The Fukuoka International Marathon 2026 starts on December 6 from two places: Heiwadai Athletic Stadium and Ohori Park.
Group A, made up of about 100 invited and recommended athletes and top qualifiers,
runs 3 laps of the stadium track plus 350 m before heading onto the road, and Group B, about 400 runners, starts behind them from Ohori Park.
The course makes a large loop through southwestern Fukuoka City, passes in front of JR Hakata Station,
crosses the Najima Bridge and turns around at the Kashii turnaround point, the 31.6375 km mark.
At the end, runners do 1 more lap of the track plus 150 m to reach the finish.
According to the elevation profile, the entire course stays between 0 and 10 m above sea level.
It is a flat course that rises briefly only on bridges such as the Otabe Ohashi, Beppu Ohashi and Nanotsu Ohashi.
The race's roots lie in the Kanakuri Prize Asahi Marathon held in Kumamoto in 1947, and Fukuoka became the permanent host in 1959.
It is also where Robert de Castella set a 2:08:18 world record in 1981.
The race nearly came to an end after its 75th edition in 2021, but the following year a successor race was launched that carries on its tradition and course.
The course record is 2:05:18, set in 2009, and the 2026 race is a men's G1 race in the MGC Series 2026-27 and also serves as a Japanese selection race for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
