21st Fukaya City Half Marathon 2027

The 21st Fukaya City Half Marathon is scheduled for Sunday 28 February 2027 in Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. This established municipal road-running event features a Japanese athletics federation-certified half marathon and 10 km race, plus 5 km, 3 km and shorter school and family races. The previous edition recorded 5,341 registrations across its programme.

Runners start near Fukaya Big Turtle sports centre and finish at Sengenyama Park Athletics Stadium. The course is relatively flat and uses a loop without turnarounds. Fukaya is the birthplace of Eiichi Shibusawa, who appears on Japan's 10,000-yen banknote. The race showcases local scenery and hospitality.

The 2.4 km primary-school waves begin from 08:15 local time, followed by the 1.6 km parent-child run at 08:35, 3 km at 08:45, 10 km at 08:55, half marathon at 09:30 and 5 km at 09:50. The half marathon has a 2 hour 30 minute limit, the 10 km an 80-minute limit and the 5 km a 50-minute limit. The exact 2.4 km and 1.6 km distances cannot currently be represented in ARC's structured distance list.

Registration is available through RUNNET from 1 October to 30 November 2026, or until race quotas fill. Main-category capacities are 2,800 half-marathon runners, 1,200 for 10 km and 700 for 5 km. Junior races have Saitama or Fukaya residency restrictions. Bibs are posted in advance. Limited parking and a free shuttle from Fukaya railway station are advertised. Participation gifts include towels, with downloadable certificates, post-finish drinks and local niboutou noodles.

For pacing, the half marathon has intermediate checkpoints at 5.7 km (42 minutes), 10.2 km (1 hour 10 minutes), 14.7 km (1 hour 45 minutes) and 17.9 km (2 hours 7 minutes). The 10 km has a checkpoint at 5.2 km with a 40-minute limit. The published entry prices are JPY 6,000 for the half marathon and 10 km, JPY 5,500 for the 5 km, JPY 1,500 for eligible high-school students and parent-child pairs, JPY 1,000 for junior-high entrants and JPY 500 for primary-school entrants. Participants in the three main distances receive a towel; younger runners receive a hand towel. Awards cover places one through eight in applicable divisions, plus special awards for long-distance visitors and older runners. Only valuables are accepted at the baggage deposit. Race headquarters will have a doctor and nurses, and the organiser provides race insurance. Final start times should be checked against the pre-race instructions.