TOKYO MARATHON: HOW JAPAN BUILT ASIA'S ONLY WORLD MAJOR IN 17 YEARS

On a February morning in 2007, 30,870 runners filled the starting corrals at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku. Most of them had no idea they were running the first edition of what would become Asia's only Abbott World Marathon Major. The Tokyo Marathon did not evolve over decades like Boston or London. It was engineered from scratch, and it worked.

The race replaced two older events: the Tokyo International Marathon, an elite-only race held on even years since 1981, and the Tokyo-New York Friendship International Marathon, held on odd years. Neither drew much public attention. The merger created something that did, a mass-participation marathon through the center of one of the world's largest cities, and it transformed running culture in Japan.

The First Starting Gun

Governor Shintaro Ishihara championed the idea of a large-scale city marathon modeled on New York and London. Tokyo had the infrastructure, the public transit system to move tens of thousands of runners and spectators, and a deep running culture. What it lacked was a race that matched the scale of the city.

The inaugural edition on February 18, 2007, drew 95,044 applicants for 30,000 spots. Kenya's Daniel Njenga won the men's race in 2:09:45. Japan's Hitomi Niiya took the women's title in 2:31:01. The public response was immediate. Applications for the second edition doubled.

The course runs from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building through Shinjuku, past the Imperial Palace, through Ginza and Asakusa, and finishes at Tokyo Big Sight on the waterfront. It is largely flat, with only minor elevation changes through the city's broad boulevards. The route passes landmarks that most city marathons cannot match for density: shrines, neon-lit shopping districts, the Sumida River, and Tokyo Tower.

Earning Major Status

The Abbott World Marathon Majors launched in 2006 with five founding races: Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York. Tokyo set its sights on becoming the sixth. The race invested in elite fields, improved its organization, and grew its international participation.

In 2013, Tokyo officially joined the World Marathon Majors, the first new addition to the series and the first Major in Asia. The timing coincided with Japan's bid for the 2020 Olympics, and the marathon became a showcase for Tokyo's ability to host world-class sporting events.

The elevation was earned. By 2013, Tokyo was already drawing 300,000 applicants annually and fielding competitive elite races. The Majors designation formalized what the running world could see: Tokyo belonged.

Champions and Course Records

The men's course record has fallen repeatedly as Tokyo invested in pacemaking and elite recruitment. Wilson Kipsang ran 2:03:58 in 2017, a time that briefly stood as the fastest marathon ever run in Asia. Birhanu Legese lowered the mark to 2:04:15 in 2020 on a different course measurement, and Benson Kipruto pushed it to 2:02:16 in 2024.

The women's record followed a similar trajectory. Helah Kiprop ran 2:21:27 in 2012. Ruti Aga improved it to 2:18:34 in 2019. Sutume Kebede of Ethiopia set the current mark of 2:15:55 in 2024, putting Tokyo's women's course record in the same bracket as London and Chicago.

Japanese runners have used Tokyo as their national championship by proxy. The race serves as a key selection event for the Olympics and World Championships, adding a layer of domestic drama to every edition. Suguru Osako broke the Japanese national record at Tokyo in 2020 with 2:05:29, a performance that secured his Olympic spot.

COVID and the Empty Marathon

The 2020 edition, held on March 1, proceeded for elites only after Japan restricted mass gatherings as COVID-19 spread. The 2021 race was postponed and eventually held in October with a reduced field. The 2022 edition returned to its February slot but with limited participation.

The pandemic years tested Tokyo's organizational model. With no mass participation revenue and restricted international travel, the race operated at a fraction of its normal scale. But the elite races continued, and when full participation returned in 2023, the demand was as high as ever, with more than 300,000 applicants for 38,000 spots.

Japanese Running Culture

To understand Tokyo's marathon, you have to understand Japan's relationship with distance running. The Hakone Ekiden, a two-day university relay held every January, draws television audiences of 30 million. Corporate running teams compete in national ekiden circuits. Running is not a niche sport in Japan; it is embedded in the culture.

The Tokyo Marathon tapped into this existing passion and amplified it. The race created a public, participatory version of a sport that had been dominated by corporate teams and university programs. For recreational runners, entering the Tokyo lottery became an annual ritual.

The spectator culture reflects this depth. Two million people line the course, many of them organized by neighborhood associations and corporate groups. The crowd support is constant and unusually informed. Spectators in Tokyo know what a 2:04 pace looks like.

The Course Today

The route begins at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building's twin towers in Shinjuku, one of the city's most recognizable structures. Runners head east toward the Imperial Palace, loop through the government district, and pass through Nihonbashi and Asakusa before turning south.

The second half follows the Sumida River before cutting through the industrial waterfront to the finish at Tokyo Big Sight, the convention center that also served as the media hub for the 2021 Olympics. The course is fast, with a net downhill of roughly 40 meters and only one notable incline near the 35-kilometer mark.

Seventeen Years, One Major

The Tokyo Marathon did not have the benefit of a century of history. It had no Fred Lebow, no Chris Brasher, no origin myth involving a horse race. It had a municipal government with a plan, a population that already loved running, and the organizational precision that Japan applies to everything from rail schedules to cherry blossom forecasts.

Seventeen years after that first start in Shinjuku, Tokyo is the youngest Major and, by application numbers, one of the most oversubscribed races on the planet. The merger of two forgotten races into Asia's only World Marathon Major is one of the better stories in the sport. It just happened to be planned that way.

Tokyo's flat course and March timing have made it one of the fastest venues in the sport. For a closer look, see how Tokyo became the world's most competitive marathon.