Skip to main content

Calendar of Major Races

Races in bold type include nationally-broadcast and other first-tier events.

January
New Year Ekiden
Hakone Ekiden (secondary site here)
Oita Godo Half Marathon
Unzen Obama Half Marathon
Asahi Ekiden (R.I.P.)
All-Japan Women`s Interprefectural Ekiden (secondary site here)
Kita-Kyushu Women's Invitational Ekiden
All-Japan Men`s Interprefectural Ekiden (secondary site here)
Osaka Half Marathon
Osaka International Women`s Marathon (secondary site here)
Meigi Ekiden
Chugoku Yamaguchi Ekiden

February
Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon
Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon (secondary site here)
Kanagawa Half Marathon
Moriya Half Marathon
Himejijo 10 Mile Road Race
Karatsu 10 Mile Road Race
Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon (secondary site here)
Chiba International Cross Country
Chugoku Women's Ekiden
Ome Marathon 30 km (secondary site here and tertiary site here)
Fukuoka International Cross Country
Tokyo Marathon (secondary site here)
Kumanichi 30 km Road Race
Yutoku Half Marathon
Inuyama Yomiuri Half Marathon

March
Biwako Mainichi Marathon
Kanaguri Hai Tamana Half Marathon
Nagoya International Women`s Marathon
National University Half Marathon Championships (Tachikawa Akishima Half Marathon)
All-Japan Jitsugyodan Half Marathon (secondary site here)
Matsue Ladies Half Marathon (secondary site here)
Chunichi Toyohashi Half Marathon

April
Kanaguri Memorial Track and Field Meet
Yaizu Minato Half Marathon
Japan Invitational Track and Field Meet
Nagano Marathon (secondary site here)
Hyogo Relay Carnival
Oda Memorial Track and Field Meet

May
Shizuoka International Track and Field Meet
Osaka Grand Prix
Chugoku Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships
Sendai International Half Marathon
Kansai Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships
East Japan Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships
Kanto University Track and Field Championships
Golden Games in Nobeoka
Kyushu Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships

June
Niigata Time Trials
National University Track and Field Individual Championships
Hokuren Distance Challenge pt. I
All-Japan University Ekiden Yosenkai
National Track and Field Championships

July
Nambu Memorial
Hokuren Distance Challenge pt. II
Sapporo International Half Marathon
Fuji Mountain Race
Twilight Games
Shibetsu Half Marathon

August
Hokkaido Marathon

September
Ichinoseki International Half Marathon
Kawasaki Super Track and Field
National University Track and Field Championships
National Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships
Hakodate Half Marathon

October
Sapporo Half Marathon
Fukuoka Prefecture Road Championships (Omuta Road Race)
Nihonkai Ekiden
Kurayoshi Joshi Ekiden
Izumo Ekiden (secondary site here)
Niigata Big Athletics Festa
Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai
Takashimadaira Road Race
All-Japan University Women`s Ekiden (Morinomiyako Ekiden)
Kyushu Jitsugyodan Women's Ekiden
Kyushu One-Circuit Ekiden

November
Yokohama International Women's Marathon
All-Japan University Ekiden (secondary site here)
Ageo City Half Marathon
International Chiba Ekiden
Kobe Women`s Half Marathon
East Japan Women's Ekiden
Awajishima Women's Ekiden
Biwako University Ekiden (secondary site here)
Kyushu Isshu Ekiden
East Japan Jitsugyodan Women's Ekiden
Nagoya Half Marathon (secondary site here)
10000 m Time Trials National Long Distance Meet
Fuchu Tamagawa Half Marathon
East Japan Jitsugyodan Ekiden
Kyushu Jitsugyodan Ekiden
Fukui Super Ladies' Ekiden
Chugoku Jitsugyodan Ekiden
Kansai Jitsugyodan Ekiden
Hachioji Long Distance Track Meet

