Honolulu · Ian
The Honolulu Marathon Has No Cutoff. Can You Walk It and Still Finish?
There’s no cutoff, but every participant has to cross the start line by 5:30 a.m. Entry fees go up on October 13, and online registration closes December 3.
At 5 a.m.
, fireworks burst over Ala Moana Boulevard. They light up the city before dawn as tens of thousands of people move toward the start line at once.
The Honolulu Marathon is the fourth-largest marathon in the U.S.
, and its official FAQ bills it as “the only world-class marathon that allows ALL participants to finish.” There’s no cutoff.
You can walk. You can’t stop.
1No Cutoff—but You Have to Keep Moving
Does it count if you walk across the finish line? The official FAQ answers that first: There’s no time limit or cutoff, and the finish line stays open until the last participant comes in. Walkers are welcome, and every finisher gets a medal, an official time, and a finisher shirt.
But the same FAQ has another line. Participants must keep moving from start to finish, and race officials may remove anyone from the course for the safety of participants, staff, and volunteers. Nowhere does it say how many minutes you can stand still.
Where you’d expect a list of course cutoff times, there’s just that one sentence. Walking 42.195 kilometers nonstop at 5 km/h takes about 8 hours, 26 minutes. A 6-hour finish works out to 8:32 per kilometer; 7 hours, 9:57; 8 hours, 11:23.
That’s well within walking pace. The real question is whether you can keep going for those 8 hours, 26 minutes without stopping once. At mile 21, with a cramp in the left leg, a runner on the Cheyne Gitsham YouTube channel said: “I’m at mile 21, which means I got five left walking.
Whatever. I’m not going to do sub four, so I might as well just enjoy it.” In Honolulu, walking isn’t dropping out—it’s one way to finish.
JAL Honolulu MarathonSun, December 13, 2026 · D-63 · Honolulu, United StatesSee race details
2The Race Starts at 5 a.m. and Everyone Must Cross the Start Line by 5:30
The race starts at 5 a.m. on Sunday, December 13, at the intersection of Ala Moana Boulevard and Queen Street.
Every group goes off at the same time, but your bib color determines your corral. Corrals are based on the predicted finish time you submit when you register, and organizers ask runners to stick to their assigned color. Every participant must cross the start line by 5:30 a.
m. If you’re lined up in a back corral, that 30-minute window is your first checkpoint. In a video from the night before the race, a runner on the Alexus Cazares YouTube channel laid out the timeline: “Race starts at 5.
I think fireworks starts at 5 and everyone needs to go by like 5:30.” On race morning, the runner woke up at 3 a.m.
and started walking to the start at 4:20. Base your predicted finish time on a previous race, not a goal time.
3The Course Is Flat. The Daytime Heat Is the Variable.
The course starts at Ala Moana, passes through downtown Honolulu and Iolani Palace, runs past stretches hung with Christmas decorations, then heads into Waikiki. The downtown miles right after the start are still dark, and the course heads east toward the sunrise. It then loops around Diamond Head, goes out toward Hawaii Kai, and turns back to finish in Kapiolani Park.
Official course information describes the route as mostly flat, with short ups and downs around Diamond Head. There are 16 aid stations with water and sports drink, plus medical staff. Some 2,300 volunteers work in shifts.
The problem is the temperature. At the start, it’s in the mid-60s Fahrenheit (around 18–19°C), but by 10 a.m.
it climbs into the low 80s (27–28°C). A runner on pace for 7 hours starts at 5 a.m.
and is still on the course at noon. It’s the same 42.195 kilometers for everyone, but the later you finish, the hotter your race. Say you start at exactly 5 a.
m. and run the clock forward: 4 hours means a 9 a.m.
finish; 5 hours, 10 a.m.; 6 hours, 11 a.
m.; 7 hours, noon; 8 hours, 1 p.m.
Official guidance puts it at 27–28°C by 10 a.m. Finish in under 5 hours and you beat it.
Take longer and you’re out there in the heat. And that math doesn’t include the wait before you cross the start line. The farther back your corral, the higher the sun when you finish.
Rain is another variable. The 2025 race was a wet one, and the runner on the Alexus Cazares channel described the last stretch: “It started pouring in the last like 2 kilometers. Like really pouring.
There was flooding.” After hearing about a flood warning the day before the race, the group bought rain gear first. Pack for 27–28°C at 10 a.
m.—and bring a rain jacket.
4Entry Fees Rise in 3 Tiers—the Next Increase Hits October 13
Registration is divided into three categories: Hawaii residents, U.S. and Canadian residents, and international entrants.
Prices increase in stages on June 2, September 8, and October 13. During the lowest-priced tier, from June 2 through September 7, entry cost $195 for Hawaii residents, $215 for U.S.
and Canadian residents, and $260 for international entrants. From September 8 through October 12, the fee is $235 for Hawaii, U.S.
, and Canadian residents and $310 for international entrants. From October 13 through December 3, those prices rise to $255 and $320, respectively. Military personnel and students receive a 10 percent discount.
Once online registration closes on December 3, the only option is registration at the expo, priced at $460, or $360 for military personnel and students. With no qualifying standard or lottery, only two dates create any urgency. On October 13, the fee rises by $20, or $10 for international entrants.
After December 3, an entry that had cost $255 jumps to $460. The first increase is not enough to justify paying before flights and accommodations are set. The second is worth avoiding.
Register once flights and lodging are booked—and no later than December 3.
5Pick Up Your Bib in Person by 5 p.m. Saturday
The expo takes place at the Hawaii Convention Center, 1801 Kalakaua Avenue, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.
m. on Thursday, December 10; 9 a.m.
to 7 p.m. on Friday, December 11; and 9 a.
m. to 5 p.m.
on Saturday, December 12. Bibs and race packets are not mailed, and race-day pickup is not available. Each runner must collect their own packet and show identification; family members and friends cannot pick it up on someone else’s behalf.
Official instructions say bringing the bib number emailed during race week will speed up pickup. For a race starting at 5 a.m.
Sunday, the last chance to collect a bib is 5 p.m. Saturday, when the expo closes.
A Saturday arrival leaves no margin for a flight delay. Arriving Thursday or Friday builds in a full day of leeway.
Editor's pick
If a time limit is what’s keeping you from signing up for a first marathon, few races make it easier. Walk at 5 km/h and you’ll finish in 8 hours, 26 minutes—and the finish line will still be open. This race doesn’t watch the clock.
It only watches whether you stop. A runner on the ExploreWithFrancine YouTube channel said after finishing a first marathon: “I will never forget this race because it’s my first marathon and it’s exciting and it was beautiful.” If you’re chasing a time, the course is flat and the race wraps up before the sun gets high.
For a 3-something marathoner, the midday heat is someone else’s problem. The plan: book flights and a hotel, register before December 3, arrive December 10 or 11, pick up your bib at the expo, and be at the start line before 5:30 a.m.
on December 13.
The expo opens on December 10.
Entry period · Accommodation
| Races | Itinerary | Entry period | INFO. |
|---|---|---|---|
| JAL Honolulu Marathon | Sun, December 13, 2026 | Fri, May 22, 2026 ~ Thu, December 3, 2026 | Accommodation · See race details |
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