My marathons

NAHA Marathon

Start 09:009:00 AM Naha

The NAHA Marathon is a hilly course of 42.2 km with 168.6 m of climbing. Its lowest point is 4 m and its highest 96 m above sea level. Next race: Sunday 6 December 2026, starting at 09:00.

Shuri Castle
Shuri Castle. Photograph by 663highland, CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons . Course line © OpenStreetMap contributors

At a glance

Race day
The 2026 race
Start
09:009:00 AM
Distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
Marathon
Total climb
168.6 m553 ft
Highest point 92 m302 ft above lowest
Entry fee
JP¥11,000
For the 2026 race
Time limit
6 h 15 min
Finish closes 15:153:15 PM

The course

Pick a place, or drag along the profile

The marathon climbs 168.6 m in all, and about 129 m of it comes before the half-way mark.

Start, finish

© OpenStreetMap contributors

  1. Photo: 663highland, CC BY 2.5
  2. Photo: A-gota, CC BY 2.5
  3. Photo: Abasaa, Public domain

km 1.8mile 1.1

Kokusai-dōri

The organiser's 2025 traffic plan sends the course from the Kumoji junction down Kokusai-dori, about 2 km after the start.

Photo: 663highland, CC BY 2.5

Height drawn many times taller than life · GEDTM30

Cut-off 12:1512:15 PM, km 21.3mile 13.2
Cut-off 14:102:10 PM, km 34.3mile 21.3
Course elevation profile, 8× vertical exaggeration Elevation along the course from km 0 to km 42. The trace runs between 4 and 96 metres, a range of 92 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: 県道11号線, km 6 to 6.1; 国道507号津嘉山バイパス, km 10.3 to 10.4. 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 12:15 at km 21.3; Cut-off 14:10 at km 34.3.
0 10 20 30 40 km
0 10 20 26.2 mi

Dashed: bridge

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

Get them on AmazonAmazon partner link

  • The climbing is all in the first halfFrom km 10 to km 20 the road climbs about 98 m, to the high point of about 96 m.
  • Sea level from km 30, then one last riseOne rise of about 24 m between km 35 and km 40, then the road runs back down to the stadium.
  • Three clock-time gates and a 6:15 limitThe time limit is 6 hours 15 minutes, with the gun at 9:00.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
km 10 to 21.1GradientThe climbing is all in the first halfFrom km 10 to km 20 the road climbs about 98 m, to the high point of about 96 m.

The course leaves Onoyama Park almost at sea level and stays below 17 m for the first 10 km. Then it turns uphill: between km 10 and km 20 the road gains about 98 m, and it tops out at about 96 m near km 19.8. The organiser puts the first cut-off, inside Peace Memorial Park, at 21.3 km.

After that the road comes back down. Between km 20 and km 25 it loses about 67 m, and the second half adds only about 40 m of climbing. A watch will count more small rises than these figures do.

Measured

km 30 to 42.2GradientSea level from km 30, then one last riseOne rise of about 24 m between km 35 and km 40, then the road runs back down to the stadium.

The last third of the course runs close to the sea. From km 30 to km 35 the road never leaves the 5 to 8 m band, and the lowest point of the whole marathon, 4.4 m, comes at km 36.3.

The last rise is short. Between km 35 and km 40 the road gains about 24 m, reaching about 28 m, and then loses about 18 m on the way to the athletics stadium in Onoyama Park, where the race finishes at 6.7 m, almost where it started.

Measured

Whole courseTacticsThree clock-time gates and a 6:15 limitThe time limit is 6 hours 15 minutes, with the gun at 9:00.

For the 40th edition on 6 December 2026 the organiser sets two limit points. The first is in Peace Memorial Park at 21.3 km, closing at 12:15. The second is at the Naha Nursing College at 34.3 km, closing at 14:10. The finish at the Onoyama athletics stadium closes at 15:15, which with a 9:00 start is the stated limit of 6 hours 15 minutes.

Runners who miss a limit are asked to remove their bib and leave the road, and retirement buses wait at points along the course.

Sourced

Race weekend

Bib pickup at Okinawa Prefectural Budokan, arena building, Onoyama Park

Saturday 5 December Bib pickup

  1. 10:0010:00 AM–20:008:00 PM

    Runner check-in Okinawa Prefectural Budokan, arena building, Onoyama Park

  2. 13:301:30 PM

    Opening ceremony Okinawa Prefectural Budokan, arena building stage

Bib in hand?A number belt holds it without pins through your race top. Clip it on tonight.

Number belt on AmazonAmazon partner link

Sunday 6 December Race day

  1. 09:009:00 AM

    Marathon start Onoyama Park. Rain or shine. Start blocks are set from the finish time entered at sign-up.

  2. until 15:153:15 PM

    Finish closes Time limit 6 hours 15 minutes, finish at the Onoyama athletics stadium at 15:15. 6:15 limit: 8:53/km for 42.195 km6:15 limit: 14:18/mi for 26.2 mi
Cut-offs (2)

  1. until 12:1512:15 PM

    First cut-off at 21.3 km Inside Peace Memorial Park. Clock time, not net time.

  2. until 14:102:10 PM

    Second cut-off at 34.3 km At the Naha Nursing College. Clock time, not net time.

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

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Naha 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 Naha, 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 by 15 November to test them on two long runs first.

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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.

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
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 NAHA Marathon

Is the NAHA Marathon course flat?
No, it is a hilly course: 168.6 m of climbing over 42.2 km. The highest point is 92 m above the lowest.
When is the NAHA Marathon 2026?
Sunday 6 December 2026. The start is at 09:00.
How do I enter the NAHA Marathon?
Entry is through the organiser. Entry fee: JP¥11,000 (for the 2026 race). Entry details on the organiser’s site
What is the time limit at the NAHA Marathon?
Runners have 6 h 15 min to finish. The finish closes at 15:15.
Where does the NAHA Marathon start?
Start: Onoyama Park.
Runner talk Questions, tips and race reports from other runners about the course and the city.

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