2027 Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon - Jan 10

2027 Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon - Jan 10 Countdown

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Race Information

Race2027 Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon - Jan 10
CityIbusuki
Date2027-01-10 at 09:00
Field Size~10,000 runners
Time Limit8 hours
Cutoff pace11:23/km
TimezoneAsia/Tokyo
Official SiteIbusuki Nanohana Marathon Executive Committee (いぶすき菜の花マラソン大会実行委員会)

Race Day Weather

Average Temperature8.5°C / 47°F
Humidity77%
Wind24.9 km/h
Rain Chance27%
Typical ConditionsMild south-Kyushu winter morning, typically 7-12C (45-54F) at the 9:00 start and climbing by midday. Often clear with a sea breeze off Kagoshima Bay, though cold rain or hail can pass through; far gentler than mainland Honshu January races.

What to Prepare: Wear a light long-sleeve you can shed once the open seaside road warms in the sun. Gloves and a throwaway top handle the cool start, and a packable rain layer is smart since a brief shower or hail squall is possible this time of year.

Based on historical averages for race week. Use our Weather Score Calculator and What to Wear Guide for personalized advice.

Wind Impact on Race Day

Wind at 24.9 km/h can affect your marathon pace by 5-15 seconds per kilometer. Headwinds slow you down exponentially — a 20 km/h wind costs more than twice a 10 km/h wind.

Calculate your wind-adjusted pace →

Race-Week Climate

Based on 20 years of race-week weather (2005-2024), MERRA-2 reanalysis

Cooler Typical Warmer
Temperature 5°C 8.2°C 12.2°C
Dew point 0.9°C 4°C 8.9°C
Wet-day chance: 27% Runnability: 71/100

Data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis), NASA Langley Research Center

Course Profile

Course TypeRoad
TerrainRoad
ProfileRolling seaside route whose hard work comes early: the sharpest ramp is at 3.3-4.4km, and a longer climb from 6.5km reaches the course high point of about 104m at 10km. The final rise, at 35.3-36.8km, is a small one - a gain of only about 25m. The roughly 100m quoted for this course is the gap between its high and low points; scenic rather than fast.
Boston QualifierYes — Check your BQ time

Course Analysis

Eight Hours, and a Flower Bred to Open on Race Day

The 44th Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon (Sun Jan 10, 2027, 9:00) is built for runners most marathons quietly shut out. The organiser bills its 8-hour limit as Japan's number one for time limit, a ranking reprinted from Runners magazine (July 2025), and timing runs to 18:00 — "effectively nine hours" in its own words. The same ranking puts it first nationally on two more counts: a 5:35:09 average finish and 37.9% of finishers crossing after six hours. Our own reading: under a conventional 6-hour Japanese cutoff, roughly two in five of this race's finishers would have been timed out.

The bloom is engineered too. Oil-seed rapeseed grew too short and lasted about a week, so Kagoshima University spent five years crossing it with daikon flower, including a blue one from India, to breed the ornamental variety behind its roughly 10 million blooms.

The Real Climbing Is Finished by 10km

The official elevation chart exists only as an image, its type converted to outlines, so here it is in words. This is a loop, and it is front-loaded. The first 3.3km run flat near sea level; then the sharpest ramp of the day lifts you from about 5m to about 48m in roughly 1.1km, at 3.3-4.4km. The day's biggest climb follows, from 6.5km to the course high point of about 104m at 10km.

Lake Ikeda opens around 12km with Mt Kaimon across the water, then a second peak of about 90m around 14.1km before the road falls away to about 15m near 22.5km. The "about 100m" quoted for this course is the gap between highest and lowest points, not total climbing. The first aid station is at the 6km point (15 in all, every 2.5km), so your first drink lands at the foot of that climb. Build the opening slow with our splits calculator.

