Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon, live.

Rape blossoms, Lake Ikeda and Mount Kaimon in January

The Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon is a January marathon on a loop around the southern tip of the Satsuma Peninsula in Kagoshima.

The 44th Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon is on Sunday 10 January 2027, starting at 9:00 in Ibusuki, Kagoshima Prefecture. The race began on 16 January 1982 as the Ibusuki Onsen Marathon, and the organiser describes it as the earliest marathon on a certified course for citizen runners in the Japanese year.

The 42.195 km course is certified by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations and loops past Lake Ikeda, the largest lake in Kyushu, Mount Kaimon, Nagasakibana at the southern tip of the Satsuma Peninsula and Yamakawa port. The organiser warns of sharp ups and downs, but the time limit is 8 hours, with checkpoints at 29 km at 15:00 and 35 km at 16:00. There are 10,000 places on a first come basis.

From mid October residents plant the yellow rape blossoms (nanohana) that line the roads, and the local welcome is what the race is known for. The entry gift includes a T shirt, udon or soba, rice balls, zenzai and steamed sweet potato.

People not ready for the full distance can take the Fun Running Lake Ikeda course, 12.05 km on the marathon route to the lakeside followed by a 1.5 km walk to the bus back. It has 1,000 places, a 120 minute limit and no timing, for people of high school age and over. The long limit and the shorter option make this a good first marathon for many.

On Livebib you can follow a participant who chooses to share their own live position from the phone they carry. This is not the organiser's timing, and the official results come from the Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon.