Joyce Chepkirui’s community is benefiting from her Honolulu Marathon victory.

Chepkirui used part of her $40,000 prize money from last year’s Honolulu Marathon victory to build Aloha Estate, self-contained living units in her hometown of Iten in Kenya. The name reflects the first marathon victory of her career, as does the style and look of the units. The pineapple logo and green and yellow color scheme are images she and her husband Erick Kibet picked up here. The first phase accommodates eight families and three more are being planned.

Chepkirui became the first Kenyan woman to win the Honolulu Marathon last year by finishing the 26.2-mile race in 2 hours, 30 minutes, 23 seconds. Honolulu was the first marathon she won, although she was known more as a 10-kilometer runner at the time. The 27-year-old wants to win Sunday’s Honolulu Marathon again, which starts at 5 a.m.

“I was very happy, and even my family, they were very happy, too,” Chepkirui said. “I pray to God to win again.”

Chepkirui is coming off a mid-October victory at the Amsterdam Marathon where she ran a personal best of 2:24:11. Much like last year’s victory in Honolulu, Chepkirui and Kibet, her training partner and coach, ran together. In both races and like their training sessions, Kibet served as a pacesetter. At Honolulu last year, he kept track of the time, ran in front of her during a strong headwind and rain and provided words of encouragement. In both races, he eventually dropped back and let her run away for the victory.

Kibet, who finished 10th in Honolulu last year, isn’t racing Sunday but will be cheering her on. During their training runs, which includes three other male pacesetters, he reminds her to be patient. She recalled a 40-kilometer run (24-plus miles) when she wanted to stop.

“I was feeling very tired,” Chepkirui said. “I tell him I have to stop here. He told me, ‘no, Joyce, be patient, it’s only 2K (left).”

Patience and training are two components she relies on to get through races. She trains at a high altitude in Kenya and recent workouts included interval runs of 1,000-meters done 10 to 15 times and six 3,000-meter runs. There are also half-marathon workouts at a 73- to 74-minute pace. To prepare for Honolulu’s heat, she ran at 10 a.m. instead of earlier in the cold morning.

“When I was in Kenya, I know here is going to be very hot, so I trained at 10,” Chepkirui said.

Chepkirui placed 10th at April’s Boston Marathon in 2:29:07 and said she’s become more comfortable competing at that distance. Last year, she won gold in the 10,000-meter run at the Commonwealth Games and African Championships before shifting to marathon training.

“I think now I’m confident with the marathon,” Chepkirui said.

Isabella Ochichi of Kenya, last year’s third-place finisher, is back in the field, along with fifth-place finisher Woynishet Girma of Ethiopia. Girma won in 2011 and finished second in 2012 and 2013, missing out on winning the race by eight seconds in 2013. Also in this year’s field is Ethiopia’s Aheza Kiros, who finished fourth in 2014.

Kenya’s Lucy Karimi and China’s Yingying Zhang will make their Honolulu debuts. Karimi had a personal best of 2:27:08 at the Dubai Marathon this year. Zhang has the best time in the women’s field at 2:22:38 — though it was set back in 2008.

MARATHON REGISTRATION

Runners can still register for the marathon and pick up their race packets by Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Honolulu Convention Center. No packets will be distributed on race day.

TRAFFIC CLOSURES

Traffic closures along the marathon route will start Sunday at 12:30 a.m. Areas of downtown, Kakaako, Ala Moana, Waikiki, Diamond Head and east Honolulu will beaffected. There will be lane closures, tow-away zones, and rerouting of TheBus. More information is online at www.honolulumarathon.org/event-info/traffic-advisory/