Brian Lindberg of Honolulu won the elite runners competition in this morning's 25th Great Aloha Run, an 8.15-mile race from Aloha Tower to Aloha Stadium.

More than 20,000 people participated in the annual event, which helps raise money for charitable causes.

The event, started by the boom of a cannon along the waterfront at dawn, was marred by the death of a man who apparently suffered a heart attack at Aloha Stadium after completing the run. It was the first death in the race's history.

Lindberg, 27, finished with a time of 42:21.

Dany Malley of Honolulu was second at 42:35 and Graham Hood of Calgary, Alberta, third at 43:00.

Malindi Elmore, 46, of Calgary, was the top female finisher with a time of 46:46.

The top military runners were Steve Slaby, a Navy sailor from Aiea, with a time of 42:45, and Army soldier Kelly Calway, of Mililani, who finished in 51:19 to win the military women's division.

Peter Hershon of Honolulu won the men's wheelchair race in 50:52.

The first-place finishers in each division win $1,000, followed by $500 for second place and $250 for third.

The rest of the field, many of them walkers, made their way to the stadium throughout the morning.

Several streets in the Downtown and Nimitz Highway areas were closed until 8 a.m., causing some traffic backups.