By Rich Sands, @thatrichsands.bsky.social (c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved; used with permission
HONOLULU (08-Dec) – Olympic steeplechaser Yemane Haileselassie notched his first marathon win while Cynthia Limo defended her title at the 52nd running of the Honolulu Marathon on a warm and humid Sunday morning. Both earned $25,000 in prize money for their victories in a race that featured 18,844 starters, a significant increase from last year’s 15,594 (there were an additional 8,361 starters in the companion Start to Park 10-K)
Starting in darkness at 5:00 a.m. local time, Reuben Kerio of Kenya took charge of the men’s lead group of five that included Haileselassie, Barnabas Kiptum of Kenya and Kensuke Horio and Kei Tsuboi of Japan. Defending champion Paul Lonyangata of Kenya was nowhere to be seen and had dropped out. They passed 5-K in 15:25, then Horio dropped back. The leading quartet remained tightly bunched through 10-K (30:36) and 15-K (46:34). Moments later, Kerio surged ahead, quickly establishing a lead of about five seconds. Covering the 11th mile in 4:38, he continued to extend his lead.
“There was not pacemaker, so I wanted to make sure the pace was quick in the beginning,” said Kerio, who finished third here last year, second in 2018 and served as a pacer in 2019 and 2022.
In the 12th mile, Haileselassie broke away from Kiptum and Horio and was soon on Kerio’s heels. They passed through the halfway in 1:05:30, with Kiptum and Horio 21 seconds back. (Kiptum would drop out soon after.)
The pace drifted north of 5-minute miles during a hilly portion of the course, and Haileselassie stayed right behind Kerio. Then, on a downhill turn in the 18th mile, Haileselassie suddenly surged to the front. Kerio briefly gave chase, but soon fell back. “The halfway was a good pace for me,” said Haileselassie, who was an Olympic finalist in the steeplechase in 2016 and 2021 for his native Eritrea. “Then when I could see he was tired, I knew it was time to go, and if I waited for 40-K maybe it would be more of a race, so that’s why I made my move.”
Haileselassie’s advantage was 12 seconds at 30-K (1:33:07) and 33 seconds at 35-K (1:48:50), but Kerio hadn’t given up, despite a temperature of 74 F / 23 C and 81 percent humidity. As the sun began to rise, he started to slowly chip away at the lead. “I thought I might have a chance to close the gap,” he said. “I just told myself to keep moving, to never give up.”
But thanks in part to boisterous support from runners in the mass participation race who were heading out in the opposite direction on an out-and-back portion of the course, Haileselassie was able to rally for one final push. “That was exciting,” he admitted. “When you think about them you forget about how you are running. It’s good motivation.”
He reached the finish in Kapiolani Park in 2:11:59, and in addition to his $25,000 first-place prize, he will take home a $1,000 bonus for breaking 2:12:00. “I am so happy and grateful for this opportunity,” said the 26-year-old Haileselassie, who is currently living in the U.S. under asylum while seeking citizenship. He has a contract with adidas, but also works full-time as a ride-share driver. “I will use this prize money to help support my family back home.” His wife and two children still live in Eritrea and he hasn’t seen them since he sought asylum following the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
This was his second marathon after finishing 16th at Boston in April in 2:14:44. “He ran what we planned on him running. He made the moves that we planned on him making,” said James McKirdy, who coaches him in Flagstaff, Arizona. “He thought that he might be faster, but he respected the weather enough to know it is not about the time, it’s purely about the placement. He’s just so grateful to be here.”
Kerio finished a strong second in 2:12:16, followed by Horio (2:15:30), Japan’s Sugaru Osako (2:16:37) and Eritrean Amanuel Mesel (2:17:33), who trains with Haileselassie and also has asylum while pursuing U.S. citizenship.
In the women’s race, a pack of four hit 5-K in 17:19, including Limo, fellow Kenyan’s Judith Korir and Sandrafelis Tuei, and Ethiopian Fantu Gelasa. They ran in lockstep through 10-K (33:55) and hit the halfway in 1:14:48. Korir briefly opened a lead after the 30-K water station, but the others quickly matched her surge.
Just before 20 miles, Fantu fell off the pace. (She would drop out after 35-K.) Then Korir began to fade in the 21st mile, and it was down to a two-woman battle.
Limo finally made her move approaching 40-K and quickly opened a 16-second lead. “When it was just the two of us at 35-K, she seemed to be strong, and at the end she was strong, too,” said the 34-year-old Limo, who won the silver medal at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships back in 2016. “So when we got to 40 kilometers I knew that was when I had to make my move. When your mind is strong, even at 40 kilometers, your body can be strong.”
She cruised home in 2:31:14, faster than her winning time last year (2:33:01), becoming the first woman to repeat in Honolulu since Brigid Kosgei won back-to-back titles in 2016 and ’17. “I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to come back here for a second year, so I had to show them that I was not going to let them down,” she said. “Hopefully next year they will give me another chance.”
Tuei (2:31:48) took the runner-up spot, while Korir (2:36:17) completed the podium.
A companion race, the Start to Park 10-K, went off simultaneously to the marathon, and American Matthew Wilkinson (29:05) and Canadian Gracelyn Larkin (33:32) were the winners. “I’ve never raced this early. Early wake up call, but it was fun,” said Larkin. “I’ve raced a couple of times in humidity, but I don’t normally adjust too well to it. But, I was worried about other things, like waking up this morning.”
Wilkinson capped off a breakthrough year in which he made the U.S. Olympic team in the steeplechase. “Very cool to be out in the streets of Honolulu and have all the fans there for the marathon, too,” he said. “It almost felt like a night race it was so dark out there. It’s great. I’m sitting here at 5:45 and I’m already done for the day.”
