The Honolulu Marathon runs Sunday, December 13, 2026. The race has no qualifying time, no lottery, and no cutoff time. The official site calls it “the only world-class marathon that allows ALL participants to finish.” You sign up, you run, and the finish line stays open until everyone is in. That open-entry format pulls tens of thousands of runners every December, including a large international contingent (Japan in particular). Even if you have no plans to run 26.2 miles, marathon weekend reshapes a December Oʻahu trip. Road closures, hotel rates, the whole rhythm of Waikīkī shifts. Here is what to plan around, whether you are lacing up or just visiting.
The 2026 race: date, start, and the no-cutoff rule
Race day is Sunday, December 13, 2026. The gun goes off at 5:00 a.m. on Ala Moana Boulevard, next to Ala Moana Beach Park, in the dark. A full fireworks display goes up over the harbor as the field starts moving. What makes this race unusual: there is no time limit and no qualifying standard. Plenty of first-timers and walkers enter precisely because nobody is going to sweep them off the road. The 5 a.m. start buys you the cool, dark hours before the sun and humidity arrive. On Oʻahu in December, that is the difference between a hard day and a brutal one.
The start corral fills here at Ala Moana Beach Park well before dawn. By the time this light hits, the lead runners are already out near Diamond Head.
The course: a 26.2-mile tour of the south shore
The route is a sightseeing list you happen to run. From Ala Moana it heads toward downtown Honolulu in the dark early miles, doubles back through Waikīkī as the sky lightens, then climbs and rounds Diamond Head. That stretch is where every photo of this race seems to come from. From there it pushes east through Kāhala and out along Kalanianaʻole Highway to a turnaround near Hawaiʻi Kai, then retraces the coast back to a finish at Kapiʻolani Park, in the shadow of the crater. Check the official course map before race week. The exact turns get finalized closer to the date.
The early miles thread through historic downtown Honolulu, including the civic district around ʻIolani Palace, while most of the island is still asleep.
Registering: how to get a bib
You register directly through honolulumarathon.org. Entry fees climb in tiers as the date gets closer, so signing up in the spring or summer costs less than waiting until fall. That is the one place early planning saves you real money. Marathon weekend has more than the marathon itself. The Kalākaua Merrie Mile runs Saturday, December 12. The Start to Park 10K starts alongside the main race Sunday morning for anyone not ready for the full distance. Bib pickup happens at the Honolulu Marathon Expo at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center. If you are traveling with family who would rather cheer than run, the Merrie Mile gets them a finish-line photo too.
Not running? What marathon weekend means for your trip
This is the part casual December visitors miss until it bites them. On race morning, big chunks of the south shore close to traffic. Waikīkī, Diamond Head Road, Kāhala, and long stretches of Kalanianaʻole Highway toward Hawaiʻi Kai all shut down for hours (see the prior-year traffic advisory for the scope). If you have a sunrise tour, an early flight, or a drive planned for that Sunday, build in a generous buffer or just keep the morning open. Lodging is the other one. Waikīkī rooms fill and rates climb for marathon weekend, especially anything walkable to the start and finish. Book early if your dates overlap. Our where to stay in Waikīkī guide breaks down the neighborhoods. If you are only spectating, Kapiʻolani Park at the finish and Diamond Head Road are both solid free vantage points, and December in Honolulu has the city lit up for the holidays anyway.
Kapiʻolani Park is the finish line, and one of the better free spots to stand and cheer, with Diamond Head as the backdrop.
Should you plan a trip around it?
If you have wanted a marathon medal without the gatekeeping, this is the race. Open entry, no cutoff, built for first-timers. Finishing 26.2 miles with the ocean on your right and Diamond Head ahead is the draw, and December on Oʻahu brings warm water and holiday energy on top of it. Our visiting Hawaiʻi in December guide has the weather and crowd picture. Build the rest of the trip around the recovery, not the other way around. Treat race day as a day off the rental car. Save the bucket-list stuff for the back half of the week, after your legs work again. Run the race, eat everything, then go be a tourist.
Trip planning resources
- Car for the non-race days: Discount Hawaii Car Rental (skip race morning given the closures).
- Tours and activities: compare Oʻahu tours on Viator.
- Things to fill the rest of the week: Oʻahu beaches, hikes, and tours.
