Naha Marathon 2014: Route, Course Map, Times, Event Details
The Naha Marathon is one of the most traditional sporting events in Japan, and will be run for the 30th time this year around the Peace Prayer Park Course on Dec. 7, 2014.
The organisers describe the event as the “Festival of Sun, Ocean and Joggers," per the official website, and it is expected to attract around 30,000 participants this year as they race from Meijibashi to the Onoyama Stadium.
Here’s all the key details ahead of the race, including the scenic course the participants must tackle, the event start times and other vital details ahead of the running of the race.
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| Date | Dec. 7, 2014 |
| Time | 9 a.m. (Local), 12 p.m. (GMT) |
| Course | Peace Pray Park Course |
| Start | Meijibashi |
| Finish | Onoyama Stadium |
Route
The main route is one big loop, as the runners circle Naha City, Tomigusuku City as well as Yaese Town and Itoman. The mid-point of the race is Peace Memorial Park.
The course can get a little bit hilly at times, but encouragingly for participants the final stages of the race—where fatigue sets in and many runners “hit the wall”—is relatively flat. The highest point on the course is just prior to the mid-point at the Himeyuri Park bus stop, topping out at a heady 78 metres above sea level.
For the full course map, including elevation charts and other information, click here.
Event Details
The race was set up in 1985 to honour the quarter-of-a-century bond that Naha and the city of Honolulu have shared.
While the event may be one of the most prestigious in Japan, it’s not one that regularly attracts world-class athletes. Last year’s men’s race was won by Naha rookie Shizuoka Shigeaki Hirata in a modest time of 2:27.56. The race’s slogan of “the runners are the stars” points towards an event in which participation trumps pace.
Indeed, the “goal” finishing time of 3:15 p.m. on the course map is a whopping six hours 15 minutes later than the race start time, which is at 9 a.m. local time.
The race can occasionally be very difficult for overseas participants who are not well acquainted with Naha’s often stifling humidity. While it’s not an event that always boasts soaring temperatures, a humidity of 91.5 percent is enough to test any runner; with that in mind, perhaps it’s little surprise that the finishing ratio of competitors hovers around the 70 percent mark.
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