DEFENDING CHAMPIONS LEAD JAL HONOLULU MARATHON ELITE FIELDS
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - Used with permission.

HONOLULU (02-Dec) -- Cynthia Limo of Kenya and Yemane Haileselassie of Eritrea will both return here to defend their titles at the 53rd edition of the JAL Honolulu Marathon on Sunday, December 14, race organizers said.  Both athletes were clear winners in 2024 (Limo won by 34 seconds and Haileselassie by 17), but they'll be facing strong competition this year for the $25,000 first prize, the chance for generous time bonuses, plus a unique solid gold winner's medal crafted by Japanese goldsmiths SCG, a race partner.

"The JAL Honolulu Marathon elite fields for 2025 are incredibly deep and talented on both the men's and women's sides," said Honolulu Marathon Association president, Dr. Jim Barahal.  "We expect extremely competitive races, and if the weather conditions are favorable there's a strong possibility that we can make a run at new course records."

Those records, both set by Kenyan athletes, are tough: 2:08:00 (2:07:59.02) by Titus Ekiru in 2019, and 2:22:15 by Brigid Kosgei in 2017.  Honolulu's course is challenging with 100+ foot (vertical) climbs over Diamond Head Avenue on both the outbound and return legs of the scenic, World Athletics-certified course.  Moreover, the weather is typically warm and humid (despite the 5:00 a.m. start), and it can be windy.  Mid-race rain squalls are not unusual.

Limo, 35, the 2016 World Athletics Half-Marathon Championships silver medalist, also won the race in 2023 in her debut marathon.  She likes the special challenges of the Honolulu course.

"I am very happy and thankful to be racing once again in Honolulu and will do my best for a third victory in a row," she said from her home in Iten where she is finishing up her pre-race preparations.  "Of course, it will not be easy, but that is what makes it even more special."

Haileselassie, 27, a former Olympic steeplechaser, has been preparing for the Honolulu race from his training base in Flagstaff, Ariz.  Under coach James McKirdy he has been training with three other Eritrean athletes who will also be running in Honolulu: Tsegay Weldlibanos, Amanuel Mesel, and Tesfu Tewelde.  The four Eritreans have big ambitions.

"We're honored to once again be invited back to this year's marathon event," McKirdy told Race Results Weekly through an e-mail.  "To be bringing some of the world-class talent we have from our men's team makes us excited to see what we can accomplish on race day."  He added: "Our preparations have all been focused on being as fit, healthy, and as strong as possible to contend with the challenges of the Honolulu Marathon course and our competition. I can honestly say that I believe the men are more fit than they have ever been. They will be ready to race whoever is on the starting line, and each other!"

McKirdy will also be bringing two other athletes.  Kamohelo Mofolo from Lesotho is just 20 years-old and has never run a marathon.  He was supposed to make his debut at the Cape Town Marathon in October, but the race was abruptly cancelled due to potentially dangerous weather.  Mofolo's resume is short, but he's already run 27:47 for 10-K (a national record), and 60:52 for the half-marathon.  

"Being a late addition to this year's event due to the Cape Town Marathon being canceled, we are excited to see what the young lad can do," McKirdy continued.  "We wouldn't be surprised to see him up front with 5-K to go as his training has been absolutely remarkable this season."

McKirdy's other entrant is American John Raneri, who will pace the race.

Rounding out the men's field are two Japanese athletes, Kensuke Horio and Daichi Kamino, and one Kenyan, Patrick Ketter Kiplagat.  Horio finished third last year.

On the women's side, Limo will be facing her strongest competition yet in Honolulu.  Four women --Vibian Chepkirui of Kenya, Eunice Chumba of Bahrain, Calli Hauger-Thackery of Great Britain, and Sintayehu Tilahun of Ethiopia-- have personal bests under 2:22:30.  Chepkirui has won the Vienna Marathon twice, and Hauger-Thackery will be making her second trip to Honolulu to compete, but her first for the marathon here.  The second-fastest British woman of all time in the marathon with a personal best of 2:21:24, Hauger-Thackery won the Hapalua Half-Marathon in April, 2024.

