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Marathon Details - Tokyo Marathon

International Marathons > Japan > Tokyo > Tokyo Marathon

Tokyo Marathon

Tokyo Marathon & 10.7K

Tokyo, Japan

March 2, 2025

http://www.marathon.tokyo/en

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Phone Number:	+81-3-6891-9600
Fax Number:	tm2013@or.knt.co.jp
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Registration Schedule and Lottery:	World Marathon Majors

Runner Reviews (46)

Course 4.2

Organization 4.3

Spectators 4.2

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Number of comments: 46 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 > ]

J. M. from Ireland (4/18/2023) "A very different experience from other big city ma" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Arrived in Tokyo on the Thursday. With this being the first full field post covid race there was a lot of covid precautions, I won't comment on these as hopefully they won't be in place in the future. The number pick up on the Thursday was very poor, long lines and very poorly managed, I did here that this improved a little on the following days. All I can say about the expo is that it was the worst I have ever visited, crazy long lines to buy a T-shirt and line for asics shop was even longer. Race day was very well organised but not been allowed to bring water bottle belt with you was a bit disappointing. The course was the flattest I have ever run and the roads are so smooth such a pleasure to run on. The course is a little boring lots of skyscrapers. The support was different to European or American races, lots of people but not as loud, very little music on the course, its a very quiet marathon, but to be honest that was quite nice, you dont want every race to be the same. Finish line also was quiet. Overall opinion would be its an interesting experience, embrace the difference and if your aiming for a PB its a great course.
L. S. from Singapore (3/20/2019) "A Marathon Major on a wet & miserable, rainy day" (about: 2019) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Tokyo Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran my personal worst marathon in Tokyo on a cold & rainy Sunday. The baggage deposit was efficient & well organised, but it was already raining & runners at my corral had to wait 40 mins in the rain with our raincoats on. The temp was 5-8°C & the rain lasted the whole day. The Start was at Shinjuku's Metropolitan Government Bldg & Finish at Gyoko-dori, Tokyo Station. Tokyo Marathon Expo, the biggest running trade-show in Japan, was held at Obaida, a major commercial, residential, and popular shopping & sightseeing destination. Bib collection was crowded but orderly. The Tokyo Marathon Family & Friendship Runs were held in Obaida, near the Expo on Saturday. The weather was perfect with clear blue skies the day before the full marathon. The course of the marathon was mostly flat, running from Kanda, Nihombashi, Asakusa, Ryogoku, then through their high-end shopping district Ginza & Hibiya before finishing at Tokyo Station. Distance markers & drinks stations were accurately placed and thankfully, spectators turned up in droves despite the rain. Toilet facilities were regular but the queues were long and the rain didn't help the bladder. The main encouragement for me on that utterly wet day was the fantastic cheer support & their locals chipped in to provide fruits & pastries, Pepsi & beers, hot miso & red bean soups for runners. There were many students volunteers & company groups assisting, & and first aiders on bicycles & their AEDs. The Finish Point was an anti-climax with just the electronic floor mats, and no one to shout your name or wear a medal round your neck. We had to bear the drizzle & winds to walk another 200m to receive our medals, towels, drink & small goody bag; then another 100m to the baggage collection. The men's & women's changing rooms were rudimentary shelters without doors. And walking to the nearest Tokyo Train Station was another 400m. Runners are reminded to bring a change of dry clothes & foot wear to retrieve at the end-point baggage collection area as Tokyo's weather is unpredictable at this time of the year.
T. G. from Southeast USA (3/12/2018) "Wonderful experience" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tokyo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Superb organization of a wonderful race, which completed my Marathon Majors for the Six Stars. Although there were long (but fairly fast-moving) lines to get into the Expo, I thought the Expo was very good and very efficient once inside. The starting time is very civilized (no need to get up too early!), the starting corrals were well organized and not too crowded; the crowds were very good, albeit in a less vocal style than New York, as you might expect in a quieter and more restrained country; the course was great, moderately downhill for the first few miles and then flat. The volunteers - of whom there were several thousand - were delightful, and people would go out of their way to help foreigners. Every few yards a volunteer would be holding out a garbage bag to collect cups and food wrappers etc. from runners. If it wasn't such a long and expensive trip I would love to do it again. That, and the unpredictable weather at this potentially very cold time of year in Tokyo, are the only downsides