December
Fukuoka International Marathon (secondary site here)
Hofu Yomiuri Marathon (secondary site here)
Kumamoto Kosa 10 Mile Road Race
Naha Marathon
All-Japan Jitsugyodan Women`s Ekiden
All-Japan Junior High School Ekiden
All-Japan High School Ekiden
All-Japan University Women`s Invitational Ekiden
Sanyo Women's Road Race
All-Japan Biwako Cross Country
Labels:

Comments

dadsweb said…
Hi. I really enjoy reading your blog and find it a really informative guide to the world of running in Japan. I was looking thhrough your list of races in Japan for an interesting race to do and thought the Sendai Half Marathon looked good. However when I checked the website it says you have to be a registered Rikuren athlete. I'm wondering how one becomes registered. I've had a look at the Rikuren website, but can't find any information there about it. Thanks in advance for any info you can give.
October 26, 2008 at 10:08 AM
Brett Larner said…
Hello, please email me at the address located in my profile. Include something about Sendai in the subject line.

Brett
October 30, 2008 at 2:16 PM
Janka said…
Hi, I will spend some time in Japan and I was lucky enough to get signed up for Osaka marathon. Could you suggest some other competetion (to help my preparation) between 20 and 30 km at the second part of September or very early October. If possible, not too far from Yokohama...

Thank you very much in advance :-)
July 16, 2015 at 2:38 AM
Brett Larner said…
Please contact me via the email address in my profile.
July 17, 2015 at 5:34 AM
Unknown said…
Hi Brett, can't seem to find your email address in your profile. Would like to know if there is any running events in Tokyo or nearby Tokyo. Thank you.

Mervyn
September 14, 2015 at 11:54 AM
Brett Larner said…
An email address at which you can contact me is listed at the end of my profile description. You can also try blarner (at) gol.com
September 14, 2015 at 1:31 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Nationally-Ranked Gakuho Ishikawa H.S. Withdraws From Region Championships Due to Bear Attacks

5th at last year's National High School Ekiden boys' race, Fukushima's Gakuho Ishikawa H.S. has withdrawn its boys' and girls' team from the Nov. 6 Tohoku Region Ekiden Championships in Fukushima. A school spokesperson commented, "We made this decision based on the likelihood of our students coming into contact with bears in the city when out running in the morning." The Akita Athletics Association had already made an announcement on its website on Oct. 31 that due to the high number of bear encounters within the city of Akita this year , the ekiden would be held on a track instead of as a road race. Organizers said that they are leaving it up to each individual school whether to participate, and that they will accept schools choosing not to participate due to safety concerns. The Gakuho Ishikawa boys and girls both won the Fukushima Prefecture High School Ekiden in October, earning them places at the Tohoku regional meet and December's National High...
Post a Comment
Read more

'Kobe 2024: Monday Sees Shocking Wins on the Track and the Field'

  https://www.paralympic.org/news/kobe-2024-para-athletics-world-championships-monday-sees-shocking-wins-track-and-field Complete results and daily schedule from the Kobe World Para Athletics Championships  are here .
Post a Comment
Read more

Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Elite Field

Everything in Japanese marathoning is already about qualifying for the MGC Race, Japan's trials race for the L.A. Olympics. Scheduled the same day as the Fukuoka International Marathon, the Dec. 7 Hofu Yomiuri Marathon counts the same weight as Fukuoka, Tokyo and Osaka in men's qualification, with trials spots up to be had by the first 6 Japanese men under 2:09:00 and the first Japanese woman under 2:27:00. The only real contender to do that among the women is Mizuki Nishimura , running her first marathon off a 1:41:42 CR at the Kumanichi 30k in February. Given the Tenmaya corporate team's track record of success in the marathon, including the current women's NR of 2:18:59, her chances are pretty good. Ayumi Morita ran a 2:31:38 PB in Tokyo last year, but it's a big jump for her to get down to 2:26 and it'll mostly be a question of whether Nishimura executes the same way she did at Kumanichi. For men there are 6 under 2:09:00 in the last 3 years, with Ryoma T...
Post a Comment
Read more