Races

PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONJP / RACE GUIDE

Fukui Sakura Marathon

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Fukui
JP

HarueFukuiJapan · Public domainHarueFukuiJapan · Public domain663highland · CC BY 2.5663highland · CC BY 2.5藤谷良秀(Yoshihide Fujitani) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Race date in 135 days: Mar 28, 2027 Sun
City · Distance: Fukui · 42.195km · 5km
Entry fee: ¥14,000Varies by event and entry period
Status: ClosedSee how to enter ↗

2027Date Mar 28, 2027 · Entry Sep 26, 2026 ~ Nov 9, 2026

2026

2026Date Mar 29, 2026

Official website ↗

Instagram YouTube

D-day as of Nov 13, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

This flat full marathon starts and finishes in front of Fukui Station.

With a 7-hour time limit, the course covers city streets, rural rice-paddy roads and riverside cherry-blossom paths,

so it is manageable even for first-time full marathon runners.

The 2027 edition takes place on Sunday, 28 March.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from runners who've been there.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 4

RYORan in 2026

“On my third time running it, the weather finally cleared up. I'm so happy.”

The runner banked time in the first half, then spent it by walking much of the second half, and still held the goal time, noting that the legs felt close to cramping at the end.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

第3回にしてようやく晴れてくれましたね☀嬉しい。

Read the original on YAMAP

YAMACHAN2024Ran in 2026 · Finish time 2時間48分12秒

“The routes before the start and after finish were perfectly laid out, and the staff were so warm that this is a race I'd want to run here again.”

A sub-3 runner's report from the 2026 race, run in 2:48:12. The stretch after 30 km was tough, but the smooth course flow and the warmth of the staff make it a race worth coming back to.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

スタート前やゴール後の導線が完璧で、またスタッフの皆さんも非常に温かくてまたここで走りたいと思える大会だった。

Read the original on note（YAMACHAN2024）

doppomanRan in 2026 · Finish time 5時間3分12秒

“Each aid station actually had basins of water set out, so you could pour it over yourself.”

A 72-year-old runner returned for a second consecutive year in 2026. At 20°C it was hot, but water at every aid station helped a lot, and the runner passed other runners in the second half.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

実際各エイドにはタライ水が用意されていて被り水が出来ました

Read the original on note（doppoman）

ふっちょRan in 2025 · Finish time 4:08:46

“Course is flat for the most part.”

The rain and low temperatures made for good running conditions, but the area around Fukui Station and the toilets before the start were reported to be extremely crowded.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

コースは全体的にフラットです

Read the original on ふっちょの独り言～リターンズ！

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

First come, first served entry has closed

It ran Sep 26, 2026–Nov 9, 2026.
Check separately whether other entry routes are open and spots remain.

Registration history · The 2027 race opened entry on Sat, September 26, 2026

First come, first served

Entry cost ¥14,000

General entry was first-come, first-served on RUNNET, with 9,100 places.

Entries for the 2027 edition are closed.

Organizer's page

Charity

Entry cost ¥19,000

The Fst Supporter category has 400 places, and the entry fee includes a donation and souvenirs.

Organizer's page

Other

Entry cost ¥14,000

There is a hometown-tax donation return-gift category with 300 places and an accommodation package category (accommodation fee extra) with 500 places.

The hometown-tax category is received as a donation return gift.

Organizer's page

Overseas residents

Entry cost TBD

There is a quota of 500 places for runners living overseas.

The entry fee is not stated separately in the race guidelines.

Overseas residents

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 42.195km

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

From the 2026 edition

Runners start · local timeFrom 8:30

Time limit7 hours

7 hours (from the wave 1 start; effectively 6 hours 50 minutes for wave 2)

Event	Start	Time limit	Entry fee	Field size
マラソン42.195km	08:30	15:30	¥14,000	13,200
5km	09:15	—	¥4,000	1,300

START · FINISH

In front of Fukui Station

near the Daimyomachi intersection

Start · Google Maps

Cutoff
5.4km 09:38 · 8.5km 10:06 · 15.1km 11:08 · 20.1km 11:57 · 22.9km 12:23 · 29.2km 13:23 · 35.4km 14:21 · 38.4km 14:50

Runners start · local time — Full marathon Wave 1 at 8:30, wave 2 at 8:40 / 5 km at 9:15 / 1.5 km at 9:30

The Fukui Sakura Marathon is co-hosted by Fukui Prefecture and Fukui City and is held on a Sunday at the end of March each year.

