A rare bit of good news about the Japanese marathon circuit. On Aug. 12 the organizers of the Dec. 20 Hofu Yomiuri Marathon announced that they will go ahead with this year's race as planned with a limited field size. A second-tier elite race with a small mass-participation field, Hofu typically has around 3000 runners in a normal year. This year it will happen with a field size of between 400 and 450.
Hofu's invited elite field is usually a dozen Japan-based male athletes. Along with them, this year's race will include around 100 men and women with Japanese Corporate League Federation registration for 2020, up to 200 male and female residents of Yamaguchi prefecture, where the race takes place, who have cleared four hours in the marathon in the last three years, and up to 100 people who live, work, or go to school in the city of Hofu and who have cleared four hours since 2017. An important race on the para sports circuit, Hofu will also accept an unspecified number of IPC-registered male and female athletes.
Although it shuts out any non-corporate league women who don't live in Yamaguchi, Hofu's decision to go ahead makes it the only remaining option in Japan this year for elite-level women. The Dec. 6 Fukuoka International Marathon has yet to make a public announcement about this year's race, but it is likewise expected to go ahead with a limited field size. Hofu will probably serve to take the overflow men from Fukuoka depending on the final field size that is announced there.
A breakdown of the current situation among Japan's 29 main marathons from October through December, representing over 300,000 finishers total among each race's previous edition, and 2021 announcements:
Oct. 4: Tohoku Miyagi Fukko Marathon (7,457) - canceled
Oct. 4: Matsumoto Marathon (6,455)- canceled
Oct. 11: Niigata City Marathon (6,784) - canceled
Oct. 18: Chiba Aqualine Marathon (9,541) - canceled
Oct. 25: Kanazawa Marathon (10,408) - canceled
Oct. 25: Mito Komon Marathon (9,995) - canceled
Oct. 25: Shimada Oikawa Marathon (6,589) - canceled
Oct. 25: Iwate Morioka City Marathon (5,729) - canceled
Nov. 1: Yokohama Marathon (25,195) - canceled
Nov. 1: Toyama Marathon (12,603) - canceled
Nov. 1: Shimonoseki Kaikyo Marathon (8,650) - canceled
Nov. 8: Okayama Marathon (13,491) - canceled
Nov. 8: Fukuoka Marathon (11,349) - canceled
Nov. 8: Ibigawa Marathon (5,818) - canceled
Nov. 15: Kobe Marathon (19,444) - canceled
Nov. 22: Tsukuba Marathon (11,461) - canceled
Nov. 23: Fukuchiyama Marathon (6,429) - canceled
Nov. 23: Ohtawara Marathon (1,697) - canceled
Nov. 29: Osaka Marathon (31,594) - canceled
Nov. 29: Mt. Fuji International Marathon (7,200) - canceled
Nov. 29 Nagasaki Peace marathon (1st running, field of 10,000) - canceled
Dec. 6: Shonan International Marathon (16,821) - postponed to Feb. 28, 2021
Dec. 6: Naha Marathon (14,660) - canceled
Dec. 6: Fukuoka International Marathon (370) - TBA
Dec. 13: Saitama International Marathon (13,340) - canceled
Dec. 13: Nara Marathon (11,137) - canceled
Dec. 13: Aoshima Taiheiyo Marathon (8,043) - canceled
Dec. 20: Hofu Marathon (2,724) - scheduled with limited field size
Dec. 20: Mie Matsuzaka Marathon (1st running, field of 7,000) - canceled
2021
Jan. 10 - Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon (10,954) - canceled
Jan. 31 - Katsuta Marathon (10,627) - canceled
January - Osaka International Women's Marathon (423) - TBA
Feb. 14 - Ehime Marathon (9,554) - registrations postponed
Feb. 21 - Kyoto Marathon (13,894) - canceled
Feb. 21 - Kochi Ryoma Marathon (10,924) - scheduled
Feb. 28 - Shonan International Marathon (16,821) - scheduled (rescheduled from Dec. 6)
Feb. 28 - Iwaki Sunshine Marathon (5,259) - scheduled
February - Kumamoto Castle Marathon (10,444) - canceled
February - Kitakyushu Marathon (9,485) - canceled
February - Okinawa Marathon (7,990) - TBA
February - Himeji Castle Marathon (6,938) - TBA
February - Beppu-Oita Marathon (3,141) - TBA
February - Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon (536) - TBA
Mar. 7 - Tokyo Marathon (151) - scheduled
Mar. 14 - Shizuoka Marathon (9,802) - canceled
March - Koga Hanamomo Marathon (8,766) - canceled
March - Kagoshima Marathon (9.356) - TBA
March - Saga Sakura Marathon (8.509) - TBA
March - Sakura Marathon (5,614) - TBA
March - Nagoya Women's Marathon (96) - TBA
© 2020 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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