Runner's & Triathlete's Web Athletics: Storm Greets Honolulu Marathoners

HONOLULU (05-Dec) -- A powerful storm with wind gusts up to 60 MPH (97 KPH) pushed through the island of Oahu last night causing extensive damage and scattered power outages just days before the 35th edition of the Honolulu Marathon takes place on Sunday.

In Kapiolani Park, many of the grand Ironwood trees which line the finish straight were damaged as high winds snapped off large and small limbs, alike. Crews from the city of Honolulu were out cleaning up the damage this morning even as the winds continued to blow ashore from world famous Waikiki Beach (see photos).

In addition, the grounds of the park, which are used as the athlete reunion area adjacent to the finish line, were very soggy with large puddles this morning. A large Ironwood branch crashed down on the benches by the Park Stage where the post-race awards ceremony will be held on Sunday afternoon.

"Many areas already have saturated ground so it really won't take much to cause isolated flooding," commented KHNL meteorologist, Sharie Shima, as she gave her weather forecast on last night's local news.

The forecast calls for more rain in the upcoming days, with a chace of thunderstorms on both Thursday and Friday. For race day, there is a 40% chance of rain with temperatures of 73°F (23°C) accompanied by 81% humidity for the 5:00 a.m. start. Winds will be from the east at about 10 MPH (16 KPH).

"This system is moving fast so we won't see heavy rainfall for an extended period of time," commented Ms. Shima.

The Honolulu Marathon is the third-largest marathon in the United States behind New York and Chicago, and the sixth-largest in the world. Last year's race had 28,635 entrants (17,905 from Japan) and 24,575 finishers. Until last February when the Tokyo International Marathon opened its field to recreational runners, the Honolulu Marathon was also the world's largest Japanese marathon. The event has an economic impact of about $100 million annually to the local economy, according to a study completed by Hawaii Pacific University after the 2005 edition of the event.