Honolulu Marathon
Sunday, December 13, 2026 · Honolulu, USA (Hawaii) · 5:00 AM
Updated May 2026
No time limit, no qualifying requirement, no field cap. Among major marathons, uniquely positioned for recreational/destination running. Heat ceiling (high humidity + tropical conditions) is the dominant performance limiter, not elevation.
Coach Martin Karoki Muriuki's training partners in Nyahururu have raced Honolulu Marathon over the years — a rare insider perspective on a destination race that sits outside the typical Kenyan elite calendar.
Match with a Kenyan coach for this race →The score breakdown
The Kenyan Running Difficulty Index combines four weighted factors. The heaviest weight (35%) is on Tactical Brutality. That is what a Kenyan coach watches first: where the field actually blows up.
- The dominant difficulty driver is atmospheric: tropical heat + humidity.
- Late-stage Diamond Head climb at mile 24 plus the heat ceiling produces high Tactical Brutality despite low topographic stress.
- Course record (Ekiru's 2:07:59) is roughly four minutes slower than the same elite tier produces at flat cool-weather courses. That quantifies the heat-ceiling penalty.
Score confidence: preliminary. Computed from public course, weather, and prize data; calibration against 5K split data and coach review is in progress.
Course profile
- Elevation gain
- 139m / 457ft
- Elevation loss
- 138m / 455ft
- Highest point
- 38m
- Surface
- paved smooth
- Late-stage climbs (after mile 18)
- Second Diamond Head crater climb near mile 24 — a demanding ascent very late in the race.
- Profile notes
- More than 80% of the course features grades of less than 1%. Elevation concentrated in two Diamond Head loops.
Race day
- Date
- Sunday, December 13, 2026
- Start time
- 5:00 AM
- Field size
- 22,000
- Time limit
- None — finish line stays open until last runner finishes
Weather (historical)
- Median temp
- 24°C
- Humidity
- Consistently high humidity throughout
- Wind
- Variable coastal trade winds on exposed highway sections
Prize money
- Total purse
- $130,000+
- Winner
- $25K
- Time bonuses
- Sub-2:10 (M) / Sub-2:27 (W) yields $5,500; Sub-2:07 (M) / Sub-2:24 (W) yields $8,500
- Notes
- Winners uniquely receive a medal made of pure gold, valued at approximately $27,000.
Course records
Recent winners
Top East African winners (Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda) across the last 10 verified editions: 10 men, 8 women.
| Year | Men's winner | Time | Women's winner | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Tsegay Weldlibanos (ERI) | 2:13:39 | Calli Hauger-Thackery (GBR) | 2:30:44 |
| 2024 | Yemane Haileselassie (ERI) | 2:11:59 | Cynthia Limo (KEN) | 2:31:13 |
| 2023 | Paul Lonyangata (KEN) | 2:15:41 | Cynthia Limo (KEN) | 2:33:01 |
| 2022 | Asefa Mengstu (ETH) | 2:14:40 | Asayech Ayalew Bere (ETH) | 2:30:58 |
| 2021 | Emmanuel Saina (KEN) | 2:14:30 | Lanni Marchant (CAN) | 2:41:24 |
| 2019 | Titus Ekiru (KEN) | 2:07:59 | Margaret Muriuki (KEN) | 2:31:09 |
| 2018 | Titus Ekiru (KEN) | 2:09:01 | Vivian Jerono Kiplagat (KEN) | 2:36:22 |
| 2017 | Lawrence Cherono (KEN) | 2:08:27 | Brigid Kosgei (KEN) | 2:22:15 |
| 2016 | Lawrence Cherono (KEN) | 2:09:39 | Brigid Kosgei (KEN) | 2:31:11 |
| 2015 | Filex Kiprotich (KEN) | 2:11:42 | Joyce Chepkirui (KEN) | 2:28:34 |
Training for Honolulu Marathon?
A static plan is a starting point. What changes when a Kenyan coach reads your week-by-week training is the part a generic plan can't do. Take the free 5-question quiz to get matched.
Sources
- https://www.honolulumarathon.org/
- https://www.honolulumarathon.org/key-information/course-description
- https://www.honolulumarathon.org/key-information/awards-divisions
- https://www.honolulumarathon.org/supreme-gold-company-is-bringing-a-golden-touch-to-our-finisher-medals
- https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/11/25/this-year-honolulu-marathons-top-finishers-get-more-than-prize-money-they-get-real-gold/