Aloha,
It is with deepest regret that the Honolulu Ekiden Foundation announces that we have decided to cancel the 2022 Honolulu Ekiden & Music festival.
Each year, this event is usually a wonderful opportunity for our local community, as well as participants from throughout Hawaiʻi, the U.S., Japan, and the entire world to come together in the spirit of friendly competition embodied by our motto Hoʻohui pāʻani – United in Play.
Hawaiʻi is coming back to life with the lifting of the indoor mask mandate and the end of travel restrictions for the U.S. domestic travelers, effective March 26, 2022. In Japan, the border control measures were relaxed from March 2022, and we are able to see more travelers from Japan in Hawaiʻi. However, Covid-19 continues to plague the world with the emergence of mutant strains, some travel restrictions and conditions still exist in each country. In fact, Japan still has restrictions on the number of people who can travel abroad.
Considering the various travel restrictions in place and in an abundance of caution, we have decided to act in the best interests of our participants, community, staff, and volunteers to cancel this year’s event. We are absolutely devastated to be forced to cancel for the third year in a row, and we thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to navigate this difficult situation.
With hope and excitement, we turn to 2023 in anticipation of resuming our event. Please continue to stay safe, and we do hope you will make plans to join us for what will be a truly wonderful experience next year!
Mahalo,
Tomohiro Murakami
President
Honolulu Ekiden Foundation