training group that includes his wife, Christine, Rice-Kamanu and Dawna Zane of Honolulu — the women's runner-up in 3:38:34.

"After the 17-mile mark I started feeling tired but I caught a second wind," Rice-Kamanu, 38, said of her second marathon.

Wakako Tsuchida of Japan, the 2003 and 2005 women's winner, didn't compete yesterday due to an illness.

Soejima and Tsuchida won this year's Boston Marathon.

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