2027 Kagoshima Marathon - Mar 7

2027 Kagoshima Marathon - Mar 7 Countdown

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Race Information

Race2027 Kagoshima Marathon - Mar 7
CityKagoshima
Date2027-03-07 at 08:30
Field Size~10,000 runners
Time Limit7 hours
Cutoff pace9:57/km
TimezoneAsia/Tokyo
Official SiteKagoshima Marathon Organizing Committee (鹿児島マラソン実行委員会)

Race Day Weather

Average Temperature11.4°C / 53°F
Humidity75%
Wind26.4 km/h
Rain Chance41%
Typical ConditionsOrganiser readings at the 8:30 AM start ranged from 8.3°C to 21.9°C across the last five editions, four of the five above 13°C. Wind stayed at or below 3.0 m/s every one of those years, and none of the five saw rain. The wind figure in the table above comes from gridded reanalysis and reads higher than what is actually measured inside the bay.

What to Prepare: Treat the forecast, not the average, as your guide: the last five editions spanned 13.6°C from coldest to warmest, so a throwaway layer over a light long-sleeve covers both ends until you see the day-before forecast. If it trends warm, the organiser's own 2026 pre-race notice told runners to use the dousing water and shower stations to cool down, and you should plan to run a step easier. Rain has not hit any of the last five races, but Kagoshima averages 161.0 mm of rain across March, so a packable shell is worth the bag space.

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 26.4 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 7.3°C 11.5°C 15.8°C
Dew point 1.9°C 6.8°C 12.7°C
Wet-day chance: 41% Runnability: 71/100

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

Course Profile

Course TypeOut-and-back along Kinko Bay with a separate downtown finish
TerrainRoad
ProfileThe official elevation chart keeps the entire route under 20 m above sea level, high point included, and the organiser's own blurb calls it a flat, easy-to-run course. The start is at the former Dolphin Port site, the first 13 km loop through the downtown grid past Kagoshima Station and the Saigo Takamori statue, and only then does the route join the Kinko Bay coast road heading north to the turnaround at Shigetomi in Aira City. The chart flags fine undulations and slopes in exactly two places, 18-23.5 km outbound and 29-34 km inbound, the same coastal stretch between Ryugamizu and Shirahama Shrine run once each way. The finish is in front of Kagoshima City Hall, past Sengan-en at 38.9 km.
Boston QualifierYes — Check your BQ time

Finisher Trend

Year Finishers vs prev.
2019 9,356 —
2023 5,223 -44.2%
2024 6,230 +19.3%
2025 7,433 +19.3%
2026 9,441 +27.0%

Runners who crossed the line, not the registered field size.

Prepare for 2027 Kagoshima Marathon - Mar 7

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Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the Kagoshima Marathon 2027?

Sunday, March 7, 2027, with an 8:30 AM gun in Kagoshima on the southern tip of Kyushu. The Japanese title of this edition bills it as a countdown commemoration of Saigo Takamori's 200th birth anniversary and the 150th year since his death; the English name on the outline is simply Kagoshima Marathon 2027. It starts at the former Dolphin Port site on the waterfront, turns around at Shigetomi in neighbouring Aira City and finishes in front of Kagoshima City Hall, so the start and the finish are different places. The first 13 km loop through the downtown grid; only from about the 13 km mark does the route join the Kinko Bay coast road with Sakurajima across the water.

How do runners living outside Japan enter?

Through RunJapan, not the domestic window. Both the race outline and the FAQ tell people living outside Japan to apply via Run Japan under a separate overseas quota. As of July 31, 2026 that quota's size, fee and dates were still unpublished and RunJapan listed no Kagoshima event at all. What is on the record is the previous edition: for the 2026 race RunJapan charged 18,000 yen for the marathon against 14,000 yen domestically, and its entry window matched the domestic one to the minute.