S. E. from USA (3/5/2018) "Long course, horrible Expo" (about: 2018) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Tokyo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I recently ran the Tokyo Marathon on Feb 25, 2018. It also capped my 6star major marathon finish. Expo/packet pick up was a disaster. Huge lines everywhere. Bank on 4 hrs ONCE you finally get there (inconvenient location). Good luck Olympics 2020 in Tokyo, if they can't get a marathon Expo smooth, an Olympic setting will be horrible. The race and course were great other than it being 3-4 10ths of a mile too long (26.69 by my clock). Everyone I talked with after the race clocked similar or greater overage. This is a huge oversite that should have been corrected prior to race day. All marathons are a bit over 26.2mi (1-1.5 10ths) due to tangents etc, but this one was grossly long. I did manage to PR at 3:00 flat on a course that measured 26.69mi. Putting me at a 6:45 pace, which would be 2:57-2:58 on properly measured course. You can't get confirmed results/splits/age group results etc even after 1 week completion. Overall race organization is a disaster and they really do not care. Overall I'd rate the following for majors best to worst: London - perfect in every way. Easy Expo, relaxed start, most scenic course, most crowd support, usually cool temps, flat course New York - logistic to start is bad, scenic course, great crowd support Tokyo - horrible Expo, race length incorrect, no post race results, flat course, great temps usually Chicago - questionable weather, no crowd support mi 18-23. Flat course, easy logistics Berlin - narrow streets, very crowded for long time, no control of corrals, super slow people in first corral, flat course, easy logistics Boston - logistic nightmare, boring course, iconic race
C. B. from UK (3/11/2017) "A nice quick course in a very interesting city." (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Tokyo Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A well organized run in a great city. I didn't think I'd like the turnaround layout what with running down a road, turning around after a few miles and then running down the other side but it was nice to see the elite runners run past on a couple of occasions and I suppose this layout does concentrate the crowd. One problem that should be addressed was that there was a distinct lack of toilets at the start so that I began the race needing the loo, luckily there were many toilets along the course including during the first few km. I started about 30m behind the elites and the start was just as hectic as I had been led to believe, I myself was elbowed and pushed by fellow runners and I saw two people flailing around on the floor as they attempted to get up and avoid the mass of runners running into, over and around them. It was all rather dog eat dog there at the start. Bib collection at the expo was quick and easy. There were many stalls but nothing really interesting, as normal. A nice quick course in a very interesting city, recommended.
E. H. from London (3/7/2017) "Disappointing" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tokyo Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Tokyo marathon was my 4th major marathon event and I have to say least favourite. Not the best expo I have been to, not as good as the other majors, the official jacket could not even be found there. The start pens were fairly crowded and it would be advisable to get there early to line up. The course was quite boring with not many landmarks to see but reasonably quick with the first 5K gradual downhill and flat after that apart from a few bridges. The crowd were great with enthusiastic support throughout the whole race. There were plenty water tables on course which also had energy drinks. The finish line which was a bit of an anticlimax had no water, you had to walk about a kilometre before you were handed a small bottle. The bag collection was easy and well organised and the busses back to the start line were running well. Nearly 2 weeks now since the race and still can't find race results after numerous emails to the organisers not only by myself but scores of other runners that all have been ignorantly ignored by the organisers. Another gripe is that the official race photos are a crazy £160 for the set with no option to buy one. I would spare yourself the 12 hour flight and give Tokyo marathon a miss unless you are trying to notch up the 6 majors as it falls well below par than many other marathon events nearer home. Tokyo Marathon falls well short of what a major experience should be and should be stripped of its status.
