64th Ehime Marathon 2027

The 64th Ehime Marathon takes place in Matsuyama on Sunday, 7 February 2027, continuing one of Japan's long-running city marathon traditions. The event has a field limit of 10,300 runners and uses the 42.195 km Ehime Marathon Matsuyama Long-Distance Racecourse, certified by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, World Athletics and AIMS. The organiser also lists the race as part of the AbbottWMM MTT Age Group World Championships programme for runners aged 40 and over. Demand is strong for the 2027 edition, with 22,400 applications received across the main entry categories.

The marathon starts at 10:00 in front of the Ehime Prefectural Government Office and finishes at Shiroyama Park in Horinouchi. The route heads north through Matsuyama towards Hojo Cultural Forest Park before returning to the city. Runners have six hours from the gun, with 10 published checkpoints from 5.9 km through 40.5 km. The organiser also identifies additional locations where runners may be stopped if their pace would materially delay the reopening of roads.

Entry is structured through several allocations. The standard Japanese entry fee is JPY 12,900 plus fees, while the official English entry page lists JPY 20,000 plus handling for its entry route. Athlete and net-time athlete entries closed on 31 July 2026 and the general ballot closed on 20 August. The 300-place furusato-tax allocation has filled, with eligible donors required to complete their RUNNET entry by 30 September. A small automatic second draw is also being conducted among runners who missed out in the first general ballot. No new application is required; successful second-draw entrants will be emailed on 5 October and must pay by 19 October.

Athlete bib collection takes place at Shiroyama Park, provisionally from 13:00 to 18:00 on Saturday, 6 February and from 07:30 to 09:00 on race morning. Runners must present the official QR-code participation ticket and collect in person; proxy collection is not permitted. The organiser recommends using the previous-day window because race-morning collection may be busy. Baggage is accepted only in the official 55 cm by 74 cm storage bag. There is no participant parking for this edition, so public transport is strongly recommended.

Entrants receive an original event T-shirt and a Dogo Onsen bathing ticket. Finishers receive a commemorative Ehime Marathon Imabari bath towel and finisher certificate. Awards go to the top eight men and women overall, plus the top three men and women in each published age group.