Kanazawa Marathon 2026

Kanazawa Marathon 2026 is one of Japan's major autumn city marathons, bringing up to 15,000 runners onto a certified 42.195 km point-to-point course through Ishikawa's capital. The race starts in front of Shiinoki Cultural Complex and finishes at the athletics stadium in Ishikawa Prefecture Seibu Ryokuchi Park. The current organiser material lists the course as approved by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, World Athletics and AIMS.

The route is designed as a tour of Kanazawa through seven distinct zones. Runners pass the historic scenery around Kenrokuen, Kanazawa Castle's Ishikawa-mon Gate, Higashiyama and the Teramachi temple district, then move through central-city areas including Korinbo, Katamachi, Musashigatsuji and the Tsuzumimon Gate at Kanazawa Station. Later sections use the mountain-side arterial roads, university districts, old highway neighbourhoods with traditional machiya streets, open countryside with views towards the Hakusan range, and the newer station-west precinct.

The marathon has a seven-hour gun-time limit and nine official checkpoints, beginning at 5.4 km and continuing through 38.8 km before the 15:30 finish closure. Timing chips are used, with overall rankings based on gross time from each runner's assigned wave start. Start blocks are allocated using declared or estimated finish times.

The organiser transports checked baggage from the start area to the finish. There is no event parking near the start, so runners are advised to use public transport. Overseas entries were offered first-come, first-served, with 1,000 places within the overall field, and the current official site marks entries as sold out.

Bib collection is compulsory before race day at Ishikawa Ongakudo Interchange Hall. Runners must attend in person with identification, proxy collection is not accepted, and there is no race-day pickup.