J. M. from Houston, Texas, USA (3/6/2017) "Deserving of a major!" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Tokyo Marathon is a great race in a great city. The organization is top notch, as one would expect for any major endeavor conducted by the Japanese. The new course was more runner-friendly as far as being centralized in the city as opposed to finishing out in Odaiba. The volunteers were friendly, helpful, and plentiful. Though there was quite a bit of walking required after the race, it was the first time using this method so some kinks may need to get worked out. All in all, this is a great race that I would recommend to all runners, particularly those who are thinking of running all 6 majors.
J. M. from Hong Kong (2/29/2016) "Marathoning at its Best" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I just ran this race yesterday so I'll share my thoughts while it's fresh in my mind. I entered this with a 2:56 time and was aiming for sub 2:55. I was assigned to the B corral and was initially worried that I would get caught up in the crowd as others reported. I did end up losing a little bit of time (maybe 30 seconds at most) but it was nothing to worry about. As others suggested I arrived early. The race start time was 9:10 and I arrived at around 7:30. I got through security and then dropped my bag within 10 min. I then waited for a toilet for about 20-30 minutes. There were some ridiculously long lines (be sure to look around before you line up, some lines are much shorter than others). I then got into my corral at around 8:15. Since I was there fairly early I managed to get myself near the front of the B group. Brought an old shirt and a plastic bag to keep warm. Great fans along the way and support throughout. Big long tables with both water and sports drinks. Fast course - no question. Some rollers at the end, but nothing serious. I PB'ed by almost 4 minutes and will try this race again if I can get in. Super friendly and fun staff at the finish. Can't recommend this one enough. The only thing I could say about this race is that maybe the expo could be improved (although I don't really care much about expos). It was crowded and nothing really jumped out at me. I guess it would be better to go there on Friday not Saturday afternoon.
K. M. from PRAGUE (3/27/2015) "Endearing, well worth the trip" (about: 2015) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Tokyo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a great marathon, the volunteers were endearing, especially in their genuine delight for all runners post the finish line. I not sure how they seeded the blocks, I was in block E and I overtook a lot of runners, I ran 3hrs, 40 mins. I didn't think the last 7km's was too hard, the rises aren't hills, just ramps on to the elevated roads. Whilst the finish of the course does feel slightly remote at the bayside, using The Big Sight did mean you had space to get changed inside. If you thinking of doing this marathon next year, enter the ballot, if you get in, you won't regret it, the hardest part is training for a February marathon.
N. G. from Philadelphia, PA (3/1/2015) "Excellent Overall Experience" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tokyo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have ran several other WMM events and this was my 1st Tokyo. A few comments: Expo: Most organized of majors but loud and I felt like I was being sold in the aisles. No jackets and an odd selection of shirts on display in small area. That part has to be better. Great location for expo. Start: Pay close attention to rules of gate entry and what to not bring in. Both are very strict. No place to change so find an overpass (if raining) and change before dropping off bag. Show up very early. Its crowded (understatement) but very organized. Metal detectors and baggage check takes time and long lines. Take a train and don't think about taking a cab or driving. People mentioned poor corral placement and costume and charity runners up front and I was in Gate 1 and got off to a good start with no issues and got into race pace very fast. No issues at all for any 3:00-3:30 runners. Course: Very 'Boston' like with the 1st 10k net downhill. Very easy to get out too fast. Take it easy and the rest of race is manageable. Flat and fast with some bridge hills at inopertune times towards end. Had thought there would be mile markers (w/KM markers) but not so much. The water stations excellent with long tables. Appreciate the volunteers immensely but they want to high-five constantly which got in my way a bit. When bread offered, it is filled with a chocolate custard so be aware. Bananas excellent. M&M's are unnecessary but good to have. Sport drink excellent. Out and backs very cool watching the elites run on by. Didn't bother me at all. Amazing views and 'tour' of city. Course measures long even when running tangents (26.89 miles). Potential big city GPS issue but felt long too. Post race/finish: Long, long walk through finish shoot. Train station a long, painful walk. Baggage pick up excellent and organized but no water after the 1st offering after finish. Volunteers were amazing and helpful. Overall, a must-run Major. Train for hills and don't believe the perception on the course elevation chart. Its not totally flat but very manageable course. No reason I can come up with that makes it not worthy of a Major and a must run in 2016.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 > ]



