This year's Honolulu Marathon is finally upon us. On Sunday, nearly 29,000 runners will hit the streets. Here are some race day tips and strategies that could help.

Soon after waking up, eat a light breakfast that is high in carbohydrates and low in fat. It should be food you have found to work well before your long training runs. Don't try anything new.

Stay normally hydrated. Drink two to three cups of fluid two hours before the race, then a cup 10 to 15 minutes prior.

Dr. Alan Titchenal of the University of Hawai'i offered some advice on hydrating right before the race.

"You can't water load. Excess water just goes right through the body," he said. "However, fluids consumed during the 15 minutes prior to the race start are likely to be conserved for sweat production rather than urine production because the kidneys slow down urine production during exercise.

"For those who usually consume caffeine on a daily basis, it may be best to drink most of the morning's caffeine-containing beverage in this 15 minutes prior, to avoid caffeine's ability to increase urine production. The kidneys don't seem to be affected by caffeine during exercise."

Smear Vaseline or BodyGlide on areas of your body that rub (underarms, thighs, toes, nipples). You won't believe where you can chafe during the marathon. It can be a very uncomfortable feeling during and after.

Before the race, see what the weather is like. You may have to adjust your goals accordingly. If it is hot, then you need to go out at a slower pace. If you force yourself to run at your original goal pace when the weather is extreme, you will pay for it later.

Joeseph Allen, 45, has run two cool-weather marathons this year (Boston and Portland).

"If there is a kona wind, it will be humid, so you have to start out even slower and probably forget about any time goals," he said. "With humid conditions, you will perspire more, so you have to drink more. If there is trade-wind weather, you will be running into the wind on the way out, so you can try to find someone at about the same pace to run behind."

PACE YOURSELF

At the start, line yourself up in the proper area with other participants who have the same time goal as you. If you line up with faster people, you probably will start off faster than you want to. Lining up with the right group will help prevent you from getting "sucked" out at a faster pace.

When the gun goes off, there will be a lot of excitement and adrenaline. The pace will feel much easier than you think it is. You need to feel like you are holding back and run within your capability.

The start on Ala Moana will be crowded and you may have a hard time moving until the pack spreads out. If your first couple of miles are slower than your goal pace, don't panic. Gradually make up the time over the next several miles. Don't try to make it up all at once.

Also, don't zig or zag too much to try and pass people. You will only be burning extra energy and running extra distance.

Begin taking liquids from the first aid station. This will be between 2 and 3 miles. Drink at every aid station along the course. A sports drink is recommended. Walk through these aid stations to make sure you are able to drink instead of spilling it. If you want to run while drinking, the best way to hold the cup is to squeeze and cinch the top of the cup so that it leaves a small opening in the corner.

Once you settle down into your pace, get into a rhythm. The first 7 miles are flat, so check your pacing and also monitor how you are feeling. At this point, if you are feeling "too good," you are pacing yourself properly. If you are starting to struggle with holding the pace, slow down.

BEWARE OF 'THE WALL'

Remember that running too fast in the beginning will burn off your glycogen quickly. The sooner you burn off glycogen, the sooner you will slow down and the better chance you will have at "hitting the wall."

Randy Mita, 51, ran last year's marathon and had problems because he did not listen to his body.

"Concentrate on how your body feels while you are running and make adjustments to your pace," he said. "Last year I ran and tried to force myself at a certain pace. I ended up walking /jogging after 16 miles and it was a terrible feeling trying to make it to the finish line."

The key to a good marathon is running a conservative first half. Having a faster second half (negative splits) means that you paced yourself well and will feel good in the end.

Toni Kruse, 35, who will be running her third marathon, echoed that sentiment.

"During this year's marathon training, I stuck to advice on trying to 'hold back' during the first few miles of a long race," Kruse said. "This advice allowed me to relax during the first part of the race, hold steady (and) get into rhythm during the middle part and push hard during the last few miles. It's an amazing feeling to actually have a kick at the end."

Siul Michel, 26, will be running his first serious marathon.

"I want to go out easy and run a strong second half," Michel said.

A good example of negative splits are the world records in the marathon. Both the men's and women's world records were set by running negative splits.

DIAMOND HEAD AND WIND

Miles 7 to 9 will be run up Diamond Head and probably into some headwinds. Your pace will slow because of this. Don't try and force yourself to stay on goal pace. Keep your rhythm and maintain the same effort.

You should be able to make up some of the time from miles 9 to 11 as you'll have a downhill and flat terrain.

If you plan on taking sports gels, it is somewhere between 7 and 10 miles that you want to take your first one. Wash it down with water instead of a sports drink. You can continue taking sports gels every half hour thereafter.

Miles 11 to 18 will be run along Kalaniana'ole Highway and into Hawai'i Kai. Headwinds are usually encountered here, and this could slow your pace.

The best way to stay on pace and conserve energy is to run with a pack. If you find a group running at your pace, work together by pacing off each other. The effort is much easier with a pack when pushing through a headwind.

As you come out of Hawai'i Kai at mile 18, the wind will be at your back. If you are still feeling strong at this point, you will probably end up with a good marathon.

Try and pick up your effort gradually. If it feels good, maintain the faster pace. This has been an important point for Kane Ng-Osorio, 31.

"If I still feel great at the 30K (mark, 18.6 miles) then I will really start to make my move later in the race coming back on the highway," Ng-Osorio said. "If I can keep this pace even, or run a little faster, I will pass a lot of people because most of them will be slowing down in the second half. It feels great to run stronger in the second half of a marathon rather than stumbling in and not feeling too good."

If you are still maintaining your pace as you come off the highway at mile 22 and into Kahala, you will find yourself passing a lot of people.

It is at this point where those who paced themselves improperly are "hitting the wall."

Just before mile 24 is "heartbreak hill." You will be going up toward Diamond Head to Triangle Park. Run strong up this hill, as the downhill on the other side will take you to Kapi'olani Park.

Soon after you enter Kapi'olani Park there will be a final aid station. Refresh yourself with some liquids and prepare yourself to look good, as photographers will be taking pictures along the finishing stretch and at the finish.

"Remember to smile. It hurts less and the fans love it," Kruse said.

Jonathan Lyau is a 12-time kama'aina winner of the Honolulu Marathon. He wrote this series of articles leading up to the Honolulu Marathon. For previous stories, visit