The smell of gunpowder filled the 5 a.m. air as some 30,568 racers began their 26.2 mile trek on Ala Moana Blvd. for the 41st annual Honolulu Marathon.

Runners sprinted, dashed, and used whatever means by foot through Honolulu to make it to the finish line. The long course snaked through downtown, leading up Diamond Head Road, past Kahala, and finally to Hawaii Kai Mall, the turnaround point.

Twenty-eight yearold Gilbert Chepkwony from Kenya was the first to cross the finish line with a mind blowing time of two hours, 18 minutes, and 47 seconds. Chepkwony’s best marathon time was at the Daegu Marathon in South Korea, where he completed the course in two hours and eight minutes.

Nathan Carlson was the first Hawaii resident to pass the finish line with an impressive time of two hours and 45 minutes.

Of the over 22,000 finishers in the race only a shocking 7,235 of them were from Hawaii. Marathons often attract competitors from all across the globe – and it shows. Over 12,000 were from Japan, and thousands more from all across the world.

The Honolulu Marathon is already preparing for next year’s big race on Dec. 14, 2014 and is open to elite athletes, serious runners, or people who just want to cross it off their bucket list. An estimated 32,000 is expected to register.