55th Camellia Marathon 2027

The 55th Camellia Marathon returns to Izu Oshima on Sunday, 7 February 2027, continuing a running tradition that has been part of the island for more than half a century. Staged during Izu Oshima's famous camellia season, the event combines competitive road running with a distinctive island trip, with Mount Mihara, the sea, volcanic terrain and flowering camellias shaping the setting.

The programme has 10K and 5K races for a broad range of ages. The 10K is open to high-school-age runners and adults, while the 5K includes primary-school, junior-high and general divisions. For the 55th edition, the former 5K health-run category has been changed to a competitive general division, and all published categories are eligible for awards. The combined field is capped at 1,000 runners.

Both courses start and finish outside Oshima Town Hall. The 10K heads from the town hall to a turnaround near Oshima Kenko Center, while the 5K turns near the entrance to the local history museum. The organiser describes the course as uphill-biased in the first half and predominantly downhill after the turnaround, so runners are advised to control their early pace and use the return section to build speed. Automatic timing using tagged bibs is planned, and the overall race programme runs from the 09:30 start window until the 11:00 course limit.

Race administration is available both the day before and on race morning. Participants receive a mailed participation notice roughly one week to ten days before the event and must bring it to registration. There is no dedicated event parking, and runners travelling from mainland Japan need to arrange their own ferry or flight to Izu Oshima. The organiser does not provide an official travel package, making transport planning especially important for this island race.

The event coincides with the wider camellia-festival season, making it well suited to runners combining the race with Izu Oshima's volcanic scenery, hot springs, local food and sightseeing.