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J. M. from Ireland (4/18/2023) "A very different experience from other big city ma" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Arrived in Tokyo on the Thursday. With this being the first full field post covid race there was a lot of covid precautions, I won't comment on these as hopefully they won't be in place in the future. The number pick up on the Thursday was very poor, long lines and very poorly managed, I did here that this improved a little on the following days. All I can say about the expo is that it was the worst I have ever visited, crazy long lines to buy a T-shirt and line for asics shop was even longer. Race day was very well organised but not been allowed to bring water bottle belt with you was a bit disappointing. The course was the flattest I have ever run and the roads are so smooth such a pleasure to run on. The course is a little boring lots of skyscrapers. The support was different to European or American races, lots of people but not as loud, very little music on the course, its a very quiet marathon, but to be honest that was quite nice, you dont want every race to be the same. Finish line also was quiet. Overall opinion would be its an interesting experience, embrace the difference and if your aiming for a PB its a great course.
L. S. from Singapore (3/20/2019) "A Marathon Major on a wet & miserable, rainy day" (about: 2019) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Tokyo Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran my personal worst marathon in Tokyo on a cold & rainy Sunday. The baggage deposit was efficient & well organised, but it was already raining & runners at my corral had to wait 40 mins in the rain with our raincoats on. The temp was 5-8°C & the rain lasted the whole day. The Start was at Shinjuku's Metropolitan Government Bldg & Finish at Gyoko-dori, Tokyo Station. Tokyo Marathon Expo, the biggest running trade-show in Japan, was held at Obaida, a major commercial, residential, and popular shopping & sightseeing destination. Bib collection was crowded but orderly. The Tokyo Marathon Family & Friendship Runs were held in Obaida, near the Expo on Saturday. The weather was perfect with clear blue skies the day before the full marathon. The course of the marathon was mostly flat, running from Kanda, Nihombashi, Asakusa, Ryogoku, then through their high-end shopping district Ginza & Hibiya before finishing at Tokyo Station. Distance markers & drinks stations were accurately placed and thankfully, spectators turned up in droves despite the rain. Toilet facilities were regular but the queues were long and the rain didn't help the bladder. The main encouragement for me on that utterly wet day was the fantastic cheer support & their locals chipped in to provide fruits & pastries, Pepsi & beers, hot miso & red bean soups for runners. There were many students volunteers & company groups assisting, & and first aiders on bicycles & their AEDs. The Finish Point was an anti-climax with just the electronic floor mats, and no one to shout your name or wear a medal round your neck. We had to bear the drizzle & winds to walk another 200m to receive our medals, towels, drink & small goody bag; then another 100m to the baggage collection. The men's & women's changing rooms were rudimentary shelters without doors. And walking to the nearest Tokyo Train Station was another 400m. Runners are reminded to bring a change of dry clothes & foot wear to retrieve at the end-point baggage collection area as Tokyo's weather is unpredictable at this time of the year.
T. G. from Southeast USA (3/12/2018) "Wonderful experience" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tokyo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Superb organization of a wonderful race, which completed my Marathon Majors for the Six Stars. Although there were long (but fairly fast-moving) lines to get into the Expo, I thought the Expo was very good and very efficient once inside. The starting time is very civilized (no need to get up too early!), the starting corrals were well organized and not too crowded; the crowds were very good, albeit in a less vocal style than New York, as you might expect in a quieter and more restrained country; the course was great, moderately downhill for the first few miles and then flat. The volunteers - of whom there were several thousand - were delightful, and people would go out of their way to help foreigners. Every few yards a volunteer would be holding out a garbage bag to collect cups and food wrappers etc. from runners. If it wasn't such a long and expensive trip I would love to do it again. That, and the unpredictable weather at this potentially very cold time of year in Tokyo, are the only downsides
