20/01/2020
Location Osaka, Japan
Date 26 Jan 2020
Japan’s third-largest city, ultra-urban, hard-working Osaka (大阪) is an unabashed antidote to the fashion-forward frenzy of Tokyo and the
prim propriety of Kyoto. This longtime capital of commerce is filled with down-to-earth citizens speaking colourful Kansai-ben (Kansai dialect)
and neon-clad streetscapes bursting with over-the-top 3D signage.
The Osaka International Women's Marathon is set to take place in Osaka on Naniwa Road. This race is one of the “Marathon Grand Championship” events being held to select the last slot for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Most of all, Osaka is famous for good food. The phrase kuidaore (‘eat ’til you drop’) is heard so frequently here that it’s practically the
city motto. Delicacies from okonomiyaki (savoury pancakes) to conveyor-belt sushi were invented here and continue to thrive.
With that being said, the Osaka Women’s Marathon is the place to be!!
The Osaka Women’s Marathon is an annual marathon road race for women over the classic distance of 42.195 kilometres which is held on the
4th or 5th Sunday of January in the city of Osaka, Japan, and hosted by Japan Association of Athletics Federations, Kansai Telecasting
Corporation, the Sankei Shimbun, Sankei Sports, Radio Osaka and Osaka City.
The first edition took place on January 24, 1982, and was won by Italy’s Rita Marchisio. The 1995 marathon was cancelled due to the Great
Hanshin earthquake. The race takes place in the city and passes prominent landmarks such as Osaka Castle. The course was altered in 2011 to allow for faster times by cutting out a number of hilly sections near Osaka Castle. The finish line of the race is at Nagai Stadium, which was the host venue for the 2007 World Championships in Athletics.
DISTANCES
OSAKA INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S MARATHON
42.195km
