Kasumigaura Marathon

The Kasumigaura Marathon is one of Japan's largest citizens' marathons, held every April in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture, on the shores of Lake Kasumigaura, the country's second-largest lake. First run in 1991 (growing out of the Tsuchiura Road Race), it drew crowds among Japan's top three citizen marathons by participation, alongside Tokyo and Naha, before the field was capped. The race starts and finishes at Kawaguchi Sports Park (J:COM Field Tsuchiura), a five-minute walk from JR Tsuchiura Station, and loops past the Coca-Cola East Japan Ibaraki factory and lakeside communities before returning along the shore. The course is largely flat, with only a modest 20-meter rise and fall in the back half. The event is co-staged as the International Blind Marathon, with dedicated divisions for visually impaired runners (B1-B3) and IPC-registered para-athletes (T11-T13), and a portion of every entry fee funds water-purification and guide-dog-training charities. The 2026 edition (the 36th) took place on April 19, 2026, offering a full marathon (42.195 km), a 10-mile run, and a 5 km run, with combined capacity for about 20,000 finishers (14,000 full marathon / 5,000 10-mile / 1,000 5km); entries for that edition closed on January 25, 2026. Hitachi Construction Machinery is a partner and prize sponsor of the race, not a title sponsor. The event has been cancelled twice in its history: in 2011 after the Great East Japan Earthquake, and in 2020-2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of August 2026 the organizing committee has not yet announced a date for the 37th edition; based on the event's recent cadence (35th edition April 20, 2025; 36th edition April 19, 2026 — both the third Sunday of April), the next edition is projected for the third Sunday of April 2027 (April 18, 2027), pending official confirmation.