My marathons

北九州マラソン (Kitakyushu Marathon)

09:009:00 AM Kitakyushu
Kokura Castle
Kokura Castle. Photograph by Stjepko Krehula, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The marathon starts in front of Kitakyushu City Hall and finishes in front of the International Conference Center, on a JAAF and AIMS certified course.

The course in short One line
  • From City Hall to the Conference CenterStart at City Hall at 9:00, finish at the Conference Center, six hours on the clock.
Course notes One short read on the course
km 0 to 42.2TacticsFrom City Hall to the Conference CenterStart at City Hall at 9:00, finish at the Conference Center, six hours on the clock.

The 2027 marathon is on Sunday 21 February, with a planned 9:00 start in front of the city hall and a finish in front of the Kitakyushu International Conference Center. The organiser lists a field of 10,800 and a six-hour limit counted from the gun, so the course closes at 15:00. The course is certified by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations and by AIMS. In the first 10 km the published turn list takes runners through the Higashida area, past the Environment Museum and the Innovation Gallery. A pair relay runs the same course with its hand-over near the West Japan General Exhibition Center, and a 20.7 km marathon for women only shares the start and finish.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Kitakyushu, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, 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.

Get it on Amazon

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
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

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.

Get it on Amazon

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.

Get it on Amazon

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
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

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.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
cut-off
6:00 h

Race week

Timetable

Sunday 21 February Race day

  1. 09:009:00 AM

    Marathon, pair relay and 20.7 km start Kitakyushu City Hall. Planned start for the marathon, the pair relay marathon and the 20.7 km marathon, outside Kitakyushu City Hall.

  2. 10:0010:00 AM

    Fun run start Kitakyushu International Conference Center. Planned start for the 1.5, 3 and 5 km fun run; it ends at 10:45.

  3. 12:0012:00 PM

    20.7 km marathon ends The 20.7 km marathon, for women only, ends at 12:00 (3-hour limit).

  4. 15:003:00 PM

    Marathon time limit The marathon and pair relay end at 15:00, a limit of 6 hours measured from the gun.

Times as published by the organiser, in Kitakyushu time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Kitakyushu time

Trip

Getting a place

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.

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