The start and finish are both at the Daimyomachi intersection in front of Fukui Station, which keeps logistics simple.

The course is almost flat,

with a high point of 21 m and a low point of 6 m. The course passes through the redeveloped streets in front of the station and under the Shinkansen viaduct,

then runs through countryside rice paddies, and cherry blossoms line the embankments of the Kuzuryu River, Hino River and Asuwa River.

Midway you also pass near Maruoka Castle, the only castle in the Hokuriku region with its original main keep still standing;

in 2027 the castle is undergoing major renovation, so expect to see scaffolding and covers.

The time limit is 7 hours from the first-wave start, so it is approachable for first-time full marathon runners.

There are 13 aid stations on the course, and 9 of them are planned as Sakura Aid stations serving local Fukui food.

The 2027 edition has filled its full marathon field of 13,200 runners.

Besides the full marathon, 5 km and 1.5 km events are held the same day, which makes the race a good fit for family and friends.

Finishers receive a towel made in collaboration with CHUMS and a finisher medal.

The race goes ahead in the rain, so prepare for the weather.

Typical race-season temperature: around 6°C (42°F): Long sleeves + a throwaway layer for the start

Participant benefits

Timing chip

Aid stations

Finisher medal

Event T-shirt

Bag drop

Start shuttle

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

From the 2026 edition

Bib pickup

The official race guidelines do not mention an expo.

Free public transit

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startJR Fukui Station (福井駅)
Free public transit

Source · checked Nov 8, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

JR Fukui Station (福井駅)

The start is directly in front of JR Fukui Station, about a 7-minute walk to the start blocks. Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen or limited express to Fukui Station.

Race-day parking is not allowed. Registered runners can apply for free shuttle buses from park-and-ride lots (Prefectural Industry Hall about 15 min, Prefectural University Eiheiji Campus about 30 min).

Map

Getting to the finish

JR Fukui Station (福井駅)

Finish is at the same Fukui Station front area.

Map

Source · checked Nov 8, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

The first wave starts at 8:30 and the second wave at 8:40.

You walk from Fukui Station to the start blocks, so allow plenty of time to reach the station.

Race reports from 2025 say the station area and the toilets before the start were extremely crowded on a rainy day.

Use the toilet at your hotel or at a station along the way before you arrive.

Staying near Fukui Station the night before is the easiest option for the morning,

and tour-package hotels use an organizer shuttle that reaches the station at about 7:00.

Participant parking is not available on race day;

there is a free shuttle for runners from free car parks on the outskirts of the city (reservation required;

for the 2027 edition, applications open at noon on 16 November).

Your bib, timing chip and baggage-drop bag are mailed to your home in early March, so there is no pickup line on race day.

Runners living overseas must check the separate pickup instructions.

There are 8 time limit points, from 5.4 km at 9:38 to 38.4 km at 14:50, and the finish cut-off is 15:30.

Fukui in late March can be sunny and warm or rainy: it was hot in 2026 and rainy in 2025.

Pack both a rain jacket and a cap.

It helps to write the time limit times on your wrist or watch.

If you miss a time limit on the way, you must board a sweeper bus, so it is safer not to hold back too much in the first half of the pace.

Valuables are not accepted at baggage drop, so carry your phone and wallet on you or leave them at your hotel.

The 5 km and 1.5 km events start at 9:15 and 9:30, later than the full marathon.

After the race you can wash off at a partner public bath, but its car park cannot be used on race day.

Times are local to Fukui. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

Kamenoi Hotel Fukui

Ryokan · 3.0km

7.8/10(236)

View on Booking.com

Onsen Hot Springs Experience with Transfer

¥8,092

Fukui Sakura Marathon

About Fukui Sakura Marathon — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run