Kelli Keifer's Staging Area

Expo: Very controversial. They don’t make a lot of gear. It is usually sold out pretty quickly on the first day. If this is important to you, you should buy whatever you can in advance. I bought the race T-shirt in advance and was content. Others were very upset. There was mass chaos over jackets at the expo. The expo had lots of photo opp areas. Non Tokyo Marathon gear was available. Getting the bibs etc. was a smooth process on Day 2.

Course: Nice flat course with ample support along the way. There are some out and backs. I know the very fast runners can sometimes find the turns frustrating but I loved that I got a glimpse of the elites as they ran through. I ran for DMHC and they had 11 cheer stations along the course to support DMHC runners. Bins were available at the start to discard clothing. Allow yourself 45 minutes or so if you need a restroom before the race. I didn’t think the restroom situation was as dire as some have expressed in the past.

My Garmin said I ran almost 26.8 miles. I’m used to a lot of races that have drink stations on both sides of the path so I always gravitate right. I think this caused me to put the extra distance in since they were all on the left.

Post Race: The medal is very nice. The post race robe is epic. I love it! My swag score would probably be lower without it. The post race drinks and snacks were nothing to write home about. I wish they had protein to offer after. You have to buy the race T-shirt separate (I feel like most include it).

I ran for DMHC and they had a nice post race event with food, drinks and even a chance to meet Ronald McDonald. 🙂 It was a great event but be prepared to walk a bit after the race to get there.

City: Tokyo is a great city! There are lots of things to do. Do your best to understand the train lines before you go. I stayed in Shinjuku. This was great access to the Start of the race. The train station is HUGE and I found it very confusing at first. After a few days I got my bearings and figured it out. I was never able to get money into my Suica card in Apple wallet (it doesn’t like Visa cards). I got Yen when I arrived and was able to get a physical Suica card and fill it with the cash.

The time change didn’t have a massive impact on me there. I’m thankful for that. I know that isn’t always the case. I was in Tokyo for 6 days which was sufficient if you have limited vacation time and a family at home like me.

Registering: My experience is through the charity route. Some of the social media pages can be helpful for timing etc. (World Marathon Majors is a good one). 100,000 yen (around $700 when I applied) is the minimum but it is a bidding process. You submit your amount and you pay it if you get in. If you need to fundraise you need to think through how you handle this. Since I love RMHC (DMHC in Japan) I knew this was the charity for me. I also knew that I really wanted to run this race in 2024 so I bid above the minimum at a point that I felt pretty sure about getting in.

Location: The location is fantastic for a long weekend away. Beautiful beaches and plenty of fun things to do and see.

Expo: No frills expo. Plenty of merch to buy. No giveaways or samples that I could see. The bib bag came with the bib and a Honolulu marathon sticker. You get your finisher shirt after the race.

Race: Expect to wake up at 2 AM for the 5AM race. I was glad to see that they had shuttles for participants on the far side of Waikiki (by the zoo). Shuttles run from 2-3:45. I got to the shuttle area around 3 and there were probably 30 buses and shuttles lined up and ready to go. Made it to the race corrals around 3:15 and it was a long wait from there. Ample restrooms. They show water at the start but it was literally a park water fountain. Also, bag drop is at the finish which is a different location (by the zoo). One poor guy had a full bag of things and didn’t have anywhere to check them at the start.

When race time came I moved to the corrals. Total honors system. They assign you a corral color based on expected finish time but nobody was looking so people just went where they wished. They did a Hawaiian prayer and song along with the national anthem which was pretty cool. The fireworks at the start were great! Probably at least 15 minutes of them. The first half of the race if you are towards the front is in the dark (not a bad thing). The second half is in the hot sun. Before the race I took in the race profile and saw a hill around mile 8/9 but I was not prepared for how big that hill would be. The map says 124 feet but it sure felt much higher and longer. Thank goodness it was still dark. The long and short of my race experience is that I was humbled by Honolulu. The sun, heat and humidity really got to me after months of fall/winter training in Michigan. I was about 20 minutes off of my Fall race in Chicago. It was a good experience but make sure you are fully prepped to run in 70-80 degree and humid weather.

Post race: Medal is really nice and shirt is ok quality. They give you a water, banana and Malisada pastry. You can watch your finish on a big screen which is a nice touch.

Other races: the weekend is set up so friends and family can also participate. My husband and I ran the Merrie Mile on Saturday. Fun little mile fun run. All sorts of costumes and antics. After the Merrie Mile a group of Elite runners run. It is amazing to see them run a sub4 minute mile. On the day of the marathon there is a Start to the Park 10k that begins at the same time. If marathons aren’t a thing for your spouse they can run the first 6 with you!

Swag: Nice shirt and very high quality medals both years that I ran this race. Lots of food/drink options after the race for runners. The race packet also had lots of goodies.

Course: I like that there are some nice scenic sections of the city in the start. You see some of the bridges etc. Then you run out of the city into Millennium park which is a great place to run. There are good cheering sections throughout the race. Water/Gatorade/Gu provided and toilets along the course if you need them. Pacers available with signs to match Celebrity racers. Ex. George Bush / Dubya’s Running Mates 8:32/mile.

Great race! I’m a local so will definitely do it again!

This was a good race! Like most Rock n’ Roll races there were several stations with a variety of music and good vibes. Fast and flat course. Weather was nice. You can’t beat an Arizona winter race?