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PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONJP / RACE GUIDE

Hitachi Seaside Marathon 2026

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

JPNov 15, 202642.195km

NASA · Public domain

Race date in 38 days: Nov 15, 2026 Sun
City · Distance: Hitachi · 42.195km
Entry fee: フルマラソン10,000円Varies by event and entry period
Status: ClosedMon, April 13, 2026 ~ Mon, August 31, 2026See how to enter ↗

Official website ↗

Instagram

D-day as of Oct 8, 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.

The Hitachi Seaside Marathon is organised by the Hitachi Seaside Marathon Executive Committee,

the Ibaraki Athletics Association, the Hitachi Athletics Association and Hitachi City.

The 2026 race will be held on Sunday, November 15, in rain or shine.

The only event is a marathon.

The entry fee is 10,000 yen, and entrants must be at least 18 years old as of April 1, 2026, and capable of finishing within six hours;

high-school students are excluded.

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 those who ran it first.

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

Race reports: 3

のっぽ😄感謝穏やかに笑顔Ran in 2025

“The course over the sea in the first half, one of the highlights of the race, was incredibly refreshing.”

After 12 attempts at the full marathon in Hitachi, the runner finished under 5 hours for the first time. They enjoyed the ocean views and support from local residents, and also wrote about their shuttle and event-venue experience.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

見せ場でもある前半の海の上を走るコースはとても爽快でした。

Read the original on note

TAORan in 2025 · Finish time 3:19

“My time was 3 hours 19 minutes.”

Motivated by disappointment in their first full marathon, TAO trained harder and took on the Hitachi Seaside Marathon again. Despite going out too fast along the coast and fighting hills and leg cramps late in the race, they finished in 3:19 and set their next goal.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

タイムは3時間19分であった。

Read the original on note

キジー・リノRan in 2025 · Finish time 5:29:38

“The Hitachi Seaside Marathon was a really enjoyable 42 km!”

They finished in 5:29:38. Taking part as part of a two-night, three-day trip, they share their experience on the ground—coastal views, long climbs, aid stations and shuttle buses, and the moment they held hands with Naoko Takahashi crossing the line.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

ひたちシーサイドマラソン・・・すごく楽しい42キロでした！

Read the original on 日常のことを気侭につづるキジー・リノのハイブリッドなブログ

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.

行ったこともないマラソンのゲストランナーやるのは気が引けるので、車飛ばして行ったら市ごと好きになった【ひたちシーサイド】

ウルトラランナーみゃこ(ULTRA RUNNER MYACO)

View on YouTube

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.

Registration history

The 2026 race opened entry on Mon, April 13, 2026

We'll fill this in once the official entry rules are out.

Registration platform RUNNET

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

The 42.195km I'll run

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

Runners start · local timeFrom 10:00

Time limit6 hours

6 hours, cut-off point available

Full marathon 10,000 yen

not the start line

We have not confirmed the start line coordinates yet.

START

Hitachi City Citizens' Sports Park West City Road

Start · Google Maps

FINISH

Hitachi City Citizens Sports Park Athletics Stadium

Finish · Google Maps

Cut-off
Cut-off point 8 locations (last 6 hours)

Runners start · local time — (full marathon)

It is a marathon single event held as course recognized by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations.

The venue is Hitachi City Citizens' Movement Park (2-15-1 Higashinarisawacho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture) and departure is at 10 am.

Passing the Hitachi Seaside Road overlooking the Pacific Ocean, you can feel the openness of driving on the sea,

and on the Kawarago Coast in the middle of course, you can feel the sea up close.

It is course with ups and downs, and the organizer guides it as "course worth running".

Since it includes narrow sections and sections with elevation differences, participation using wheelchairs, etc. is not accepted for safety reasons.

Lap measurements are carried out every mark of 5 km.

Time limit is 6 hours (4 p.m.), and cut-off point is installed in 8 locations above course.

Approximately 4.5km mark 1 hour (11am), approximately 12.5km mark 2 hours (noon),

approximately 16.8km mark 2 hours 40 minutes, approximately 22.2km mark 3 hours 15 minutes,

approximately 28.3km mark 4 hours and 10 minutes, approximately 36.3km mark 5 hours and 15 minutes,

approximately 38.0km mark 5 hours and 30 minutes, the finish point is 6 hours.

There is a point DNF at about 31.3km mark.

Aid station is installed in 14 locations ranging from about 4.5km to about 38.1km,

and meals are also provided at 12.5km, 14.2km, 19.6km, 28.3km, 30.4km, and 36.3km mark.

Field size: 6,000 people
Typical race-season temperature: around 12°C (53°F): Short sleeves or light long sleeves + arm warmers

Participant benefits

Timing chip

Finisher medal

Event T-shirt

Finisher certificate

To the start line,
step by step.

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

From the 2025 edition

Pick up your bib at the expo

Details on registration and athlete bibs could not be confirmed in the publicly available information.
Since advance mailing or same-day collection is common for races in Japan, check the event guide (participant notification).

Hitachi Municipal Sports Park

Google Maps Directions

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the start

JR Joban Line Hitachi Station

Start/finish at Hitachi City Citizens' Sports Park.

From Tokyo take JR Joban Line limited express to Hitachi Station, approx. 1h40m-2h.

From Hitachi Station or Hitachi City Hall, free shuttle bus or 15-min walk to venue.

2,000 on-site parking spaces also available for those driving.

Getting to the finish

JR Joban Line Hitachi Station

Same venue for start/finish (loop-style course);

return via shuttle/walk to Hitachi Station.

More details

Free shuttle bus between Hitachi Station and the venue (and from Hitachi City Hall), about 15 min;

walking is also possible in about 15 min.

Stations & transport near the venue

Select your parking preference when registering, and a parking permit is included in the advance shipment.

Source · checked Aug 22, 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.

There is no race-day registration.

Your bib (Athlete Bibs), RUNNERS timing chip and other items are scheduled to be mailed in late October, so be sure to bring them.

The RUNNERS chip must be attached to your shoe, and you must pass through the finish gate at the finish.

The finisher certificate is issued online only, not on paper.

Baggage goes to the baggage storage inside Ikenokawa Sakura Arena;

please do not leave valuables.

At the start, line up in the block for the target time you declared at registration (shown on your bib).

Personal food and special drinks are not accepted.

Local specialty foods are served at the aid station.

The participation gift is a long-sleeve T-shirt, the starter gift is a towel, and finishers receive a finisher finisher medal.

If coming by car, select "parking requested" when you apply;

the runners-only car park has 1,400 spaces and costs an extra 1,000 yen, and parking tickets are included in the pre-race mailing in late October.

It takes 15–30 minutes from Hitachi-Chuo IC on the Joban Expressway to the runners-only car park,

and about 15 minutes from the car park to the venue either on foot or by shuttle bus.

By JR, on the day before the race the Limited Express Hitachi and Tokiwa run twice an hour, taking about 1 h 40 min to 2 h from Tokyo Station.

On race day,

if you take a local train from Tokyo Station arriving at Hitachi Station at 08:31, you may have very little time to prepare after reaching the main venue,

depending on shuttle bus boarding.

Costumes that offend public order and decency or could harm other runners are prohibited.

Times are local to Hitachi. 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.

Hotel Kokumin Syukusya Unomisaki.

Hotel · 日立市 9.2km

★4.3(1724)

Map Compare rates

Tokyo Dry Head Spa Specialist King's Nap Kitasenju West Exit Branch

₩69,785

Hitachi Seaside Marathon 2026

About Hitachi Seaside Marathon 2026 — 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