Overview The Kauai Marathon and Half Marathon starts at 6 a.m. in Poipu on Kauai's south shore, sends both races through the century-old Tunnel of Trees and brings every finisher home to an oceanfront line where a ribbon lei and a medal wait in the chute. It runs on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend as the close of a three-day weekend: an expo and sponsor reception on Friday, a Keiki Run and family fun run on Saturday. The 2025 race was the 16th. The Kauai Marathon, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), runs it. On site The full and the half share their first 11 miles. The half turns off at misty Omao and finishes through Kukui'ula with the ocean in view; the full climbs to Kalaheo for its ocean views and comes back down to Poipu. Runners have to clear the Tunnel of Trees at mile 6.7 by 7:55, and the full closes after seven hours; walkers are welcome. There is a Hawaiian blessing, and Polynesian entertainment works the course. The Wilcox Health Sports and Fitness Expo fills the Grand Hyatt Kauai's Grand Ballroom, and shuttles run from the Grand Hyatt from 4 a.m. Overall and age-group winners take home hand-painted awards. Audience Most of the field flies in. Across its first 15 races the event counted 12,789 runners from the mainland, 1,475 international runners and 4,300 from the neighbor islands, against 9,356 from Kauai. Half marathoners have ranged from 8 to 94 years old. Hundreds of island volunteers staff the race, from Kalaheo Elementary and Kauai High School to the Puuwai Canoe Club. Track record The race puts its economic impact on the island at over $56 million across 17 years, and it has given more than $320,000 to Kauai nonprofits. Its Youth Running Program reached 2,390 keiki over 13 years. National charity teams including City of Hope and the A-T Children's Project have run it. Brand presence Sponsor levels are named for flowers: Hibiscus, Plumeria, Gardenia and Pikake. They buy logo panels on the finish-line inflatable, banners at the finish, logos on the 3,300 participant and volunteer shirts, a booth at the expo, seats at the sponsor reception and stories in a newsletter sent to 23,000 opt-in runners. Separate positions go with the finisher lei and medal, the hand-painted awards and the Saturday fun run. The race promotes itself at the Big Sur Marathon expo and on KONG Radio's stations, drone and ground cameras shoot the course for a YouTube highlight reel, and a 15-minute segment airs on Hawaii Extreme Sports TV. The Grand Hyatt Kauai is host hotel.