Races

PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONJP / RACE GUIDE

Katsuta Zenkoku Marathon

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Hitachinaka
JP

katorisi · CC BY-SA 3.0Miyuki Meinaka · CC BY-SA 4.0小石川人晃 · CC BY-SA 4.0WAKA77 · Public domain

Race date in 77 days: Jan 31, 2027 Sun
City · Distance: Hitachinaka · 42.195km · 10km
Entry fee: ¥9,000Varies by event and entry period
Status: ClosedSee how to enter ↗

2027Date Jan 31, 2027 · Entry Sep 25, 2026 ~ Oct 31, 2026

2026

2026Date Jan 25, 2026

Official website ↗D-day as of Nov 15, 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 is a traditional Japanese marathon that began in 1953 and has run for more than 70 editions.

You run a JAAF-certified course through Hitachinaka and Tokai Village, and finishers receive the region's specialty, dried sweet potato.

The 74th edition takes place on 31 January 2027.

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

二度寝Ran in 2025

“I noticed it from the first half on: the unofficial aid stations are far more numerous than at other races.”

A runner who finished the January 2025 race in the 4:30s shares this report. Course was not flat, with repeated downhills and uphills, but the runner was grateful for the many unofficial aid stations set up by spectators.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

前半から感じていたが、私設エイドが他の大会と比べてもとても多い。

Read the original on note（二度寝）

moakiRan in 2018

“This year again, my legs wouldn't move at mark of the 23 km, so I dropped out!”

After recovering from a cold, the runner started the full marathon with no training and stopped at 23 km. The report says that next year the runner will put in more miles beforehand and finish.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

今年も２３ｋｍ地点で足が動かなくなり棄権！

Read the original on みんカラ ♪心はシーズンオフ

fearunnRan in 2015 · Finish time 2:40:23

“I had an accident around the 37km mark. I slowed down a little to drink some water and twisted my body, and my left foot cramped up.”

The runner finish in 2:40:23, cutting about 12 minutes off a personal best, but a cramp at 37km slowed the pace. Up to the midway point the runner ran in a pack of about 10.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

37km付近でアクシデント発生。給水しようと少しペースを落とし体をひねったら左足を痙攣。。。

Read the original on Ameba Blog fearunn

moakiRan in 2011

“I managed to finish, one way or another.”

Entered the 10 km at the 59th edition despite having been unable to train for the previous two months, and ran it through to the finish.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

なんとか完走。

Read the original on みんカラ ♪心はシーズンオフ

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.

【勝田全国マラソン】約15分で見る全コース動画【予習・復習】
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.

First come, first served entry has closed

It ran Sep 25, 2026–Oct 31, 2026.
Check separately whether other entry routes are open and spots remain.

Registration history · The 2027 race opened entry on Fri, September 25, 2026

First come, first served

Entry cost ¥9,000

General entry is first come, first served and closes when the cap is reached.

The full marathon entries closed on 13 October 2026.

You need to register as a member (free) on the official entry site.

A separate registration fee is added when you enter (¥240 up to ¥4,000, 6.0% for ¥4,001 and above).

Organizer's page

Other

Entry cost TBD

Residents of Hitachinaka and Tokai Village can apply first, from 11 September to 23 September 2026.

Hitachinaka City and Tokai Village residents

Organizer's page

Other · Marathon

Entry cost TBD

There are 500 full marathon spots and 100 10 km spots for entering through a hometown-tax donation (included in the cap).

You must follow the instructions on the hometown-tax site.

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.

Runners start · local timeFrom 10:30

Time limit6 hours

6 hours (timing ends at 16:30)

Event	Start	Time limit	Entry fee	Field size
マラソンの部42.195km	10:30	6h	¥9,000	12,000
女子10kmの部10km	11:10	—	¥6,000	5,000
男子10kmの部10km	11:40	—	¥6,000	5,000

START

Omotemachi shopping street

Omotemachi-minami intersection

Start · Google Maps

FINISH

Ishikawa Undo Hiroba

Finish · Google Maps

Cutoff
17.6km 13:00 · 30km 15:00 · 34.9km 15:40

Runners start · local time — Full marathon 10:30, men's 10 km 11:10, women's 10 km 11:40

The first race was held in February 1953 at Jingu in Tokyo under the name Yomiuri All-Japan Marathon.