S. E. from USA (3/5/2018) "Long course, horrible Expo" (about: 2018) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Tokyo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I recently ran the Tokyo Marathon on Feb 25, 2018. It also capped my 6star major marathon finish. Expo/packet pick up was a disaster. Huge lines everywhere. Bank on 4 hrs ONCE you finally get there (inconvenient location). Good luck Olympics 2020 in Tokyo, if they can't get a marathon Expo smooth, an Olympic setting will be horrible. The race and course were great other than it being 3-4 10ths of a mile too long (26.69 by my clock). Everyone I talked with after the race clocked similar or greater overage. This is a huge oversite that should have been corrected prior to race day. All marathons are a bit over 26.2mi (1-1.5 10ths) due to tangents etc, but this one was grossly long. I did manage to PR at 3:00 flat on a course that measured 26.69mi. Putting me at a 6:45 pace, which would be 2:57-2:58 on properly measured course. You can't get confirmed results/splits/age group results etc even after 1 week completion. Overall race organization is a disaster and they really do not care. Overall I'd rate the following for majors best to worst: London - perfect in every way. Easy Expo, relaxed start, most scenic course, most crowd support, usually cool temps, flat course New York - logistic to start is bad, scenic course, great crowd support Tokyo - horrible Expo, race length incorrect, no post race results, flat course, great temps usually Chicago - questionable weather, no crowd support mi 18-23. Flat course, easy logistics Berlin - narrow streets, very crowded for long time, no control of corrals, super slow people in first corral, flat course, easy logistics Boston - logistic nightmare, boring course, iconic race
C. B. from UK (3/11/2017) "A nice quick course in a very interesting city." (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Tokyo Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 A well organized run in a great city. I didn't think I'd like the turnaround layout what with running down a road, turning around after a few miles and then running down the other side but it was nice to see the elite runners run past on a couple of occasions and I suppose this layout does concentrate the crowd. One problem that should be addressed was that there was a distinct lack of toilets at the start so that I began the race needing the loo, luckily there were many toilets along the course including during the first few km. I started about 30m behind the elites and the start was just as hectic as I had been led to believe, I myself was elbowed and pushed by fellow runners and I saw two people flailing around on the floor as they attempted to get up and avoid the mass of runners running into, over and around them. It was all rather dog eat dog there at the start. Bib collection at the expo was quick and easy. There were many stalls but nothing really interesting, as normal. A nice quick course in a very interesting city, recommended.
E. H. from London (3/7/2017) "Disappointing" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tokyo Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Tokyo marathon was my 4th major marathon event and I have to say least favourite. Not the best expo I have been to, not as good as the other majors, the official jacket could not even be found there. The start pens were fairly crowded and it would be advisable to get there early to line up. The course was quite boring with not many landmarks to see but reasonably quick with the first 5K gradual downhill and flat after that apart from a few bridges. The crowd were great with enthusiastic support throughout the whole race. There were plenty water tables on course which also had energy drinks. The finish line which was a bit of an anticlimax had no water, you had to walk about a kilometre before you were handed a small bottle. The bag collection was easy and well organised and the busses back to the start line were running well. Nearly 2 weeks now since the race and still can't find race results after numerous emails to the organisers not only by myself but scores of other runners that all have been ignorantly ignored by the organisers. Another gripe is that the official race photos are a crazy £160 for the set with no option to buy one. I would spare yourself the 12 hour flight and give Tokyo marathon a miss unless you are trying to notch up the 6 majors as it falls well below par than many other marathon events nearer home. Tokyo Marathon falls well short of what a major experience should be and should be stripped of its status.
J. M. from Houston, Texas, USA (3/6/2017) "Deserving of a major!" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Tokyo Marathon is a great race in a great city. The organization is top notch, as one would expect for any major endeavor conducted by the Japanese. The new course was more runner-friendly as far as being centralized in the city as opposed to finishing out in Odaiba. The volunteers were friendly, helpful, and plentiful. Though there was quite a bit of walking required after the race, it was the first time using this method so some kinks may need to get worked out. All in all, this is a great race that I would recommend to all runners, particularly those who are thinking of running all 6 majors.
