Kanazawa Marathon

The Kanazawa Marathon is a JAAF- and AIMS-certified full marathon held every October in Kanazawa, the historic castle city on Japan's Sea of Japan coast. Runners start at the Shiinoki Cultural Complex and follow a one-way circulation course through the city's cultural heart, passing the Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Art, Kenrokuen -- one of Japan's three great gardens -- the Tsudzumi Gate at Kanazawa Station, Omicho Market, and the historic Higashi, Nishi, and Kazuemachi tea house districts before finishing at the athletics field in Ishikawa Prefecture's Seibu Ryokuchi Park. The course opens with a long climb in its early stages before settling into gentler terrain, and six 'Tabemashi Stations' along the route serve regional specialties -- from vegetables to traditional sweets -- alongside standard aid. The field is capped at 15,000 runners, including 1,000 spots reserved for overseas entrants, with a 7-hour time limit from the first wave's start gun. Domestic entry is allocated by lottery: the 2026 edition drew a record 32,096 applicants for the general entry pool, a 2.58x draw ratio, with results announced June 22, 2026. Entry costs 14,000 JPY plus a separate transaction fee, and bib pickup runs the Friday and Saturday before race day -- no race-day pickup is offered.