The Honolulu Marathon events — the marathon, the Start to Park 10K and the Kalakaua Merrie Mile — are closing in on surpassing peak 1995 attendance, when Japanese marathoners ruled the roads.

Japanese participation has recovered to 70% of pre-pandemic numbers, outpacing the overall recovery of Japanese visitors to Hawaii, said Jim Barahal, Honolulu Marathon Association president and CEO. However, Barahal said this year’s Honolulu Marathon and 10K on Dec. 8 and the mile event on Dec. 7 are dominated by offshore visitors from nations outside of Japan. Mainly from the U.S., those runners in their 20s and 30s are coming to Hawaii as part of a post-COVID-19 running boom.

“We’re way up from last year,” Barahal said. “Right now we have 22,693 in the Marathon, up 24% from 2023, and the Start to the Park 10K has 8,093, which is up 18% compared to last year. It’s going really well, and the numbers are really picking up from outside of Hawaii.”

Barahal said across the three events as of mid-­November, more than 20,000 offshore runners had registered, making up 61% of the entries compared with 39% from Hawaii.

“The main draw for the Honolulu Marathon is Hawaii itself,” he said.

He said some 10,000 runners are from Japan, which is up about 10% from 2023. Barahal said there are also some 10,300 offshore runners, from nations outside of Japan, with about 9,000 of those coming from the U.S. mainland.

Before online entries closed Thursday, he said he expected those numbers to climb as well. “We are expecting another 1,600 entries so the three events are going to push to about 35,000 participants, which means we are on track to bring in more runners than our peak year in 1995, when we had 34,434 entries. We think this is going to be our largest combined event in history.”

Barahal said 63% of the Honolulu Marathon runners in 1995 came from Japan, and now runners from Japan represent about 31% of the entrants for the three events, so “we are seeing almost a complete flip now. There’s been a real shift in the demographics.”

He said Japanese runners are much older now, while U.S. entrants are skewing younger.

“The largest age group coming from Japan is the 50s, maybe because the yen-to-dollar exchange rate has increased the cost of coming here,” Barahal said.

In comparison, he said the largest age group from the mainland is runners ages 20 to 30, and more than half are doing their first mara­thon. Barahal said the Honolulu Marathon holds appeal for newcomers because it does not require qualifying times and allows all participants to finish.

“There’s no question that there’s a new running boom going on, at least in the United States. The social aspect of running has been growing a lot in the last few years, and I think it’s a post-COVID phenomenon,” Barahal said. “I don’t think that U.S. trend is going away. If the yen recovers a bit over the next few years, I think we will see astronomical entries because we’ll keep the U.S. runners and get more from Japan.”

Eric Takahata, executive director of Hawai‘i Tourism Japan, said in an email that Japan Airlines reports that marathon event entrants from Japan will top 2023 with over 10,000 runners in attendance.

Tetsuya “Ted” Kubo, president and chief executive officer of JTB Hawaii Inc., said the travel company is seeing about 30% more Honolulu Marathon-related travelers this year compared with 2023. Kubo said the increase in marathon package sales has made it feasible for JTB to bring back its higher-­amenity marathon tent serv­ice for the first time since 2019.

Kubo said even with the Honolulu Marathon strengthening, the forecast for arrivals from Japan through the end of the year is expected to be only about 50% of its 2019 pre-­pandemic level.

“It’s been a steady but somewhat slow recovery,” he said.

That reality, Barahal said, is part of the reason that the Honolulu Marathon applied for its first HTA Signature Event funding, which provided $250,000 and was used this year mainly to capitalize on favorable running trends from the mainland.

Daniel Naho‘opi‘i, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority interim president and CEO, said in an email that HTA proudly supports the Honolulu Mara­thon as a signature event that drives tourism, bolsters the economy and showcases Hawaii’s unique culture.

“The surge in participation underscores the Marathon’s role in boosting tourism revenue through visitor spending on accommodations, dining, and local businesses, aligning with HTA’s mission to promote sustainable economic growth,” he said. “Sports diplomacy is also a critical strategy of drawing visitors to a destination for a common interest, building travelers’ relationships with the destination for future leisure travel.”

Barahal said the changing mix of runners has been healthy for business, as has the development of other products like the Start to Park 10K, which covers the first 10K of the marathon course and ends in Kapiolani Park where participants may wait for their marathon-running friends and family.

Barahal said the Kalakaua Merrie Mile, a 1-mile race in Waikiki held at 7 a.m. Dec. 7 and followed by a beach party, is growing in popularity and is expected to attract more than 3,000 participants.

He said 16 of the world’s top milers, nine of whom ran in the Olympic trails or marathon this past year, will race following the Kalakaua Merrie Mile.

“The course records for the world-class mile event are very fast. The mile will go well under four minutes for the men, and we do that as a chase, so the women this year will get a 32-second head start and the men will chase them,” he said. “The first to cross the finish line will receive $4,000. We’ll be going for the American record in the mile, which we currently hold on the men’s side, the fastest road mile ever run in the United States — 3 minutes, 55 seconds is the number to beat for the men, and the woman’s record is 4 minutes, 23 seconds.”

Barahal said the Honolulu Marathon Association for the first time will livestream the world-class mile event, which takes place from about 7:45 to 7:50 a.m. Dec. 7, on www.Honolulu marathon.org. He predicts lots of Japanese viewers will tune in to the livestream to watch Japan’s most famous runner, Nazo­mi Tanaka, 25, who ran in the Paris Olympics.

He said the return of defending Honolulu Marathon champions Kenyans Paul Lonyangata and Cynthia Limo will raise excitement over the 26.2 miles. Barahal said there is plenty of prize money across many categories, with the top two runners and the top two wheelchair winners also receiving solid gold medals, which are made by Honolulu Marathon sponsor SGC Co. Ltd. and worth more than $17,000 each.

The success of events like the Honolulu Marathon, which has risen in popularity to the nation’s fourth- largest marathon, has HTA looking for its own sports tourism win.

Ilihia Gionson, HTA public affairs officer, said in an email that HTA’s budget for sports and signature events was $7.3 million in fiscal year 2025, and the board-­approved budget request for fiscal year 2026 is $9.9 million.

“HTA supports high-­profile sports and signature events that bring community benefits and opportunities for Hawaii’s residents, attract participants and attendees from outside the state, and provide opportunities for marketing globally,” he said. “Sports tourism, in particular, has become the fastest-growing segment of the global travel industry.”

As part of its sports marketing strategy, Gionson said HTA is focused on developing new sports partnerships that generate economic impact while delivering positive community benefits.

“By leveraging sports diplomacy, HTA is positioning the Hawaiian Islands as a leader in sports tourism, drawing global attention and creating opportunities for community engagement and development,” he said.

Naho‘opi‘i said in the months ahead HTA is supporting many marquee sporting events, including the return of the Maui Invitational to Lahaina, World Surf League’s 2024 Hawaiian Islands Present HIC Hale‘iwa Pro, t he Honolulu Marathon and the PGA Tour, which kicks off in January with The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on Maui, followed by the Sony Open in Hawai‘i on Oahu and Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai on Hawaii island.

“These events are all opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy high-caliber sports while supporting our islands’ small businesses and contributing to regenerative tourism in action,” he said.