Kumamoto Castle Marathon

The Kumamoto Castle Marathon is a JAAF/AIMS-recognized marathon held every February in Kumamoto City, on the southern island of Kyushu, and honors Kumamoto native Shiso Kanaguri, known as the father of the Japanese marathon and Japan's first Olympic marathoner. The 2027 edition takes place on February 21, 2027, starting at Hanabatake Plaza in downtown Kumamoto and finishing inside the Ninomaru Plaza of the Kumamoto Castle Historic Site -- the same 400-year-old castle grounds whose main tower reopened in April 2021 after extensive earthquake-recovery work following the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes. Alongside the 42.195 km full marathon (13,000-runner cap, 7-hour time limit), race weekend includes the Kanaguri Memorial 30km Road Race (150 runners, JAAF-certified for elite entrants) and the Castle Town Fun Run, a roughly 3.5 km course open to middle-school age and up (1,500 runners). Entry for the 2027 race opens July 28, 2026 through a lottery system (first-come entry for overseas runners and select charity slots), with the marathon priced at 14,575 JPY for domestic entrants and 22,800 JPY for overseas entrants. The course winds through Kumamoto's historic castle town before finishing on the castle grounds themselves.