The Honolulu Marathon starts at 5 a.m. this morning, and you better get out of the way.

More than 23,000 runners are registered for the 26.2-mile race, with about 60 percent of them from Japan. The course starts on Ala Moana Boulevard, across from Ala Moana Beach Park, goes to Hawai'i Kai, and ends at Kapi'olani Park.

Beginning at 12:30 a.m. Sunday, one or more lanes will be closed and/or coned until the runners complete each section of the course. Tow-away zones are in effect from 1 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday.

People can go to www.honolulumarathon.org to track the progress of any marathoner through five checkpoints.

Sharing duty as official starters will be President-elect Barack Obama's sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, Mayor Mufi Hannemann and Japan Airlines President Haruka Nishimatsu.

Among the men's favorites are Kenyan Jimmy Muindi, who won his sixth Honolulu Marathon in nine years last year; his brother-in-law, Patrick Ivuti, and fellow Kenyan and 2008 Los Angeles Marathon winner Laban Moisen.

In the women's field, Russia's Alevtina Biktimirova returns to defend her 2007 crown. She'll face competition from Kiyoko Shimahara of Japan, Alice Timbilili of Kenya, and three-time winner Lyubov Morgunova and 2005 winner Olesya Nurgalieva, both from Russia.