Hawaiʻi's largest participatory road race is coming back from the dead — sort of. After sitting out 2026 entirely, the Great Aloha Run returns on Presidents Day, February 15, 2027, as a scaled-down 5K capped at 5,000 runners, walkers, families and keiki, looping through downtown Honolulu and historic Chinatown instead of its traditional finish line at Aloha Stadium.
Organizers with the Affordable Hawaiʻi Foundation announced the new DoHo Great Aloha Run 5K at a news conference at Pickles at Forté in downtown Honolulu, according to Aloha State Daily. The three-mile loop will wind past historic landmarks in the downtown business improvement district and Chinatown, a dramatic departure from the race's roots. As Hawaii News Now reports, the event will not use the traditional Aloha Tower to Aloha Stadium route this time around.
That traditional course was no small thing to walk away from. When the Great Aloha Run debuted on March 3, 1985, co-founded by entertainer Carole Kai Onouye and cardiologist Dr. Jack Scaff — also known as the co-founder and “father” of the Honolulu Marathon, per Generations808 — it drew nearly 12,000 registrants, a national record at the time for the largest inaugural road race, according to Grokipedia. The race's signature 8.15-mile distance was no accident either; it matched the exact mileage between Aloha Tower and Aloha Stadium, per Wikipedia.
Why the Race Left Aloha Stadium Behind
In its heyday, the Great Aloha Run regularly drew up to 25,000 runners and walkers along Nimitz Highway to Aloha Stadium, making it Hawaiʻi's second-largest road race, per Wikipedia. But the 50,000-seat stadium was condemned in late 2020 for structural rust, and it has been undergoing active demolition and controlled collapses through 2025 and 2026, according to a separate Aloha State Daily report. That left the race without a finish line — and without a clear path forward.
The New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District is expected to replace the old bowl with a 31,000-seat venue, with a design that could expand to 40,000 seats for major events, according to Stadium Journey. Per Hawaii News Now, developer Stanford Carr's project is expected to be completed in 2029. Organizers plan to keep the temporary 5K format in downtown Honolulu through 2029 before restoring the full 8.15-mile course back to Aloha Stadium in 2030, according to Aloha State Daily.
A New Steward Takes the Reins
Carole Kai Onouye organized the Great Aloha Run for four decades to raise money for local charities before stepping down after its 41st edition in February 2025, resulting in no race being held in 2026, per Aloha State Daily. Onouye said she was happy to see the Great Aloha Run tradition continue, according to Hawaii News Now.
The race has since been acquired and revived by the Affordable Hawaiʻi Foundation, founded by Christine Camp, who is also president and CEO of Avalon Group, a Honolulu real estate development firm — and, notably, the owner of the building where the relaunch was announced, per Aloha State Daily. Camp said the event has brought people together for more than four decades while benefiting communities, according to Hawaii News Now. She has previously described establishing the nonprofit foundation to focus on community initiatives including housing, youth mentorship and local charity support, per a YouTube video cited in reporting on her background.
Where the Money Goes
Over its history, the Great Aloha Run has raised nearly $20 million for more than 150 nonprofit organizations statewide, according to Hawaii News Now. Proceeds from the 2027 event will support organizations focused on homelessness, mental health counseling, crime reduction and local businesses, per the same report. The race has long stood apart from Hawaiʻi's other marquee running event: unlike the Honolulu Marathon, which heavily targets international runners from Japan, the Great Aloha Run has historically drawn the vast majority of its 20,000-plus participants from local Hawaiʻi residents and military personnel, according to Wikipedia.
That military connection has its own tradition. Since 1986, the race has featured a “Sounds of Freedom” division, in which up to 5,000 service members ran the course in formation while singing cadences, according to the U.S. Army. The division's name traces back to 25th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Harry Brooks Jr., who described marching cadences as “the sounds of freedom.”
How to Sign Up
Registration for the 2027 DoHo Great Aloha Run 5K is open now at greataloharun.com, according to Hawaii News Now. Those who register during the DoHo Night Market on September 18, 2026, will receive a free gift, per the same report. Hoodline previously covered the 41st annual race and the demolition timeline that pushed the event out of Aloha Stadium.
