Runners start · local time — Full marathon and half marathon 9:20 / 10 km 9:00 / 3 km 10:00 (waves) / 5 km 10:30 / 1.5 km 11:15 / 800 m 11:40
The Soja Kibiji Marathon is organized by Soja City in Okayama Prefecture and runs along a "historical corridor" linking burial mounds and old temples around Soja in late winter.
The start line is at the intersection east of the Soja Chamber of Commerce building,
and the full marathon is an irregular loop that goes around the course twice.
Race reports say you can't tell where you are from the map alone, and that before you know it you've run the full distance.
The five-story pagoda of Bitchu Kokubunji comes into view two or three times,
and the course map also shows the two similarly named Tsukuriyama burial mounds and Sesshu Birthplace Park.
It isn't completely flat, though.
A runner who ran the half marathon said there are two or three ups and downs, and many reports describe it as more of a festival than a race for chasing times.
The food is the highlight.
Along the course you are handed soba, pork soup, strawberries, Taiwanese castella,
warabimochi and Soja-grown peach compote, and reports even include a tip to grab everything on the first loop.
There are also private aid stations set up by local shops, and red bean soup and amazake await after the finish.
The half marathon and the 10 km are course certified by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, and this year's race takes about 15,000 runners.
The 2026 race was held on February 22, and the next one is confirmed for February 28, 2027.
