The 2015 Hapalua, Hawaii’s Half Marathon
The Oahu half marathon had 6,400 entrants and a popular "chase" format.
Starting and finishing in Waikiki and running along the Oahu coastline and into downtown Honolulu, the Hapalua welcomed 6,400 runners on Sunday, by far the largest turnout in its four-year history.
The race is highlighted by its “chase” format for the elite runners. A total of 24 runners from Hawaii were given a head start of anywhere from 7 to 20 minutes, and then four international runners set off after them. The international runners had never caught all of the local runners—until this year, when Kenya’s Peter Kirui and Qatar’s Nicholas Kemboi passed all the locals by mile 12 and then went head-to-head for the $5,000 prize. Kirui prevailed by one second, 1:04:08 to 1:04:09. The top Hawaiian was Ben Williams, who had a 7-minute head start but finished 65 seconds behind Kemboi in a time of 1:12:14.
Here are photos from the scenic race, dubbed “Hawaii’s Half Marathon,” courtesy of the Honolulu Marathon Association and Toni Reavis.
