The Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon ( ja, 長野オリンピック記念長野マラソン) is an annual

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 race which takes place in mid-April in

Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...

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 ...

. It is an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race competition. The Nagano Marathon has races for both elite and amateur runners. It is named in honour of the

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...

which were held in Nagano. The course has a point-to-point style and it has received accreditation from the

Japan Association of Athletics Federations The is the national governing body for the sport of athletics in Japan. Presidents * Ryōzō Hiranuma (1929–1958) *Hiroshi Kasuga (1958–1964) *Ichirō Kōno (1965) *Kenzō Kōno (1965–1975) *Hanji Aoki (1975–1999) *Yōhei Kōno (1999–20 ...

and AIMS. The route begins at the

Nagano Sports Park is a park located in the ''Yoshida'' area of the city of Nagano, Nagano, Japan, approximately 5 km northeast of Nagano Station. The facilities are owned by Nagano Prefecture and by the Nagano municipal government. The park hosted events ...

and heads in a generally southern direction, passing the

Zenkō-ji is a Buddhist temple located in the city of Nagano, Japan. The temple was built in the 7th century. The modern city of Nagano began as a town built around the temple. Historically, Zenkō-ji is perhaps most famous for its involvement in the b ...

temple before finishing at the

Nagano Olympic Stadium is a baseball stadium in Nagano, Nagano, Japan. It was used for the opening and closing ceremonies for the 1998 Winter Olympics. The stadium holds 35,000 people. The stadium is the finishing point for the annual Nagano Olympic Commemorative Ma ...

. The route incorporates four of the former Olympic venues into the race.

History

Francis Kibiwott Francis Kibiwott Larabal (born 15 September 1978 in Kasiela, Baringo District) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes professionally in half marathon and marathon races. Kibiwott was unusual for a Kenyan runner in that he did not compet ...

and Alevtina Ivanova are the current men's and women's course record holders. The 1999 route was aided by a downhill net drop of 4.27 m/km (just under the allowable limit), while the editions from 2000–2003 had an excessive drop of over 5 m/km, making them ineligible for record performances. The current route is relatively flat, however, with the race having an overall total incline of 5 m from start to finish. The historical root of the competition lies with the Shinmai Marathon which was first held in 1958. The marathon came under its current moniker in 1999. The elite race is international in nature, with a number of foreign runners being invited each year, although prominent Japanese athletes also take part.

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

ns have won the majority of the men's races while

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

ns have dominated the women's race.

Nephat Kinyanjui Nephat Ngotho Kinyanjui (born 30 June 1977 in Miharati, Central Province)Nephat Kinyanjui
. Promotion in Mot ...

of Kenya won the race a record three times consecutively between 2006 and 2008. Since its rebirth in 1999, only two Japanese runners have won the race (

Akiyo Onishi Akiyo (written: 明代, 啓代 or 聡生) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Tokyo councilwoman who died under mysterious circumstances *, Japanese mixed martial artist and kickboxer *, Japanese rock climbe ...

in 1999 and

Yuki Kawauchi is a Japanese marathon runner. He came to prominence after running the 2011 Tokyo Marathon in 2:08:37, finishing as the first Japanese citizen and third overall. He was known as the "citizen runner" given that he used to work full-time for the go ...

in 2013).Nakamura, Ken (2013-04-21)
Kawauchi and Puchkova win snowy Nagano Marathon
IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-04-22.

Past winners

Key:

Lisa Jane Weightman 2008 Australian Olympic team

Nagano Marathon era

Shinmai Marathon era

References

;List of winners *Ota, Shigenobu (2010-04-19)

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 ...

. Retrieved on 2010-04-30.

External links

Official website
{{IAAF Bronze Label Marathons in Japan Recurring sporting events established in 1999 Sports competitions in Nagano (city) Annual sporting events in Japan 1958 establishments in Japan