Inclement weather, a timing fiasco and a winner disqualified for testing positive for banned substances marred last year's Honolulu Marathon, but the iconic event is back on track once again, despite a global economy that's affecting events around the country.

An accurate and reliable timing system is in place, a deep elite field with several newcomers will infuse the race with new excitement, established sponsors have remained loyal, a new sponsor - Subaru - signed on, and participant numbers, while not as high as last year, remain robust despite soaring oil prices during the planning of 2008 marathon tours.

“;I'm excited that we're still as strong as we are, given the overall economy and the situations we've had to deal with,”; said Dr. Jim Barahal, president of the Honolulu Marathon Association for the past 22 years. “;This is not a race where people can decide at the last minute they're going to drive here.”;

Last year, the Honolulu Marathon switched to ChronoTrax, an innovative timing system that utilizes a disposable tag. Refinement in the past year has helped perfect the system that likely represents the future of computerized timing, but it wasn't quite ready last year for use on a high-caliber race.

“;I always want to be on the cutting edge,”; said Barahal. “;Last year, we relied on a personal relationship with the timers, and they let us down. It was unfortunate.”;

This year, the marathon has returned to the ChampionChip system, established in 1993 and used in most major road races, swimming competitions and triathlons such as the Ironman World Championship.

“;The timing, as far as reliability and backups, is better than it's ever been in Honolulu,”; said Steve Foster, co-owner of Pacific Sports Events, which is handling the timing with Sportstats, the largest timing company in Canada. “;There's a primary and backup system at every location runners will cross.”;

In addition, the partnership with Sportstats means three servers will operate during the race, so family and friends will be able to track runners in real time (at http://www.honolulumarathon.org, with a mere 15-second delay) through timing-mat checkpoints at 10K (6.2 miles), half-marathon (13.1 miles), 30K (18.6 miles), 40K (24.8 miles) and the finish line. The checkpoint near the Oahu Club in Hawaii Kai is only for the MyMarathonDVD, which creates personalized videos of each runner. Splits from this mat will not be live online, and will not be included in the final results. Participants keep the one-time-use chip, which they attach to their shoelaces before the start.

Of the nine invited male runners, only six-time champion Jimmy Muindi of Kenya has run the race before. Several times, in fact. This will be his 15th consecutive appearance.

“;We've got some new faces, new blood in the men's race,”; said Honolulu Marathon race director Jon Cross. “;Some of the guys who knew the course really well aren't here. Only Jimmy might have an advantage, but the rest of the guys are on an even playing field.”; One of those is fellow Kenyan Patrick Ivuti, who ran 2:07:46 in Chicago in 2005.

The women's field is a bit more unpredictable, according to Cross. The 2007 Honolulu Marathon champion, Alevtina Biktimirova of Russia, is one of the favorites, with a 2:25:12 personal record set in Frankfurt in 2005. And twins Elena and Olesya Nurgalieva (2005 champ) of Russia are back as well.

Of the eight invited women, two are pacesetters, expected (but not guaranteed) to drop out at the half-marathon and 30K marks. “;I think the winner could come out of any one of those,”; Cross said of the field.

Revived last year, drug testing for the top finishers will continue, and in a new addition, fans can more easily identify the elite runners, whose names will be written on their race number bibs.

Earlier this week, officials confirmed 21,945 entries - with 13,676 from Japan. Despite the drop from 26,515 at this time last year, Barahal is encouraged in light of the economy and lack of financial support from Hawaii tourism entities that typically assist major regional events.

“;Now that I look at it, it's amazing that this many people are coming,”; he said. Another 2,000 people often register in the last few days before the event.

Barahal believes that his knowledge as a former competitive runner helps the business model succeed, no matter what the economic climate. “;Marathons operated by nonrunners don't have the perspective of the athlete in mind,”; he said. “;It becomes successful for a while, but you lose the soul of the race along the way. So when we make business decisions, I don't think we're losing sight of what this thing's all about.”;

In a race that continues to evolve 36 years after it began, a year like this can only provide new opportunities. “;We're looking for ways to expand the event down the road,”; said Barahal. “;We have a history of reinventing ourselves.”;