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ぐんまマラソン (Gunma Marathon)

Start 08:558:55 AM Maebashi

The ぐんまマラソン (Gunma Marathon) is a course of 42.2 km with 104.5 m of climbing. Its lowest point is 89 m and its highest 155 m above sea level. Next race: Tuesday 3 November 2026, starting at 08:55.

Maebashi
Maebashi. Photograph by Javbw, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons . Course line © OpenStreetMap contributors

At a glance

Race day
The 2026 race
Start
08:558:55 AM
Waves until 09:009:00 AM
Distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
Marathon · 10K · 5K, from the race name, not from a published programme
Total climb
104.5 m343 ft
Highest point 65 m213 ft above lowest
Entry fee
JP¥13,500
For the 2026 race
Time limit
6 hours
Finish closes 15:003:00 PM

The course

Pick a place, or drag along the profile

The course tops out at 154.9 m at 13.1 km and bottoms at 89.4 m at 29.3 km, a loop that climbs 104.5 m in all.

Start, finish

© OpenStreetMap contributors

  2. Photo: WAKA77, Public domain

km 40.1mile 24.9

Green Dome Maebashi

The tenth cut-off gate stands in front of the dome at about 40 km, closing at 14:40.

Height drawn many times taller than life · GEDTM30

Course elevation profile, 8× vertical exaggeration Elevation along the course from km 0 to km 42. The trace runs between 89 and 155 metres, a range of 65 metres, drawn at 8 times vertical exaggeration so the shape is legible. Smoothed over 1 km before this profile was derived. An unsmoothed urban surface carries the buildings and would assert a climb that is not there. The dashed stretches are bridge decks: (unnamed span), km 4.5 to 4.6; 大渡橋, km 9 to 9.6; (unnamed span), km 10.3 to 10.5; 浜尻陸橋, km 27.1 to 27.3; 西毛広域幹線道路, km 37.8 to 38.4. A bare-earth model reads the ground or the water beneath a bridge, not the deck the runner is on, so those runs are interpolated between the ground either side rather than measured, and they under-report the real climb across a span. Marked points: Cut-off 10:20 at km 8.2; Cut-off 10:47 at km 11.3; Cut-off 11:19 at km 15.2; Cut-off 11:58 at km 20.1; Cut-off 12:33 at km 24.4; Cut-off 12:56 at km 27.3; Cut-off 13:14 at km 29.5; Cut-off 13:44 at km 33.2; Cut-off 14:05 at km 35.7; Cut-off 14:40 at km 40.
0 10 20 30 40 km
0 10 20 26.2 mi

Dashed: bridge upright dashes: cut-offs

Your 5 gels, at the orange marksFor a 4:00 finish, one every 40 minutes

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

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  • The high point comes at 13 km, then the road drops awayHigh point 154.9 m at 13.1 km, low point 89.4 m at 29.3 km, 104.5 m of climbing.
  • Ten gates, a 15:00 close and two wavesGates run from 10:20 at 8.2 km to 14:40 at 40.0 km; the limit is 6 hours from the second wave.
  • The Shoda Shoyu Stadium and a certified courseThe main venue is the stadium in Shikishima Park; the marathon course is JAAF certified.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
km 0 to 42.2GradientThe high point comes at 13 km, then the road drops awayHigh point 154.9 m at 13.1 km, low point 89.4 m at 29.3 km, 104.5 m of climbing.

The course is a loop that starts and ends at about 115 m above sea level. The road climbs from the start to its highest point, 154.9 m, at 13.1 km, then falls steadily to 111 m by 20 km and to its lowest point, 89.4 m, at 29.3 km. It climbs back to about 103 m by 40 km and finishes near where it began.

The marathon climbs 104.5 m in total. A watch on the day will count more small rises than that from overpasses and ramps. The figures are for the organiser’s 2026 course.

Measured

km 8.2 to 42.2TacticsTen gates, a 15:00 close and two wavesGates run from 10:20 at 8.2 km to 14:40 at 40.0 km; the limit is 6 hours from the second wave.

