Honolulu Marathon 2014 Results: Men's and Women's Top Finishers

Runners jumped out of bed bright and early to run Hawaii's 42nd Honolulu Marathon on Sunday morning.

Despite a 5 a.m. starting time, a swarm of participants laced up to take a 26.2-mile stroll through the beautiful course. The event's Instagram page captured the crowded scene before kicking off at Ala Moana Boulevard.

During a heated finish on the men's side, Wilson Chebet took home first place with a time of two hours, 15 minutes and 35 seconds. The marathon's Twitter page captured him crossing the finish line:

On the women's side, Joyce Chepkirui darted past the pack, winning handily at 2:30:23.

Let's take a look at each division's top finishers, with the full results available on the event's official site. 

Men's Results

Place	Name	Country	Time
1	Wilson Chebet	Kenya	2:15:35
2	Paul Lonyangata	Kenya	2:16:04
3	Geb Abraha	Ethiopia	2:16:27
4	Benjamin Kolum	Kenya	2:16:37
5	Yemane Adhane	Ethiopia	2:17:54
6	Nicholas Chelimo	Kenya	2:17:59
7	Taku Harada	Japan	2:27:26
8	Julius Arile	Kenya	2:28:23
9	Tatsuya Ito	Japan	2:29:52
10	Erick Kibet Kogo	Kenya	2:34:20

Several contenders ran stride by stride during the closing miles, but Chebet pulled ahead down the stretch, finishing 29 seconds ahead of fellow Kenyan Paul Lonyangata. The 29-year-old marked the eighth consecutive Kenyan man to take home first place, with the nation representing 18 of the past 19 champions.

The three-time Amsterdam Marathon winner picked up his first Honolulu crown, usurping Gilbert Chepkwony. Last year's champion fell behind the fray after a promising start, ensuring one of seven viable runners should mark a new victor.

Along with Lonyangata, Geb Abraha of Ethiopia trailed closely behind, completing the race less than a minute after Chebet. The event's Twitter page tried to keep pace with the elite speedsters:

The top six runners ended up within three minutes of one another, cementing a deep group of strong adversaries.

As with any marathon, all entrants set different goals, as only a select few are ultimately running with the hope of winning. Joshua Manning's story serves as a reminder that the final standings don't mean everything.

The 17-year-old does not let his Autism deter him from flourishing as a runner. While he finished slightly below his hope to clear three hours, he still delivered a superb 3:12:57 showing.

Before the marathon, he described his passion for running to Competitor.com's Chris Lotsbom. 

“I just love it. Yeah, I just love it. You go out not too happy and come back really happy and calmed down and much better,” he said. “Once I get down to a pace that’s good and I’m running along, I forget how hard it is and all that. It’s a lot of fun.”

Women's Results

Place	Name	Country	Time
1	Joyce Chepkirui	Kenya	2:30:23
2	Lisa Nemec	Croatia	2:31:35
3	Isabella Ochichi	Kenya	2:32:22
4	Valentina Galimoua	Russia	2:32:26
5	Woynishet Girma	Ethiopia	2:33:20
6	Ehito Kiros	Ethiopia	2:36:57
7	Diane Mukuri	Burundi	2:37:11
8	Sarah Kiptoo	Kenya	2:43:51
9	Eri Suzuki	Japan	2:47:00
10	Eri Okubo	Japan	2:52:37

Chepkirui met little resistance during her conquest, waving aloha to the finish line over a minute before runner-up Lisa Nemec.

Thirteen miles through the course, the 26-year-old Kenyan maintained a record-setting pace that she could not maintain.

Lyubov Denisova set the record at 2:27:19 in 2006, so Chepkirui would have needed to replicate her sterling first-half time with little room to spare. Nevertheless, she becomes the first Kenyan winner to finish first in a field frequently dominated by Russia and Ethiopia.

Although she lacked lengthy marathon experience heading into the weekend, her past track record still led HonoluluMarathon.org to peg her as a top contender.

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One of the world’s best road runners, Kenya’s Joyce Chepkirui, will make her second serious attempt at the marathon distance in Honolulu.  At the 2012 Virgin London Marathon, Chepkirui ran as a pacemaker through 20 miles, helping four women break 2:21.  She came back to London the following year, ran with the leaders through halfway (1:11:49), but fell apart in the second half to finish in a disappointing 2:35:54.  She hasn’t run a marathon since.

Since then, Chepkirui has become both the African and Commonwealth champion at 10,000m, has run a blistering 30:37 10-K on the road (the #6 time in history), and has run 1:06:19 for the half-marathon.  Although she has the slowest marathon personal best of any of the elite women in the race, she has to be considered a favorite for victory given her impressive resume at shorter distances.

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With one marathon victory under her belt, she would have to be considered a favorite to become the first back-to-back champion since Lyubov Morgunova in 2000 and 2001 if she competes next year.