Twice this season, runners will come east on Kīlauea Avenue and loop out along Kalanianaole Highway. They then turn down Kealaolu Avenue and run back along Kahala Avenue past Kahala Beach and Black Point before joining Diamond Head Road. That loop puts a ring of race traffic around most of the neighborhood. On those mornings, getting out of Kahala depends on a few side streets: Hunakai Street, Aukai Avenue, Pueo Street, and the Ainakoa and Malia detour.
The first of the two Sundays is November 8, about a week and a half after this post goes up. The second is December 13. The first is a smaller version of the second.
The Loop, in the Order Runners Hit It
The City's permit filing for the Val Nolasco Half Marathon on Sunday, November 8, lays out the route street by street.
- Start on Kalakaua Avenue, mauka side of Queen Kapiolani Park
- Monsarrat Avenue to Paki Avenue to Diamond Head Road
- 18th Avenue to Kīlauea Avenue
- Waialae Avenue to Kalanianaole Highway
- Turnaround near West Hind Drive
- Back via Kealaolu Avenue and Kahala Avenue
- Diamond Head Road and Kalakaua Avenue to the finish at the Queen Kapiolani Park Bandstand
The Mid-Pacific Road Runner Club's course description puts the turnaround at Wailupe Circle rather than "near W. Hind Dr." Either way, it's the same stretch of Kalanianaole just past the Kahala end of the highway.
The JAL Honolulu Marathon on Sunday, December 13, runs the same Kahala loop. It heads out Kīlauea and Kalanianaole and comes back via Kealaolu and Kahala Avenue. What changes is the size. The City expects about 600 runners for the Val Nolasco. The marathon draws more than 35,000, starts at 5:00 a.m. on Ala Moana Boulevard with fireworks, and has no time limit. With no time limit, walkers keep coming through Kahala long after the front of the race has passed.
November 8: A Six-Hour Window
For the half marathon, the City listing has roads closing at 5:00 a.m. and reopening at about 11:00 a.m. Organizer Shaka Racing Hawaii lists a 5:30 a.m. start for the half and a 6:00 a.m. start for the companion 5K. As of late October, the City still shows the permit application as submitted, not yet approved. Check the City's 2026 street-usage schedule that week for the final status.
The City filing gives one closure window for the whole route. It doesn't list block-by-block times or a plan for resident access. Bus riders can get a sense of the day from TheBus's notice for the 2024 Val Nolasco. That year, Routes 8, 14, 42, W1, W2 and W3 were affected from 5:00 to 10:30 a.m. unless police directed otherwise. Routes 8 and 42 ended at a temporary stop at Leahi and Hinano. Eastbound Route 14 ran via Paki, Monsarrat, Diamond Head and Kahala, and police helped buses through the Kīlauea, Waialae and Kahala intersections. No 2026 bus notice is out yet, so treat those as the 2024 detours.
The streets that matter in November are the same ones that matter in December, and in November traffic clears by late morning.
December 13: The Same Crossings, Earlier and Longer
The marathon's traffic advisory page still links last year's notice. The 2026 version hasn't been posted yet. The 2025 advisory is the best guide to what a marathon morning looks like in Kahala. Everything in the table below is the 2025 plan, not instructions for this year.
