Races

PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONJP / RACE GUIDE

Saitama Marathon

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Saitama
JP

Kakidai · CC BY-SA 4.0掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0Kakidai · CC BY-SA 4.0MaedaAkihiko · CC BY-SA 4.0OiMax（https://www.flickr.com/photos/oimax/） · CC BY 2.0

Race date in 92 days: Feb 14, 2027 Sun
City · Distance: Saitama · 42.195km · 8km · 3km
Entry fee: ¥15,000Varies by event and entry period
Status: ClosedSee how to enter ↗

2027Date Feb 14, 2027 · Entry Jul 15, 2026 ~

2025

2025Date Mar 16, 2025

Official website ↗

Instagram YouTube

D-day as of Nov 14, 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 February city marathon centered on Saitama Super Arena in Saitama-Shintoshin.

It started in 2023, and with a full marathon field of 14,000 it is easy to reach from the Tokyo area.

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: 3

matRan in 2025 · Finish time 3:04:35

“I was about five rows from the front, so I got away smoothly — it didn't feel narrow or dangerous in the early course the way people say it is.”

Ran cautiously in rain, cold of around 5°C and strong wind. The aid stations were the most crowded spots; the climb around 30 km was where it got tough, and cramps hit in the legs around 38 km.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

前から5列目くらいだったので、前評判にあったような最初はコースが狭くて危険と言うような感覚もなくスムーズにスタート出来た。

Read the original on note

けーたろーRan in 2025 · Finish time 2:55:41

“The wind is strong and there's no shelter on the toll road, so it helps to run in a pack.”

Starting near the front of Block A, the runner had a comfortable start, with only a 13-second gap between gun time and chip time. Heavy rain and strong winds broke up the groups after 20 km, but given the conditions the result was a satisfying one.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

風は強く有料道路は吹き晒しなので集団が有利。

Read the original on note

n-irohaRan in 2025

“The Saitama Marathon is by no means an easy course.”

This is the first part of a race report from a first attempt at a sub-3 two weeks after the Tokyo Marathon. The weather was good for running, and the key stretches were the Shin-Urayasu bridge around 36 km and everything after 40 km.

Quoted from the original · translated

Original quote

さいたまマラソンは、決して楽なコースではありません。

Read the original on note

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 Jul 15, 2026–.
Check separately whether other entry routes are open and spots remain.

Registration history · The 2027 race opened entry on Wed, July 15, 2026

First come, first served

Entry cost ¥15,000

General entry opened at noon on 15 July 2026 and closes when the field is full.

For the 2027 edition, entries closed for all events on 1 November.

Organizer's page

Charity

Entry cost ¥50,000

A route to 100 full marathon places (for non-residents of Saitama City) was available with a hometown tax (furusato nozei) donation of ¥50,000 or more.

Non-residents of Saitama City, first come, first served

Organizer's page

Other

Entry cost ¥15,000

Priority entry for residents of Saitama City and Koshigaya City and for 2026 full marathon entrants ran from 1 July to 13 July 2026.

Residents of Saitama City or Koshigaya City, or 2026 entrants

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 9:00

Time limit6 hours

Full marathon 6 hours (measured from the gun start)

Event	Start	Time limit	Entry fee	Field size
マラソン42.195km	09:00	15:00	¥15,000	14,000
8km	09:00	10:30	¥4,400	1,500
エンジョイラン3km3km	09:55	10:15	¥2,200	1,500

START

Around Saitama Super Arena

Start · Google Maps

FINISH

Full marathon Road south of Saitama Super Arena / 8km Komaba Sports Park

Finish · Google Maps

Cutoff
2.9km 09:46 · 7.1km 10:20 · 12.4km 11:02 · 17.2km 11:40 · 23km 12:27 · 28.2km 13:08 · 35.4km 14:06 · 37.5km 14:23 · 39.9km 14:42

Runners start · local time — Full marathon and 8km at 9:00, wheelchair 800m at 9:40, 3km at 9:55, 1.3km at 10:15, parent-and-child 1.3km at 10:25 (2027 race guidelines)

The Saitama Marathon is a city marathon that Saitama City launched in 2023.

It is a different race from the Saitama International Marathon held in the past.

The full marathon is a JAAF-certified course, with Saitama Super Arena as its base.

With a large field of 14,000, the start is split into several blocks, and the last block takes about 20 minutes to reach the start line.

According to 2025 race reports, the toll-road section is fully exposed to the wind,

and many runners said their legs got heavy on the climb around 30km and the hill around 37km.

Runners describe it as not an easy course.

Some also report that after the finish, the indoor Super Arena gave shelter from the rain.

The 2025 race was held on 16 March, and the 2026 race, scheduled for 8 February, was cancelled on the day.

It has since been announced that the race will return as the 4th edition on 14 February 2027.

Besides the full marathon, there are 8km, 3km and 1.3km runs and an 800m wheelchair division, so whole families can take part.

In 2027, because of renovation work at Super Arena, the finish is on the road south of the arena.

Typical race-season temperature: around 2°C (36°F): Long sleeves + a throwaway layer for the start

Participant benefits

Timing chip

Pacers

Restrooms

Water stations

Finisher medal

Event T-shirt

Finisher certificate

Bag drop

Hotels1.3km from the start · ★8.9

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.

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startSaitama-Shintoshin Station (さいたま新都心駅)

Source · checked Nov 8, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

Saitama-Shintoshin Station (さいたま新都心駅)

About 3 min walk to the Saitama Super Arena area. Kitayono Station (JR Saikyo Line) is about 7 min.

No parking on race day. Local buses may be suspended or detoured by traffic control; details expected around December 2026.

Map

Getting to the finish

Saitama-Shintoshin Station (さいたま新都心駅)

Marathon finishes on the south road of Saitama Super Arena. The 8km finishes at Komaba Sports Park, about 21 min walk from Urawa 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 race-day base is a 3-minute walk from JR Saitama-Shintoshin Station and a 7-minute walk from Kitayono Station.

There is no parking on race day, so go by train.

Road closures may stop or reroute local buses;

details are expected around December 2026.

Your bib and timing chip arrive by post beforehand and there is no on-site registration, so be sure to bring them on the day.

If your address is wrong they won't reach you, so double-check the address you entered when you registered.

Full marathon and 8 km runners can leave bags at the arena (based on 2026 edition information).

The full marathon has a 6-hour time limit and 9 cutoffs (from 2.9 km at 9:46 to 39.9 km at 14:42, provisional).

Miss one and you must take off your bib and board the sweeper vehicle.

Reviews from 2025 mention rain, temperatures around 5°C and strong wind.

Bring a waterproof jacket and gloves;

a rain poncho for waiting before the start also helps.

Under the 2026 plan, there are about 12 aid stations from 5.2 km, serving water and sports drink.

Cola was also planned around 32.9 km.

Reviews say the aid stations were the most crowded spots, so aim for the tables at the far end.

Lodging near Saitama-Shintoshin Station or Omiya Station is convenient.

Times are local to Saitama. 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.

Ref Omiya By Vessel Hotels

Hotel · 1.3km · 19-minute walk

8.9/10(869)

View on Booking.com

Tokyo Dry Head Spa Iyasheep Oji Branch

¥18,211

Saitama Marathon

About Saitama 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