J. M. from Hong Kong (2/29/2016) "Marathoning at its Best" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I just ran this race yesterday so I'll share my thoughts while it's fresh in my mind. I entered this with a 2:56 time and was aiming for sub 2:55. I was assigned to the B corral and was initially worried that I would get caught up in the crowd as others reported. I did end up losing a little bit of time (maybe 30 seconds at most) but it was nothing to worry about. As others suggested I arrived early. The race start time was 9:10 and I arrived at around 7:30. I got through security and then dropped my bag within 10 min. I then waited for a toilet for about 20-30 minutes. There were some ridiculously long lines (be sure to look around before you line up, some lines are much shorter than others). I then got into my corral at around 8:15. Since I was there fairly early I managed to get myself near the front of the B group. Brought an old shirt and a plastic bag to keep warm. Great fans along the way and support throughout. Big long tables with both water and sports drinks. Fast course - no question. Some rollers at the end, but nothing serious. I PB'ed by almost 4 minutes and will try this race again if I can get in. Super friendly and fun staff at the finish. Can't recommend this one enough. The only thing I could say about this race is that maybe the expo could be improved (although I don't really care much about expos). It was crowded and nothing really jumped out at me. I guess it would be better to go there on Friday not Saturday afternoon.
K. M. from PRAGUE (3/27/2015) "Endearing, well worth the trip" (about: 2015) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Tokyo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a great marathon, the volunteers were endearing, especially in their genuine delight for all runners post the finish line. I not sure how they seeded the blocks, I was in block E and I overtook a lot of runners, I ran 3hrs, 40 mins. I didn't think the last 7km's was too hard, the rises aren't hills, just ramps on to the elevated roads. Whilst the finish of the course does feel slightly remote at the bayside, using The Big Sight did mean you had space to get changed inside. If you thinking of doing this marathon next year, enter the ballot, if you get in, you won't regret it, the hardest part is training for a February marathon.
N. G. from Philadelphia, PA (3/1/2015) "Excellent Overall Experience" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Tokyo Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have ran several other WMM events and this was my 1st Tokyo. A few comments: Expo: Most organized of majors but loud and I felt like I was being sold in the aisles. No jackets and an odd selection of shirts on display in small area. That part has to be better. Great location for expo. Start: Pay close attention to rules of gate entry and what to not bring in. Both are very strict. No place to change so find an overpass (if raining) and change before dropping off bag. Show up very early. Its crowded (understatement) but very organized. Metal detectors and baggage check takes time and long lines. Take a train and don't think about taking a cab or driving. People mentioned poor corral placement and costume and charity runners up front and I was in Gate 1 and got off to a good start with no issues and got into race pace very fast. No issues at all for any 3:00-3:30 runners. Course: Very 'Boston' like with the 1st 10k net downhill. Very easy to get out too fast. Take it easy and the rest of race is manageable. Flat and fast with some bridge hills at inopertune times towards end. Had thought there would be mile markers (w/KM markers) but not so much. The water stations excellent with long tables. Appreciate the volunteers immensely but they want to high-five constantly which got in my way a bit. When bread offered, it is filled with a chocolate custard so be aware. Bananas excellent. M&M's are unnecessary but good to have. Sport drink excellent. Out and backs very cool watching the elites run on by. Didn't bother me at all. Amazing views and 'tour' of city. Course measures long even when running tangents (26.89 miles). Potential big city GPS issue but felt long too. Post race/finish: Long, long walk through finish shoot. Train station a long, painful walk. Baggage pick up excellent and organized but no water after the 1st offering after finish. Volunteers were amazing and helpful. Overall, a must-run Major. Train for hills and don't believe the perception on the course elevation chart. Its not totally flat but very manageable course. No reason I can come up with that makes it not worthy of a Major and a must run in 2016.

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Marathon Details - Tokyo Marathon