My marathons

Tamba-Sasayama ABC Marathon

09:309:30 AM Tamba-Sasayama
Sasayama Castle
Sasayama Castle. Photograph by Baku13, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The 2027 race starts at 9:30 on 7 March, five gates close along the course and a finish after 16:00 does not count, a limit of six and a half hours.

The course in short 2 lines
  • Five gates and a 16:00 finishGun 9:30; gates at 6.8, 18.2, 24.1, 30.6 and 36.3 km; finish closes 16:00.
  • A certified course from the castle groundsStart and finish at the Sasayama Castle ruins; a relay of about 19 km and 23 km.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseTacticsFive gates and a 16:00 finishGun 9:30; gates at 6.8, 18.2, 24.1, 30.6 and 36.3 km; finish closes 16:00.

The first gate, at 6.8 km, closes at 10:40, an hour and ten minutes after the single mass start. The gates after it close at 12:05 (18.2 km), 12:55 (24.1 km), 13:55 (30.6 km) and 14:55 (36.3 km). The organiser allows no running past a closed gate. Start blocks follow the finish time given at entry, and relay teams start at the back.

Sourced

Whole courseLandmarkA certified course from the castle groundsStart and finish at the Sasayama Castle ruins; a relay of about 19 km and 23 km.

The venue is Sannomaru Plaza inside the castle ruins in Tamba-Sasayama, where the opening ceremony is held at 8:30. Besides the marathon the day has a relay for teams of two, the first leg about 19 km and the second about 23 km, and the organiser also lists a 3 km family run. Finishers receive a Tamba ware medal.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Tamba-Sasayama, 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
6:30 h

Race week

Timetable

Sunday 7 March Race day

  1. 08:308:30 AM

    Opening ceremony Sasayama Castle ruins, Sannomaru Plaza
Cut-offs and other races (7)

  1. 09:309:30 AM

    Marathon and relay start Sasayama Castle ruins, Sannomaru Plaza. One mass start, run rain or shine. Start blocks follow the finish time given at entry; relay teams start at the back.

  2. 10:4010:40 AM

    Gate closes at 6.8 km

  3. 12:0512:05 PM

    Gate closes at 18.2 km

  4. 12:5512:55 PM

    Gate closes at 24.1 km

  5. 13:551:55 PM

    Gate closes at 30.6 km

  6. 14:552:55 PM

    Gate closes at 36.3 km

  7. 16:004:00 PM

    Finish closes Passing the finish line after 16:00 does not count as a finish.

Times as published by the organiser, in Tamba-Sasayama time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Tamba-Sasayama 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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