For the beginning distance runner, the Honolulu Marathon can be a daunting event in every sense — from the distance (26.2 miles) to the field of participants (25,000-plus) to the hundreds, often thousands of miles of training required to safely make it to the finish line.

With that in mind, the Mid-Pacific Road Runners Club has, for the last decade, provided novice marathoners, and runners of all ages and abilities, an easy and inexpensive means of baby-stepping their way to the big race: the MPRRC Marathon Readiness Series.

The series kicks off Aug. 19 with the Tamanaha Memorial 15K and continues through the fall with the Kalaeloa 20K, 25K and 35K races, and the Val Nolasco Half Marathon.

"For a lot of people (the series) is a good stepping stone to their first marathon," says MPRRC vice president Beth Blackstone. "For runners who train on the marathon route all the time, it's also nice to run on different routes. You go all around the island."

MPRRC is one of the oldest and most influential running organizations in Hawai'i and offers a full slate of road races throughout the year.

The five races that compose the Marathon Readiness Series were already well established when the club introduced the series in 1997.

By tweaking dates to sync with the natural training arc for the marathon, MPRRC increased overall participation (about 700 runners are expected to register for the full five-race package; in the past, some individual races attracted less than 100 people) while helping runners stay on track in their training.

The most popular races tend to be the half marathon, which last year attracted more than 1,000 runners, and the 30K, seen by many as a key tune-up for the marathon.

MPRRC past president Geoff Howard says the greater participation numbers allow MPRRC, a non-profit organization, to keep entry fees low.

Registration for all five races is currently $60 for non-MPRRC members and includes T-shirts for each event. (Compare that to the typical $15 to $30 per road race.)

The first four races allow runners to acclimate to the road-racing environment and protocols while offering progressively longer and more challenging training runs. The final race cuts back the mileage at the point when most marathon runners will begin to taper their training in preparation for marathon day.

The race schedule meshes well with many Honolulu Marathon training programs, from the Honolulu Marathon Clinic to Brian Clarke's BC Endurance Trainings.

"The great thing about it is it keeps you in check on your abilities," says Mark Ida, a Clarke trainee who completed all five races last year. "It's all mapped out, so you know that if you're struggling in a race, it might be time to ramp up your training. It's a good gauge of where you are in your training."

Ida, who made the transition from boxing and basketball to distance running about five years ago, said committing to the series provides added incentive to keep up with the sometimes arduous process of marathon training.

"I like seeing the races on the calendar and knowing when the time comes to be ready," says Ida, 46. "It's right there on the calendar so you can't take it lightly."

Like other recreational distance runners, Ida says he enters races not necessarily to compete, but to improve his ability and have fun. The series, he says, provides yet another avenue to do both.

"You start off and it's like a sea of people," he says. "But by the third or fourth race, you start to recognize the same people, the same group, always around you because you run at the same pace.

"There's a nice camaraderie that develops and you can gauge how your training is going by how these other people around you are doing," he says. "Sometimes when you're training, you're all by yourself. At these races, it's very social."

Runners who complete at least four of the five races receive a certificate, and overall age-group winners are recognized at the end of the series. The club even springs for a pizza dinner for runners who complete the entire series.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.