Oahu residents are urged to be patient and to be on the lookout for suspicious activity Sunday as more than 32,000 runners hit the streets for the 46th annual Honolulu Marathon and the companion Start to Park 10K run.
“It’s a special marathon for a most incredible place,” Mayor Kirk Caldwell said during a news conference Friday. More than half of the participants for the weekend’s events are coming from out of state, and those who do “take that specialness of who we are back with them,” he said.
Like other major cities that host marathons, Honolulu began ramping up event security following the 2013 Boston Marathon where three people died and hundreds were injured after two homemade bombs were detonated near the finish line.
“We never want something like that to occur here,” Caldwell said. “I believe it can’t because we have an incredible group of safety officers in the Honolulu Police Department, we have the military here and we’re on an island. But we need the public to remain vigilant. … If you see something, say something.”
Key city agencies have established a unified command center, and police, fire and emergency services departments will have additional personnel on standby.
The Department of Emergency Management will monitor for any suspicious activity with the help of 53 video surveillance cameras throughout the course. Meanwhile, Department of Facility Maintenance crews have been fixing potholes along the route to ensure a smooth running surface.
The 26.2-mile marathon begins at 5 a.m. Sunday at Queen Street and Ala Moana Boulevard. The route skirts downtown Honolulu briefly before heading east along Kapiolani and Ala Moana boulevards, through Waikiki via Kalakaua Avenue and on to Kahala and Kalanianaole Highway into Hawaii Kai before doubling back to the finish line at Kapiolani Park.
The Start to Park 10K follows the same path but ends in Waikiki as the marathoners head to East Honolulu.
Honolulu Police Department Maj. Joseph Trinidad said motorists should anticipate delays along the route and plan ahead before traveling.
HPD and marathon officials set up a 673-5472 hotline to field complaints and public safety tips.
Marathon president Jim Barahal said the event hires 400 to 450 special-duty officers to augment HPD’s patrol staff along the route.
About 27,000 people are expected to run the marathon, including 16,000 from out of state, with roughly 12,500 from Japan, Barahal said.
An additional 5,500 or so are expected to participate in the Start to Park 10K race, with about 3,000 from out of state, including roughly 2,700 from Japan, he said.
The Kalakaua Merrie Mile, which takes place at 7 a.m. today, will have about 2,200 participants, with half from Hawaii and about 700 from Japan.