Two Gates, and the Second Opens Straight onto a Hill

The road climbs a third time to about 63m near 27.5km, past Nagasakibana around 25km and Nishi-Oyama, JR's southernmost station, at roughly 26-27.5km. The first cutoff is 29km, closing 15:00 -- six hours -- at the Healthy Land entrance. A steady descent from 30.5km carries you past Yamakawa port to the second, 35km closing 16:00, at JR Yamakawa Station.

The sting, and this is our observation not the organiser's: that second gate sits immediately before the final climb, 35.3-36.8km, a gain of only about 25m. Anyone scraping through hits it with a seven-hour effort in the legs. An entry platform nicknames it the "heartbreak hill", but it is a small rise -- the hard climbing ended at 10km. After 36.8km it is downhill or flat past Ibusuki port near 40km to the finish. Put both gate times on your wrist with a pace band generator.

Race the Two Gates, Then Beat 16:00

Two numbers decide your day: 29km by 15:00, 35km by 16:00. Then the detail almost nobody publishes -- road closures lift at 16:00, an hour before the 8-hour limit, after which you finish on the sidewalk under marshals' direction. Anyone aiming at seven to eight hours should plan that last hour as sidewalk running.

Warm southern Kyushu is the brochure, not the record. January normals here (1991-2020) run 8.7C mean, 13.2C high, 4.5C low; the 43rd edition ran at 7.2C mean with a 13.4 m/s gust and the local paper reported hail. The first edition ran in sleet, the 20th in snow flurries -- dress from that with what to wear. Residents hand out bonito belly and sweet potato roadside; chabushi, udon or soba and zenzai wait at the finish. Entry is open now: online to 23:59 on Oct 18, 2026, 10,000 places first-come at 11,000 yen.

Prepare for 2027 Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon - Jan 10

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Frequently Asked Questions

When is the 2027 Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon?

The 44th edition is scheduled for Sunday, January 10, 2027, with the full marathon starting at 9:00 JST. It is held every year on the second Sunday of January, making it the first big certified-course marathon on Japan's calendar each year.

How do I enter, and is there a lottery?

There is no lottery. Entry is first-come, first-served through Japan's RUNNET portal (and the official site), with a 10,000-runner cap for the full marathon that closes once it fills, typically after registration opens in early August. Create your account early and register on opening day to secure a place. The full-marathon entry fee is 11,000 yen.

Do I need a visa or ESTA to run in Japan?

Japan does not operate an ESTA or eTA system. Many nationalities (US, UK, EU, Australia and others) can enter Japan visa-free for short tourist stays, which covers a marathon trip. Always confirm your own nationality's current requirement before booking, as rules can change.

What is the time limit?

The cutoff is a very generous 8 hours from the gun, which the organiser bills as Japan's number one for time limit, citing a Runners magazine ranking (July 2025 issue). That makes it a realistic finish for first-timers and run-walkers despite the hilly course. Use our pace calculator to find the steady pace that keeps you inside the 8-hour window with margin.

What is the course like and is it Boston-qualifying?

It is a JAAF-certified (陸連公認) road marathon along the Satsuma Peninsula, winding past golden rapeseed (nanohana) fields with the cone of Mt Kaimon ('Satsuma Fuji') and Kyushu's largest lake, Lake Ikeda, in view. The hard climbing comes early - the sharpest ramp at 3.3-4.4km, then a long pull to the course high point of about 104m at 10km - while the much-quoted climb at 35km is the last one but a small one, gaining only about 25m. So it is scenic first and fast second. Because the course is certified, a finishing time here is valid for Boston qualifying; check the standard for your age with our Boston qualifying tool.

How do I get to Ibusuki?

Fly into Kagoshima Airport, then take a bus or train toward Ibusuki at the southern tip of the Satsuma Peninsula (roughly 1.5-2 hours total); the start at the Fureai Plaza Nanohana-kan is about 5 minutes by taxi from Ibusuki Station. Ibusuki is famous for its natural sand baths, an ideal post-race recovery soak, so plan an extra night to enjoy them.

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