"Honolulu has been a bucket list marathon for me," Hauger-Thackery said in a text message.  "This year lined up perfectly to run the Honolulu Marathon.  It's been a busy year of racing and there's going to be no better way to cap off the year than with a 'holiday marathon' in one of my favourite destinations."

Also competing this year is one of the world's best wheelchair racers, American Susannah Scaroni.  Scaroni, 34, won the 2025 Abbott World Marathon Majors wheelchair series title with 124 points, and was victorious at the Boston, Chicago, New York City, and Sydney Marathons. She'll be racing at Honolulu for the first time, and wheelchair champions also receive the same solid gold medal as the champions in the open division.

"I am very excited to complete what has been an incredible year for me by debuting at the JAL Honolulu Marathon," Scaroni said in an e-mail.  "While my season has been composed of the Abbott World Marathon Majors races, getting to embrace a new course in Honolulu and experiencing a culture for the first time via racing are two aspects that I appreciate very deeply and am looking forward to. As always, my expectation is to get everything out of myself while benefiting from the excitement of a brand new (to me) course."

Continuing a strong rebound from the pandemic year in 2020 when the race could only be held virtually, the JAL Honolulu Marathon and its two companion races --the Kalakaua Merrie Mile on Saturday and the Start to Park 10-K on Sunday-- will have a total of over 43,000 entries this year. That's an increase of 18% from 36,300 in 2024.  Forty-nine percent of the runners who have signed-up so far are women and 51% are men.  The growth in entries has been led by young adults, ages 20-29, who have surged by 54% from last year and now represent 30% of the field (up from 23% in 2024).

The complete elite fields are below with athlete dates of birth and personal best times.

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2025 JAL HONOLULU MARATHON ELITE FIELDS

WOMEN - 
 Cynthia Limo, KEN, 18-Dec-1989, 2:25:10 (Hamburg, 28-Apr-2024)
 Vibian Chepkirui, KEN, 5-Jun-1994, 2:20:59 (Vienna, 24-Apr-2022)
 Eunice Chumba, BRN, 23-May-1993, 2:20:02 (Seoul, 17-Apr-2022)
 Sintayehu Tilahun, ETH, 12-Oct-1999, 2:22:19 (Milano, 03-Apr-2022)
 Calli Hauger-Thackery, GBR, 9-Jan-1993, 2:21:24 (Berlin, 29-Sep-2024)
 Eriko Asai, JPN, 20-Oct-1959, 2:28:22 (Nagoya, 07-Mar-1993)
 Eri Suzuki, JPN, 19-Mar-1984, 2:41:42 (Tokyo, 03-Mar-2024)
 Sara Wessen Chang, USA, 29-Sep-1989, 2:58:18 (Chicago, 13-Oct-2024)

MEN - 
 Yemane Haileselassie, ERI, 21-Feb-1998, 2:08:25 (Houston, 19-Jan-2025)
 Tsegay Weldlibanos, ERI, 20-Dec-1995, 2:07:35 (Sacramento, 08-Dec-2024)
 Kensuke Horio, JPN, 12-Aug-1996, 2:08:25 (Tokyo, 06-Mar-2022)
 Daichi Kamino, JPN, 13-Sep-1999, 2:09:34 (Hofu, 19-Dec-2021)
 Amanuel Mesel, ERI, 29-Dec-1990, 2:08:17 (Valencia, 17-Nov-2013)
 Patrick Ketter Kiplagat, KEN, 15-Jan-1992, 2:09:34 (Enschede, 13-Apr-2025)
 Kamohelo Mofolo, LES, 1-Nov-2005, 1:00:52 HM (Gqeberha, 29-Jun-2025)
 Ben Payne, USA, 16-Sep-1981, 2:15:46 (New York, 06-Nov-2016)
 John Raneri (pacemaker), USA, 23-Oct-1991, 2:12:33 (Sacramento, 04-Dec-2022)
 Tesfu Tewelde, ERI, 21-Jul-1997, 2:10:21 (Minneapolis, 06-Oct-2024)


PHOTO: Yemane Haileselassie winning the 2024 Honolulu Marathon in 2:11:59 (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

PHOTO: Cynthia Limo winning the 2024 Honolulu Marathon in 2:31:14 (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)