The annual O'ahu Perimeter Relay, a popular endurance race for the public and the military that drew more than 500 runners for last February's event, has been canceled because of concerns about dangerous roadway conditions.

The event's organizer, the Mid-Pacific Road Runners Club, said it will no longer conduct the 134-mile relay as it has for the past 30-plus years because of safety concerns. The club said it canceled the race on the advice of city transportation and law enforcement authorities.

"The club ends its round-the-island relay race with mixed feelings," said John E. Simonds, Mid-Pacific Road Runners Club president-elect for 2006, in a letter to military base commanders and Hawai'i runners. "It has been a part of our road-running tradition and a great occasion for competitive spirit, especially among members of the armed services based here. But increased traffic has made O'ahu's roads more dangerous."

Under today's conditions, the number of officers the Honolulu Police Department would require for an islandwide foot race would be too expensive, Simonds said.

Even if the club met the cost of hiring the required police officers, the city's Department of Transportation Services, in concurrence with the state Department of Transportation, told the club that it would not approve a permit for the race on public roads because of pedestrian and traffic concerns, Simonds said.

The club said it seeks to provide an alternative endurance relay run on the weekend of Feb. 25-26 on one of Oahu's military bases, but no plans have been confirmed, Simonds said.