The Asian Marathon Championships is a biennial international competition in

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ac ...

for

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

n athletes. Organised by the

Asian Athletics Association The Asian Athletics Association is the continental governing body for the sport of athletics in Asia. It is headquartered in Singapore. It organises the Asian Championships in Athletics and other continental competitions. The current president Qa ...

, its creation in 1988 followed decision to drop the 42.195-kilometre (26-mile and 385-yard) race from the programme of events at the

Asian Athletics Championships The Asian Athletics Championships is an event organized by the Asian Athletics Association. History The competition courted controversy with the IAAF when political in-fighting arose after Israel was excluded from participation in 1977. That e ...

. In that competition, championship marathons were held for men in

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

and

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, then finally for both men and women at the

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

. The first discrete men's and women's Asian championship marathons in 1988 were held at different locations. The men's side was incorporated into that year's

Lake Biwa Marathon The was a marathon race held in Otsu, Shiga, Japan. It was one of the prominent marathons in Japan. It was a male only competition and had IAAF Gold Label status.Nakamura, Ken (2010-03-07)Tsegay takes Lake Biwa crown IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-08 ...

while the women's side was held within the

Nagoya Women's Marathon The , named until the 2010 race, is an annual marathon race for female runners over the classic distance of 42 km and 195 metres, held in Nagoya, Japan in early March every year. It holds World Athletics Platinum road race status. It ...

. The first winners ( Masayuki Nishi and

Xie Lihua Xie Lihua (; born 19 July 1965) is a Chinese long-distance runner. She competed in the women's 10,000 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly kn ...

) were not the fastest Asian runners in those races, as only those specifically chosen to represent their nation were eligible to win the Asian title.Asian Championships Marathon

Association of Road Racing Statisticians The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road record ...

(2013-03-02). Retrieved on 2013-09-28. The following edition in 1990 saw both sexes compete at the same location and again the races were hosted within a major annual marathon race, this time the

Seoul International Marathon The Seoul International Marathon, also known as the ''Dong-A Ilbo Seoul Marathon or Seoul Marathon'' is an annual marathon race that takes place in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of two annual races over the 42.195 km classic distance in the ...

, where Korean racers

Kim Won-Tak Kim Won-Tak (born July 21, 1964) is a South Korean long-distance runner who competed in the late 1980s. Biography He is best known for his role at the opening ceremony of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, when he shared the lighting of the Oly ...

and Lee Mi-Ok claimed both the Asian and Seoul titles.Seoul International Marathon

. Retrieved on 2013-09-28. The 1992 Asian Marathon Championships were held in

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...

, Indonesia, outside of a major race for the first time. This was reverted soon after in 1994, when the men's race was contained at the

Beppu-Ōita Marathon The is an annual men's marathon race that takes place every February between the cities of Beppu and Ōita on the island of Kyushu in Japan. The race has IAAF Silver Label Road Race status and is a listed course of AIMS (Association of Interna ...

and the women in Nagoya for a second time. Since then, each occurrence of the championship has been in one location for both sexes alongside a major city marathon. The Pattaya Marathon has hosted the event twice (2000 and 2011), while the

Hong Kong Marathon The Hong Kong Marathon (香港馬拉松), sponsored by Standard Chartered, Standard Chartered Bank, is an annual marathon race held in January or February in Hong Kong. In addition to the full marathon, a 10 km run and a half marathon ar ...

has served as the venue three times (2002, 2008 and 2013).

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

n runners have been the most successful at the competition, with the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese topping the rankings with nine men's titles and four women's titles across the championship's history.

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

and

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

have each won four titles between the men's and women's races. North Korea's Kim Kum-Ok is the most successful runner in competition history – she is a three-time winner of the women's championship (2006, 2008 and 2013).

Kenichi Kawakubo is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Ken'ichi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *賢一, "wise, one" *健一, "healthy, one" *憲一, "constitution, one" *謙一, "humble, one" *建一, "build, one" * ...

Mohammed Abduh Bakhet Mohammed Abduh Bakhet (born 25 December 1987, Doha) is a Qatari long-distance runner. He finished eighth in the 10,000 metres at the 2006 World Junior Championships, 21st at the 2007 World Road Running Championships and did not finish the race ...

and

Zhang Shujing Zhang Shujing (, born September 13, 1978, in Baicheng, Jilin province) is a Chinese long-distance runner. She finished twelfth in the marathon at the 2004 Olympic Games and the 2003 World Championships. She also won the Asian Marathon Champio ...

are the only other runners to have won the championship twice.

Editions

*First three championships held within

Medallists

Men

Women

All time medal table (from 1988)

References

External links

Official website
of the Asian Athletics Association {{International athletics Marathons in Asia

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

Recurring sporting events established in 1988 Continental athletics championships Biennial athletics competitions