Roll out of bed and grab your water, shoes and bib. On your mark, get set, go!
Registration for the Great Aloha Run, an 8.15-mile race from Aloha Tower to Aloha Stadium, will remain open until Friday, Feb. 14 for runners and walkers. Your last chance to join the race will be in-person at the Great Aloha Run Sport, Health and Fitness Expo, slated from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Feb. 15-16 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall.
The main event, which includes three races for keiki to kūpuna, will culminate on President’s Day, Monday, Feb. 17, from 7 to 10 a.m.
Since 1985, the Great Aloha Run, organized by Carole Kai Charities, has raised more than $17 million for local nonprofits and community groups. Last year, organizations that benefited included Aloha Diaper Bank, Leeward Special Olympics, United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaiʻi, various public and private high schools, and University of Hawaiʻi, among other community groups and clubs.
As of Tuesday, more than $3,000 has been raised for charity. This year, organizers led by Alan Sunio expect to have more than 12,000 runners participate. Over the years, the average turnout has been 18,000 individuals, per the website.
According to the City and County of Honolulu, non-racers can expect road closures from approximately 3 a.m. to noon. Officials said, “It will start on Nimitz Highway at Nu‘uanu Avenue, to Nimitz Highway, ‘Ewa-bound, to Kamehameha Highway then under the H-1 viaduct, to Kamehameha Hwy., to Aloha Stadium service road.”
The finish line will be through the stadium’s service gate entry into the Hālawa parking lot, organizers said. Stadium parking will open at 3 a.m. and stadium buses to Downtown will begin at 4 a.m. and from Waikiki at 4:30 a.m. Last call for all buses to the start line will be at 6 a.m. Bus services will resume from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Other tips for travelers over the holiday:
-"Avoid using the Middle Street and Dillingham Boulevard intersection.
-"‘Ewa-bound traffic to Downtown will be diverted onto South Street and from there use South Beretania Street to Punchbowl Street to get onto the freeway. Traffic on the elevated portion of the freeway should be light."
See below the official notice for road closures this year:
More information can be found online at greataloharun.com.
A local touch: Behind this year’s medal and T-shirt designs by creator Nurry Kwan of Nurdyk
Nurry Kwan, a Honolulu-based creative director and graphic designer, helped create this year’s look for Great Aloha Run.
“This was a collaborative process with the Great Aloha Run team, and we had many meetings to discuss ideas and talk about some of the little details that we wanted to include in the design,” he told Aloha State Daily by email.
He added, the overall process took about two months to create. “I love the brainstorming part of the process, where I come up with the overall concept for the design. It’s kind of like the ‘aha moment’ where I take all my research, the ideas from everyone on the team and my creativity, and I put it all together to realize the direction of the design.”
For this project, he said his research included looking back at vintage Hawaiʻi T-shirts from the ‘80s.
Kwan said, “This year’s theme was ‘A Hawaiʻi Tradition.’ The word tradition means a custom passed down from generation to generation. Knowing that, I wanted to create a design that felt nostalgic and makes you think back to the good ol’ days.”
“My inspiration for this year’s design comes from knowing what a great event this is –– the Great Aloha Run brings people together, raises money for our local charities and a healthy and active lifestyle,” he said. “My goal was to capture the essence of the Great Aloha Run by showing the energy of the runners.”
Though he won’t be participating in this year’s Great Aloha Run, Kwan plans to bring his whole family to a future event.
“I love the local charities that they support. Some of my favorites are the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Food Bank and all the public schools in Hawaiʻi.”
Stay up-to-date with his work online at nurdyk.com and on Instagram:
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
