The Hapalua: Hawaii's Half Marathon

Everything you need to know about the Hapalua Half Marathon in Honolulu

The largest half marathon in Hawaii, The Hapalua (Hapalua means half in the Hawaiian language) starts in Waikiki and runs through Honolulu and up and around Diamond Head, with the stunning views that this brings. Organised by the team that has done such a great job with the Honolulu Marathon there is no time limit and you're well rewarded at the end with a great medal and some local delicacies.

---

Honolulu

Located on Oahu Island, Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii, with a population of around 350,000. Known for its long board surfing at Waikiki Beach, it offers world class shopping and dining and some of superb natural landscapes, including Diamond Head, that plays such an important role on this stunning Hapalua Half course. More on that later.

There is so much to see in Honolulu, even though many visitors find it hard to pull themselves away from magnetic Waikiki. The beaches are breathtaking and with surfing lessons on offer in multiple locations, this is a great place to have a go for the first time. Try snorkelling at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, or experience ocean kayaking at Kaneohe. If that's not your thing there are plenty of sightseeing opportunities. Don't miss Iolani Palace, home to Hawaii's last two monarchs and the only royal residence in the US. Over the road is the bronze King Kamehameha statue, created in honor of the monarch who unified the Hawaiian Islands. Another important statue and one you'll see on race morning is the Duke Kahanamoku statue in memory of the surfer who popularized the sport around the world.

West of Honolulu is Pearl Harbor, a sombre place, but an essential visit to understand its global significance. It's a National Historic Landmark that includes the USS Arizona Memorial, a battleship sunk in the 1941 attack. There's plenty to see outside of the main tourist areas, including areas like Kalihi, where you'll find markets serving poké, a very local delicacy; cubes of seasoned, raw fish served with pickled vegetables. There's also great food in Chinatown, where you can grab dim sum and barbecued ribs. At night, this is one of the cool places to experience Honolulu nightlife. However you want to celebrate after running the half, you'll be able to do it in Honolulu.

The history of the Hapalua Half Marathon

The Hapalua and its Chase were conceived by Honolulu Marathon Association president Jim Barahal, the head of the Honolulu Marathon Association The Chase idea puts four top athletes, who are invited to the Island for the occasion, against 22 of the islands’ top runners.

The very first Hapalua Half was held in March 2012, with 2000 runners, and only 100 coming from off-island. It now has a field of 10,000, with many thousands coming from mainland USA and Japan.

Race Organiser

The Honolulu Marathon Association, the organisers of the Honolulu Marathon.

When is the Hapalua Half Marathon?

The race is held annually in April

Distances

Half Marathon

Is there an Expo?

There is an expo at the Hawaii Convention Center, 1801 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu,on Friday and Saturday where runners collect their rack packet, containing race BIB number, pins, timing chip, commemorative T-shirt, and a complimentary Hapalua bag. There is also the official, clear clothing bag to be used at the bag drop. The bag drop is in the finisher village by the finish line. There are no race packets available on race morning.

How many runners?

10,000

The course

It's a nice early start as you'd expect in somewhere with a hot and humid climate. At 6am, the first runners leave the Duke Kahanamoku statue start line on Kalakaua Avenue, with exact start timings based on anticipated finish time. From here it's west, the ocean on the left, past Fort De Russy and along the Ala Moana Blvd to the impressive Ala Moana Shopping Center just before the two mile marker. It's the eighth largest shopping mall in the United States and the largest open-air shopping center in the world! The Ala Moana beach Park is on the left and this carries on for a further half mile. At 4 miles runners come to the Aloha Tower. It's an historic icon, built in 1926 and standing at 184 feet tall. Located on Pier 9 of the Harbor, the tower was seen as a symbol of welcome to ship passengers who arrived on O‘ahu in the days before mass air travel. Just past here, at River Street, runners turn east, heading past the King Kamehameha statue that marks the 8km point.

The Aloha Tower at mile 4

At 10km it's back to the Ala Moana Shopping Center. It's then past the Hawaii Convention Center, where race bibs were collected and on to Waikiki, an amazing place to run. Although it's still early there's plenty of support through here as friends and family make plenty of noise. At 14km the course turns gently north east to the last stretch, the hugely memorable run around Diamond Head. This 760-foot crater is one of Hawaiʻi's most famous landmarks. Formed over 100,000 years ago, it was used as a strategic military lookout beginning in the early 1900's and was named a National Natural Landmark in 1968. Known as Lēʻahi (brow of the tuna) in Hawaiian, the crater was named Lēʻahi Head by 19th century British sailors who thought they discovered diamonds on the crater's slopes, but instead they were worthless . calcite crystals of no value. The views from here are stunning and if you need a break at the highest point is a decent place to take one! Coming off Diamond Head Road, there's around a kilometer to go on Kalakaua Ave, heading west to the finish line in Kapiolani Park, where the fun starts. There are the famous Hawaiian Malasadas, plenty of other food and drink and lots of music.

The awesome Diamond Head. The last part of the course is around (not directly up!) this famous Honolulu landmark

There are 7 Aid stations along the course with water and Gatorade and energy gels available at mile 9. Temperatures at the start will generally be in the mid 60s (Fahrenheit) reaching the low 80s (Fahrenheit) by 10:00 AM. Come prepared for the heat and the humidity.

What's unique?

Not a huge amount as there are plenty of similarities with the full marathon course, but if you're looking to test yourself over the shorter distance and are saving the full for another day there is plenty that's unique. The run through Waikiki will stick with you for a long time!

Do charities benefit?

There is a small charity programme, but it's in its infancy. Runners can select their own preferred charity and fundraise for them, but there isn't a series of official charity partners with direct affiliations with the event at the moment.

Our verdict

Any running event in and around Waikiki is going to be special and when it's organised by the team responsible for the Honolulu Marathon you know it will be well organised and deliver what's promised. Numbers at this event are sure to grow in time and this will become one of the bigger half marathons in the US. For now, you can get an entry easily, so make the most of the opportunity and do it while you can. It's an early start, so don't rely on crowds, but the scenery should be enough to keep you motivated all the way round.

How to register

Online via the website. It isn't a sell out but it will close before race day.

Race website

https://www.thehapalua.com/