Kyoto Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Kyoto Marathon is a lottery-entry city marathon held in February, starting at a stadium on the western side of Kyoto and finishing near Heian-jingu Shrine in the east of the city. The course is certified by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations and accredited by World Athletics and AIMS. It starts at Takebishi Stadium Kyoto in the Nishikyogoku Athletic Park, and runs along main streets of the old capital such as Nishioji-dori, Higashioji-dori and Marutamachi-dori before the finish at Heian-jingu. The organisers say the route passes seven UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites and gives views of all five mountains on which the Gozan no Okuribi bonfires are lit each summer. A pair ekiden is held on the same course and a wheelchair race runs alongside the marathon. The marathon starts at 9:00 am, the limit is six hours from the gun, and the course has timed checkpoints. The marathon field is capped at 16,000 runners, and when applications exceed that number, places are drawn by lottery; entry is online, and runners must be 18 or older. The first Kyoto Marathon was held in March 2012, on the first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake,. Runner registration is held at the Miyako Messe exhibition hall in Sakyo-ku on the two days before the race.