The Hakuba Half 2027

The Hakuba Half returns for its second edition on Saturday, 24 April 2027, combining a mountain running event with a full weekend of food, music, art and spring activities in Hakuba. The race starts and finishes at the Hakuba Olympic Ski Jump Stadium, the venue associated with Japan's famous team ski-jumping gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. The 2027 programme expands the event to three distances, with a 10K added between the headline half marathon and the accessible 5K fun run.

The half marathon follows a scenic loop through Hakuba Valley. Organiser material describes it as smooth and mostly flat, with long sections on quiet country roads, views of the snow-capped Northern Alps and spring cherry blossoms when seasonal conditions align. The route is designed to avoid major roads. The 10K uses a shorter version of the valley experience through rural roads and rice-field scenery, while the 5K runs through Happo Village and climbs into the forested Wadano area before descending back to the ski-jump stadium.

Race-day starts are staggered, beginning with the half marathon at 9:00am, followed by the 10K at 9:15am and 5K at 9:30am. Published cut-offs are 3.5 hours, two hours and one hour respectively. The organiser confirms aid stations along the courses and states that the event normally proceeds in most weather conditions.

The running is only part of the weekend format. The stadium festival operates from 8:00am until 5:00pm with food, sports and art activities, followed by an evening after-party from 7:00pm. The programme then shifts to optional spring skiing at Happo One on Sunday. Registration opened on 1 October 2026 and the organiser has announced a total field of only 1,000 places across the three distances, so entries are available only until capacity is reached.