The 36th Gunma Marathon, on Tuesday 3 November 2026, starts in two waves at 8:55 and 9:00. The six-hour time limit counts from the second wave’s gun. The organiser sets ten gates: 10:20 at about 8.2 km, 10:47 at 11.3 km, 11:19 at 15.2 km, 11:58 at 20.1 km, 12:33 at 24.4 km, 12:56 at 27.3 km, 13:14 at 29.5 km, 13:44 at 33.2 km, 14:05 at 35.7 km and 14:40 at 40.0 km in front of Green Dome Maebashi. Runners cannot continue after a gate closes, and the race ends at 15:00.

Sourced

km 0 to 42.2LandmarkThe Shoda Shoyu Stadium and a certified courseThe main venue is the stadium in Shikishima Park; the marathon course is JAAF certified.

The organiser names Shoda Shoyu Stadium Gunma, inside Gunma Prefectural Shikishima Park, as the main venue. The full marathon and the 10 km are certified by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations. There is no bib pickup at the venue on the day before or on race day: bibs and timing chips are posted to runners in late October.

Sourced

Race weekend

Tuesday 3 November Race day

  1. 08:558:55 AM

    Marathon first wave start Two-wave start from the Shoda Shoyu Stadium Gunma area in Shikishima Park; the second wave goes at 9:00.

  2. 09:009:00 AM

    Marathon second wave start The six-hour time limit counts from the second wave's gun.

  3. 15:003:00 PM

    Race ends and overall time limit The race closes at 15:00. The marathon time limit is 6 hours. 6:00 limit: 8:31/km for 42.195 km6:00 limit: 13:43/mi for 26.2 mi
Cut-offs (10)

  1. 10:2010:20 AM

    Cut-off gate 1, Shikishima Taxi Runners cannot continue after the gate closes. The distance is approximate.

  2. 10:4710:47 AM

    Cut-off gate 2, Gunma Sericulture Technology Center Runners cannot continue after the gate closes. The distance is approximate.

  3. 11:1911:19 AM

    Cut-off gate 3, AEON Mall Takasaki Runners cannot continue after the gate closes. The distance is approximate.

  4. 11:5811:58 AM

    Cut-off gate 4, Gunma Bank GB Sports Center Runners cannot continue after the gate closes. The distance is approximate.

  5. 12:3312:33 PM

    Cut-off gate 5, Gunma Nissan Kit-R Takamae Runners cannot continue after the gate closes. The distance is approximate.

  6. 12:5612:56 PM

    Cut-off gate 6, Sunlife Takasaki Runners cannot continue after the gate closes. The distance is approximate.

  7. 13:141:14 PM

    Cut-off gate 7, Marue Drug Pashios Takasaki Shinbo Runners cannot continue after the gate closes. The distance is approximate.

  8. 13:441:44 PM

    Cut-off gate 8, Hakoda Junior High School, Maebashi Runners cannot continue after the gate closes. The distance is approximate.

  9. 14:052:05 PM

    Cut-off gate 9, Wakaba Hospital Runners cannot continue after the gate closes. The distance is approximate.

  10. 14:402:40 PM

    Cut-off gate 10, Japan Totalizator Green Dome Maebashi Runners cannot continue after the gate closes. The distance is approximate.

Times as published by the organiser, in Maebashi time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Maebashi time

Entry

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Maebashi, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Order now to test one on your last long run.

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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
A small balm stick
Illustration · drag to turn

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
A pack of blister plasters
Illustration · drag to turn

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Questions about the ぐんまマラソン (Gunma Marathon)

Is the ぐんまマラソン (Gunma Marathon) course flat?
Not entirely. It has 104.5 m of climbing over 42.2 km. The highest point is 65 m above the lowest.
When is the ぐんまマラソン (Gunma Marathon) 2026?
Tuesday 3 November 2026. The first wave starts at 08:55 and the last at 09:00.
How do I enter the ぐんまマラソン (Gunma Marathon)?
Entry is through the organiser. Entry fee: JP¥13,500 (for the 2026 race). Entry details on the organiser’s site
What is the time limit at the ぐんまマラソン (Gunma Marathon)?
Runners have 6 hours to finish. The finish closes at 15:00.
Runner talk Questions, tips and race reports from other runners about the course and the city.

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