The influx of visitors on O'ahu for yesterday's 34th annual Honolulu Marathon pumped tens of millions of dollars into the economy during what is already a strong year for Hawai'i's tourism industry.

The 26.2-mile race drew 21,885 out-of-state participants, slightly down from the 22,032 last year.

Totaling how much those visitors spent will take a couple of months, but last year the marathon injected about $100 million into the state's economy, including $62.55 million in direct visitor spending.

For years, the Honolulu Marathon has been like an early Christmas present for Hawai'i's visitor industry, attracting tourists during an otherwise slow period. About 80 percent of the runners are not from Hawai'i, with most visiting participants from Japan. Many runners also bring friends and family to the Islands.

EATERIES, HOTELS FULL

"It actually makes a huge impact," said Katie Garner, Duke's Waikiki floor manager. "The past couple weeks have been really slow for our business. So having all the marathon people come in, we're so busy. From last weekend it's like a 180. So we love having marathoners, and all our servers love it too.

"Our entire lobby has been full all morning," Garner said on Friday. "It's kind of like summertime for us."

Tiki's Grill & Bar doubled up on lunch serving staff last weekend to handle the increase in customers. The restaurant also enjoyed extra business from a "carbo-loading party" for more than 100 people and a dinner for up to 50 German visitors, said Michael Miller, director of sales and marketing.

"We're excited to have the marathon," he said. "It really helps our business. ... It's amazing how much fuller Waikiki feels and how much more energy there is."

State tourism liaison Marsha Wienert said the Honolulu Marathon "has proven itself time after time after time as being an event strategically positioned in a slower season that brings visitors to our Islands.

"No question O'ahu benefits dramatically from the people that are participating in the marathon, whether running or implementing or televising or just vendors at the expo," she said. "It brings us valuable TV coverage but it also brings us economic impact from the visitors."

But Wienert noted other events — like the U2 concert and the 65th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor — in addition to the marathon meant O'ahu hotels were virtually sold out, prompting some overbooked properties to offer incentives for other visitors to stay on Neighbor Islands.

Wienert herself had a few marathon-running friends staying at her condo because they couldn't find a hotel room.

"Hopefully next year ... we won't have as many events going on at the same time so that we're able to accommodate everyone," she said.

Aqua Hotels & Resorts owner Mike Paulin wasn't complaining. He called the marathon a "gift from the gods (that) comes during the slowest possible time of the year."

"Typically in the hotel industry during this time of the year you might see occupancy in the 50-60 percent rather than 90-100 percent over this week," he said. Aqua's hotel rooms were sold out from last Wednesday through Sunday, he said. People flying in for the U2 concert were also a "nice topper," he said.

POPULAR WITH JAPANESE

The marathon is a huge draw for Japanese visitors, whose numbers have been falling this year in part because of higher airline fuel surcharges and tighter hotel room supply.

Yuko Toyoda, 30, was among the thousands of Japanese tourists in O'ahu to run the marathon.

"It is famous, very famous," she said. It was the first Honolulu marathon for Toyoda, who came here with a friend. They planned to tour the island in a limousine, shop and indulge in spa treatments.

Kaori Ukemasu, a 36-year-old school nurse from Okinawa, flew to O'ahu with her parents, boyfriend and two friends. All planned to run in the marathon except for Ukemasu's mother, who wanted to participate in the 10K walk. The trip was her father's idea.

"He wanted to go to Hawai'i, so I said, 'Let's go,'" Ukemasu said. She said she likes that the Honolulu Marathon has no time limit and she plans to run the marathon here again "with a lot of friends."

Events like the marathon can help generate more interest in Hawai'i among Japanese and other visitors, said Ed Hubennette, Marriott International Inc. vice president for Japan, Hawai'i and the South Pacific.

"With the Japanese market being a little bit down, ... I think everyone's concerned about it," he said. "Events like this really help to boost awareness, especially with the changes that have happened in Waikiki, so when they see (Outrigger Enterprises' Waikiki) Beach Walk and the improvements to the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, they go back home and talk about it, so that's great."

Hubennette said both the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa and the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa were 100 percent full.

Canadian retiree Maggie Stubbs tries to run a marathon in a different country every year. She ran in New York, Finland and Sweden and three times in Honolulu. The 65-year-old came back to prove to herself that she can better her time from last year.

Plus, Stubbs said, Hawai'i is "one of my favorite places." Stubbs also brought along her husband, Ralph Jennings, who planned to do the 10K Race Day Walk. The couple is staying in Hawai'i for 10 days.

"We like nice restaurants, nice places," Stubbs said. "We don't skimp."

While providing an economic boost, the marathon and other sporting events also try the patience of some area residents who are forced to deal with closed roads on race day.

Marathon officials acknowledge the event creates traffic tie-ups, but say organizers work each year to ease the inconvenience for the community. They said the marathon was moved up an hour to 5 a.m. several years ago and most of the participants are off the road by noon.

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com.