The 2006 Honolulu Marathon pumped just more than $101 million in sales into Hawai'i's economy, up slightly from the previous marathon's economic impact of $100 million, according to a Hawai'i Pacific University Travel Industry Management study released yesterday.

The $101.6 million in total sales generated by the marathon includes $63.5 million in direct visitor spending by out-of-state participants as well as friends and family who accompanied them here. The event also generated $4.6 million in state tax revenues, said the study, which was funded by a research grant from the Honolulu Marathon.

The Honolulu Marathon has long boosted Hawai'i's visitor industry by attracting tourists here during what would otherwise be a slow period.

The marathon and race day walk in December drew 25,801 out-of-state participants, down 2.4 percent from the 26,426 who participated in the 2005 events. More than 80 percent of the out-of-state marathon runners were Japanese visitors, who typically spend more per day than other tourists.

The HPU study, supervised by Travel Industry Management professor Jerry Agrusa, is based on 1,605 interviews with visiting marathoners during the Honolulu Marathon Expo.

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com.