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Tokyo Marathon

About the Tokyo Marathon

Overview

Organised by the Tokyo Marathon Foundation, the inaugural Tokyo Marathon was held on 18 February 2007 and since then has continued to gather runners, volunteers and spectators through its theme, ‘The Day We Unite’. In 2011, the Tokyo Marathon implemented its own charity program, ‘Run with Heart’, through which donors can contribute to various charitable activities.

Since the 10th anniversary event in 2016, the official logo of the Tokyo Marathon has been renewed to represent the runners, volunteers and cheering crowds along the course, signifying the theme of ‘The Day We Unite’. From 2017, the Tokyo Marathon has taken place on a new course that finishes in front of Tokyo Station, and in 2018 a new Japanese record was set for the first time in 16 years.

The 2020 Tokyo Marathon was made possible during the Covid-19 pandemic by reducing entries to elite and wheelchair elite participants. As the event served as the marathon trial for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, many record-breaking times were set, including the new national record (2:05:29) set by Suguru Osako. In 2022, the in-person race (the 2021 Tokyo Marathon) returned after two years with a reduced field size, and astonishing course records were set for both men and women.

The 2023 Tokyo Marathon, the theme of which was ‘One Step Ahead’, took place on 5 March 2023 with a normal field size of 38,000.

Key stats

  • Inaugural running: 2007 
  • Largest field: 35,460 finishers (2019)


Recent participation

Year Finishers Men / Women 
2022 (held as the 2021 Tokyo Marathon) 18,272
 15,061 / 3,211
2020 (elite-only) 165 118 / 47
2019 35,460 27,253 / 8,207
2018 34,542 26,637 / 7,905


Course records

  • Men: 2:02:40 (Eliud Kipchoge, KEN, 2022)
  • Women: 2:16:02 (Brigid Kosgei, KEN, 2022)


Most victories

  • Men: 2 (Dickson Chumba, KEN) 
  • Women: 2 (Berhane Dibaba, ETH)
  • Runner prize purse: JPY 40.5 million/US$293,100 (JPY 11 million/US$80,000 to male and female champions)


Wheelchair course records

  • Men: 1:21:52 (Tomoki Suzuki, JPN, 2020)
  • Women: 1:40:00 (Tsubasa Kina, JPN, 2020)


Most wheelchair victories  

  • Men: 5 (Masazumi Soejima, JPN)
  • Women: 9 (Wakako Tsuchida, JPN)
  • Wheelchair prize purse: JPY 9.28 million/US$67,200 (JPY 2 million/US$14,500 for male and female champions)


Organisation information