Kitakyushu Marathon

The Kitakyushu Marathon takes runners through Kitakyushu, a port city in Fukuoka Prefecture on Japan's Kyushu island, each February. The course starts at Kitakyushu City Hall and finishes at the Kitakyushu International Conference Center in the Mojiko area, passing the Higashida industrial heritage district and the scenic Mojiko waterfront along the way. Alongside the full marathon, the event offers a 20.7 km race, a two-person pair relay marathon, and a fun run for adults and students. General entries are awarded by lottery, with results announced in mid-October and payment due by late October. The next edition is scheduled for February 21, 2027, with a capacity of about 10,800 full-marathon finishers and a five-hour-forty-minute time limit. First held in 2014, the Kitakyushu Marathon has built a reputation as a well-organized city race showcasing the region's steel-industry heritage alongside its seaside scenery.