Photo/Illutration Runners compete in the 2018 Tohoku-Miyagi Revive Marathon in Iwanuma, Miyagi Prefecture. Launched to support the disaster-hit area, the race ended in 2024 due to financial difficulties. (Junya Fujii)

Once popular amid rising health awareness, smaller amateur marathons around Japan are struggling with declining participation, higher costs and post-pandemic financial strain.

One of the hardest-hit events is the Matsumoto Marathon, held annually in the castle town in Nagano Prefecture.

Organizers announced in May that the event scheduled for autumn has been canceled. The decision came after revelations of improper accounting practices intended to conceal substantial deficits from previous years.

The Matsumoto Marathon, which began in 2017, once drew more than 10,000 entrants. But participation plummeted from 8,300 in 2019 to 5,600 in 2022, following a three-year COVID-19 hiatus.

Despite efforts to reduce costs and increase revenue, the 2023 race filled only half of its capacity and ended with a deficit of 15 million yen ($102,000).

To maintain the event’s reputation, city officials disguised the shortfall as a surplus, leading to public outcry and an apology from Mayor Yoshinao Gaun.

The financial challenges are not unique to Matsumoto.

According to sports foundation R-bies, interest in full marathons surged after the first Tokyo Marathon was held in 2007. The number of races peaked in fiscal 2017.

However, many events were canceled during the pandemic, and those that have returned face increased costs, pushing participation fees to new highs.

Entry for the 2025 Kobe Marathon now costs 18,000 yen, while the Tokyo and Fukuoka marathons charge 16,500 yen and 16,000 yen, respectively. These fees represent increases of 25 to 60 percent from pre-pandemic rates in 2019.

While major city marathons still see application-to-entry ratios over 2:1, rural events are being discontinued.

The Tohoku-Miyagi Revive Marathon, which followed a route through areas affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, held its final run in 2024. Despite a 1,500-yen increase in entry fees, rising costs made the event unsustainable.

Similarly, the Hiroshima International Peace Marathon and Yonezawa Uesugi Castle Town Marathon in Yamagata Prefecture have been discontinued due to financial difficulties and insufficient participant numbers.

RUNNERS GROWING SELECTIVE

Some organizers are taking innovative approaches to survive.

The Fukuchiyama Marathon in Kyoto Prefecture reduced entry fees in 2024 and introduced new race formats, including a relay-style pair marathon and a 10-kilometer run.

These changes helped increase full marathon entries by more than 1,000. The 2025 event will also start a student discount program, offering 5,000 yen off for participants aged 18 to 25.

Runners are becoming increasingly selective.

A 27-year-old man from Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, who competes in five marathons annually, said: “There are so many events now. I choose based on how accessible the location is and unique local appeal.”

Takehiko Gyoba, editor-in-chief of Runners magazine, notes that today’s marathons must offer unique experiences other than just the race.

“It’s no longer only about beating personal records,” he said. “Offering local specialty and enhanced support for runners, for example, are what make a marathon stand out.”

(This article was written by Yuichi Koyama, Tomonori Asada and Akihito Ogawa.)

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