45th Noguchi Mizuki Cup Chunichi Mie Oise-san Half Marathon 2026

The 45th Noguchi Mizuki Cup Chunichi Mie Oise-san Marathon brings one of Japan's best-supported half-marathon festivals back to Ise, Mie Prefecture, on Sunday 6 December 2026. Named for Athens 2004 Olympic marathon champion Mizuki Noguchi, the race begins and finishes at the Mie Prefectural Sun Arena. The organisers plan space for 5,500 half-marathon entrants and another 2,500 runners in the 5K.

A course through Ise

The half marathon follows a Japan Association of Athletics Federations-certified course that uses a normally vehicle-only section of the Ise-Futami-Toba road. From Sun Arena, runners head via Asama-Higashi interchange to the Mie Prefectural Athletics Stadium, the historic Oharai-machi district near the Ise Grand Shrine, Uji Bridge and the Noguchi Mizuki Gold Medal Road before turning back towards Sun Arena. A 2025 course revision added a lap of the athletics stadium, giving runners a chance to experience its track and grandstand. The 5K uses a shorter out-and-back road route from the same event base.

Race-morning planning

The half marathon starts at 09:00 Japan time, with a 2-hour-40-minute limit and seven on-course closing points. The 5K starts at 09:10 and has a 50-minute limit. The final finish closing times are 11:40 and 10:00 respectively. These are meaningful cutoffs: runners who miss a checkpoint must follow marshals' directions and board the recovery vehicle. The race route includes a closed motorway section that cannot be used for unofficial course reconnaissance.

On Saturday 5 December, the wider festival also offers an approximately 6K walk and a roughly 1.8K accessible run around Sun Arena. These are separate activities, not additional half-marathon race distances.

Arriving and collecting information

Organisers advise travelling by public transport because race-day road closures and parking restrictions affect the venue. Free event shuttle buses are planned from Kintetsu Isuzugawa Station and designated parking areas. Only runners who obtained an advance parking permit may use the controlled race parking areas. Shuttle times published by the organiser are based on the previous year and must be checked against the final participant notice. Race bibs and instructions are expected to be mailed to registered participants around 23 November.

All 2026 entry categories have already reached capacity and registration is closed. The 2025 race earned the top large-event half-marathon placing in the RUNNET participant review rankings, making this an attractive established Japanese road race for runners following future editions.