HONOLULU (KHON2) — With less than 36 hours remaining, thousands of runners are gearing up to hit the pavement for the 52nd Honolulu Marathon.
Marathon festivities kicked off on Thursday, Dec. 5 at the Honolulu Marathon Expo at the Honolulu Convention Center where folks got to pick up their race packets.
Dr. Jim Barahal, President and CEO of the Honolulu Marathon, said the event has always been popular but this year, it’s even more popular than ever.
“It’s Hawaii and I think it embodies the best of the aloha spirit. It’s a challenging course, but it’s beautiful scenery and a lot of people out there take on that challenge. For many, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Barahal said.
The participants KHON2 spoke to said they were excited to get to the starting line.
I kinda made this goal for myself and just said ‘You know what, I’ll do the marathon.’ So, here we are. I think being able to say that I did a marathon and just be proud of myself for pushing 26.2 miles because not everyone can do that it’s definitely a mental thing so on that aspect of being able to say I did a marathon.
Sydnie Sambueno, Aiea runner
Anyone thinking about running a marathon or getting into running in general should just do it, according to Sydnie.
“It will be hard in the beginning but it’s such a rewarding feeling. When they talk about runners high, it’s real.”
The expo will stay open through Saturday, Dec. 7.
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Runners will take on the 26.2-mile course on Sunday, Dec. 8 which goes from Downtown to Hawaii Kai and ends in Waikiki. Road closures will be in place beginning at 12:30 a.m.