It then moved through Ome, Utsunomiya and Mito before settling in Katsuta from the 20th edition.

In 1981 it was renamed the Katsuta National Marathon, as it is called today, and a women's marathon was added.

The course starts at the Omotemachi shopping street, loops through Hitachinaka and Tokai, and returns to Ishikawa Undo Hiroba.

The elevation graph in the pamphlet only goes up to 50 m, so the course appears to have no major climbs.

Held in late January, the race runs in cold air and has a devoted following, including regulars who run only this event every year.

In peak years the field topped 24,000 runners;

the full marathon cap is now 12,000.

Residents and volunteers cheer across the whole city, which is a big part of the race's appeal.

Finish the full and you're handed dried sweet potatoes, which makes the finish that much sweeter.

You can reach it from Tokyo on a single limited express train, so runners from the Tokyo area also come as a day trip.

On race day for the 73rd edition in January 2026, it was sunny but bitterly cold, with a cold wave and strong winds.

Field size: Marathon 12,000 people, 10km 5,000 people
Typical race-season temperature: around 4°C (39°F): Long sleeves + a throwaway layer for the start

Participant benefits

Timing chip

Restrooms

Aid stations

Event T-shirt

Finisher certificate

Bag drop

Start shuttle

Changing rooms

Lockers

Hotels4.9km from the start · ★8.2

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 site lists no expo.
For the 2026 edition, a food event was held the day before, on 24 January, at the Hitachinaka City Cultural Center.

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startKatsuta Station (JR Joban Line)
Getting to the finishKatsuta Station · Kokimae Station (Hitachinaka Seaside Railway)

Source · checked Nov 8, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

Katsuta Station (JR Joban Line)

Start is at Omotemachi shopping street (Omotemachi-minami intersection), roughly a 10-minute walk from Katsuta Station. Limited express from Ueno to Katsuta takes about 1h10m.

No parking is provided; heavy traffic is expected. By car: 11 km from Naka IC (about 20 min), 6 km from Hitachinaka IC (about 10 min).

Ibaraki Airport is about 35 km away.

Map

Getting to the finish

Katsuta Station / Kokimae Station (Hitachinaka Seaside Railway)

Finish and venue is Ishikawa Undo Hiroba: 10 min on foot from Katsuta Station (free shuttle bus runs), or 6 min on foot from Kokimae Station.

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 start and finish are in different places, so plan your route in advance.

Leave your bag at the storage area (100 yen) near the finish at Ishikawa Undo Hiroba or in a coin locker (100 yen);

the changing rooms have limited capacity.

Katsuta Station is about a 10-minute walk from the venue, and a free shuttle bus also runs.

There is no dedicated parking, so public transport is the standard way in.

From Ueno in Tokyo it takes about 1 hour 10 minutes by limited express, so a same-day trip is possible.

But with a 10:30 start, staying near Katsuta Station or Mito the night before takes the pressure off.

Start your lodging search around Katsuta Station in a booking app.

The time limit is 6 hours, with 3 cutoffs: 17.6 km closes at 13:00, 30.0 km at 15:00 and 34.9 km at 15:40.

There are 8 aid stations, at 7, 11, 16, 21, 26, 31, 37 and 40 km, with only minimal food, so it helps to bring gels or similar fuel.

There are 15 temporary toilets.

Late January in Ibaraki can be cold and windy, so bring gloves and cold-weather gear, plus throwaway clothes to wear before the start.

Your bib, timing chip and program are mailed to your home in early January, so if you're coming from overseas, check in advance how to receive them.

Finisher certificates are issued online only.

The line for dried sweet potatoes after the finish can be long, so put warm clothes on before you cool down.

Many people walk back to Katsuta Station after the finish, so allow time for your legs.

Entries are closed, so if you want to run in 2027, watch for the next edition's entry announcement.

Times are local to Hitachinaka. 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.

Mito Sannomaru Hotel

Hotel · 4.9km

8.2/10(1186)

View on Booking.com

Genki-Ro Art Sauna and Herbal Steam Experience in Utsunomiya

¥15,134

Katsuta Zenkoku Marathon

About Katsuta Zenkoku 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