Has anybody been to Honolulu during the week of the marathon...I've read that it gets quite crowded & just wondering what I should be expecting as far as wait times, etc. at the major attractions & restaurants!?

Someone wake up our resident Hawaiian marathoning expert, MelissaHI.

~snort~ Wha...? OK I'm up, I'm up! It's 5:09 a.m. and I heard the email coming into my mailbox!!!

The largest group comprising the marathon is Japanese tourists. They tend to come with large tour groups who use hotel banquet facilities so I don't know that individual restaurants, etc. will be more crowded than usual. December is peak tourist season anyway so even without the marathon, you will find Honolulu is a bit more crowded.

The day OF the marathon, try to spend your day on the beach or visiting Pearl Harbor or the North Shore. In other words, try to go westward. The race takes place on the east side of the island, so going to Hanauma Bay is pretty much impossible. Also, the race starts at 5 a.m. and winds through the Ala Moana/Waikiki/Diamond Head area, and I think Waikiki will be clear of runners & blockades by 9 a.m.-ish or earlier.

You can check out the details of the route at Honolulumarathon.org.

Sorry Sistah Mels!
Forgot it's a 3hr time diff until next month.

Speaking of next month, I wonder who is coming to Nor Cal for a few days....hmmmmm :-?

We had our house tented for termites the day before the Marathon and spent 2 nights in Waiks. Weeee! Lots of folks, but I could only tell they were runners because they all were wearing the "finisher" shirts. Nothing much more than regular December crowds.

If you stay on the windward side in a nice B&B you won't need to worry about it anyway. (Waiks is only good for one thing - ABC stores. ;D)

Denise

I have been in Waikiki several times during the marathon and also the Pro-Bowl. Always by coincidence! Waikiki can handle hordes of visitors and conventioneers, so dont worry too much. The only aggravation will be from some street closings that morning. The Japanese just love this race, you will see them everywhere in their race togs.