| Where | What happened in 2025 | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Citywide on the course | Cones out and lanes closing; tow-away zones in effect | Lanes from 12:30 a.m.; tow-away midnight to 5:00 p.m. |
| H-1 eastbound | All traffic sent off at the Waialae Avenue off-ramp/22nd Avenue | From 3:30 a.m.; partial reopening into the contraflow lane around 8:30 a.m. |
| Kalanianaole, Ainakoa St. to Hawaii Kai Dr. | Makai side restricted; mauka side contraflowed with two lanes westbound and one eastbound | 3:30 to 8:30 a.m. |
| Westbound Kalanianaole | Detoured onto Ainakoa Street to Malia Street to Kīlauea Avenue | 5:00 to about 8:30 a.m. |
| Kīlauea Ave., 18th Ave. to Waialae Ave. | All eastbound lanes closed; westbound lanes contraflowed. Drivers leaving lower Kahala had to cross Kīlauea at Hunakai Street | From 4:00 a.m.; delays expected until 11:00 a.m. |
| Kealaolu Ave., Waialae Ave. to Kahala Ave. | Restricted. Local traffic allowed only at Aukai Avenue, at HPD direction | From about 5:30 a.m. until clear |
| Kahala Ave., Kealaolu Ave., Diamond Head Rd. | Traffic controlled by HPD until runner numbers dropped | Until safe |
| Kahala Towers, The Kahala Hotel & Resort, Waialae Country Club | Vehicles let out via Aukai Avenue and Pueo Street when safe | About 11:30 a.m. |
The table shows how Kahala works on race morning. Below Kīlauea, the way out in 2025 was one crossing at Hunakai. On the Kealaolu side, local access came down to Aukai Avenue, and only when an officer waved cars through. For the hotel, Kahala Towers and the country club, the release came through Aukai and Pueo at about 11:30 a.m., the latest release time for any Kahala access point on the table. Mauka of the loop, the Ainakoa to Malia detour carried westbound highway traffic onto Kīlauea for the first few hours.
The 2025 plan also closed 18th Avenue between Diamond Head Road and Kīlauea Avenue until runners cleared, with detours at Diamond Head Road and Makapuu Avenue. East of Kahala, Kalanianaole was closed to through traffic from Hawaii Kai Drive to Keahole Street starting at 3:30 a.m., with traffic sent via Hawaii Kai Drive, Kawaihae Road and Lunalilo Home Road. That matters if your Sunday plans head toward Hawaiʻi Kai.
If 2026 follows the same pattern, the November half shows you where the pinch points are. In December, the same points open later.
The Saturdays on Either Side
The two race Sundays fall in a busy stretch for the neighborhood. Most of it happens on Saturdays and evenings, when race traffic isn't a factor.
- Saturday, October 31: Kāhala Mall hosts mall-wide trick-or-treating from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., with a DJ in Center Court. The same evening, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., The Kahala Hotel & Resort holds a Howl-o-ween Yappy Hour at Plumeria Grove and Kahala O Ke Kai. It features Oahu SPCA, DogTown Bakery, live music, a dog costume contest and adoptable pets.
- Sunday, November 1: The resort's KISCA music night at Plumeria Beach House runs 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. with Bryan Tolentino, Kū and Desi Souza.
- Saturday, November 14: Kāhala Mall's Holiday Sip+Shop features 11 wine and mocktail tasting stops, bites, entertainment and holiday offers, according to HONOLULU Magazine. Advertised merchants include Reyn Spooner, SoHa Living, Sephora, Mahina, Fighting Eel and Waiwaolani.
- Saturday, November 28: Keep it Kaimukī Saturday marks its 10th anniversary from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Organizers describe it as a free family event.
- Thursday, December 3: The Kaimukī Christmas Parade is listed for 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. along Waialae Avenue. Its permit application is listed as submitted.
- Saturday, December 12: The Kalakaua Merrie Mile starts at 7:00 a.m. on Monsarrat Avenue. Marathon packet pickup runs December 10 to 12 at the Hawaii Convention Center, 1801 Kalakaua Avenue.
The Merrie Mile is the only morning event on that list, and it starts on Monsarrat Avenue, outside Kahala. On race weekends, the early-morning road limits in Kahala fall on Sundays.
Before each race, check two pages. The City's street-usage schedule shows whether the November 8 permit has been approved. The marathon's traffic advisory page will post the 2026 closure times for December 13. Check that page for this year's version of the Hunakai, Aukai and Pueo times in the table above.
The SoldBySong team works across Kahala and greater Oʻahu all year, race Sundays included. If you're timing a listing, an open house or a move around November 8 or December 13, ask us which mornings to avoid. Expect better. Schedule your free market consultation.