The 2027 domestic terms, for reference: first-come with no lottery, opening 18:00 JST on Friday, August 7, 2026 and closing 23:59 on Saturday, October 31, online only. The marathon fee is 15,000 yen plus a 6 percent processing fee, or 14,000 yen at the early-bird rate through August 31. Runners aged 25 or under on race day pay 13,000 yen, capped at 1,200 places. The race was cancelled in 2020 and 2022 and run online only in 2021, and demand has recovered sharply across the three seasons since: the 2026 race drew 11,390 marathon entries and filled for the first time in seven years.

For the domestic window, August 31 is the real decision point rather than the October deadline — though the early-bird tier belongs to that window, and whether it extends to the overseas quota has not been published.

Will my bib be mailed to me, or do I collect it?

You collect it, and that decides your travel dates. Domestic entrants get their race pack posted to a registered Japanese address in mid-February, and there is no race-morning bib collection — the race-day desk (6:15-7:00 and 9:00-16:00) hands out the participant gift only. Because runners abroad cannot receive that mailing, the organiser holds their bibs at a help desk: Saturday, March 6, 2027, 10:00 to 19:00, inside Chuo Park at 4-1 Yamashita-cho, Kagoshima. There is no second collection point and no later window.

So plan to be in the city by Saturday afternoon at the latest. The 2026 guidebook put the marathon start blocks at S through F (G is the fun run), closing at 8:15, about a 10-minute walk from Chuo Park — the 2027 guidebook is not out yet; miss the 8:30 gun and you are not allowed to run. The venue has no parking, and Chuo Park is a five-minute walk from the Tenmonkan-dori tram stop.

What is the time limit, and where are the cutoffs?

Seven hours, measured from the gun rather than your chip, with nine checkpoints.

  • 4.5 km — closes 9:33 (Shiranami Stadium south gate)
  • 9.4 km — 10:15 (Saigo statue)
  • 11.4 km — 10:34 (Shimizu-sho higashi)
  • 17.5 km — 11:30 (Ryugamizu Station, outbound)
  • 25.6 km — 12:48 (Shigetomi)
  • 29.0 km — 13:22 (Shirahama shrine)
  • 33.9 km — 14:08 (Ryugamizu Station, inbound)
  • 38.9 km — 14:55 (Sengan-en)
  • 41.2 km — 15:17 (Kamihonmachi crossing)

Working back from the 8:30 start, that is about 14:00 per km to the first checkpoint, a 10:05 per km average to the fifth and a 9:53 per km average to the last — our arithmetic, not the organiser's. Those are cumulative averages, and they start loose and tighten through the second half. Segment by segment the picture flips: the 4.9 km from the first checkpoint to the second allows only 42 minutes, or 8:34 per km — the tightest stretch on the course. Clear checkpoint one at its limit and checkpoint two is almost certainly gone. A late start block eats into every margin too, because the clock is gun time.

One requirement disappeared this year. Every edition from 2019 to 2026 asked entrants to be capable of finishing within 6 hours 40 minutes, and that line is gone from the 2027 outline and absent from the entry PDF. Clearing the nine checkpoints is now the only pace condition. Work out your split times before you commit to a target.

Is the Kagoshima Marathon a Boston-qualifying race?

Yes. The course is certified by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, so an official chip time counts toward Boston qualifying if you meet your age-group standard. The profile helps rather than hurts: the official elevation chart keeps the whole route below 20 m above sea level, with the high point still under the 20 m line, and the organiser describes it as a flat, easy-to-run course. The only stretches marked as undulating are the coastal section at roughly 18-23.5 km and again at 29-34 km on the way back. Check the current BQ standard for your age group.

What is the race actually like on the ground?

The draw is the live volcano. From 13 km to the closing kilometres the course faces Sakurajima rising out of Kinko Bay, often with a plume of steam or ash, and because the route doubles back you cross paths with the leaders. The 2027 edition adds four Saigo Takamori features written into the entry outline: kilometres 30 to 39 become the Saigo Road with themed messages and food stations, a new Saigo 315 prize that hands travel vouchers and Kagoshima produce to the runners finishing 315th, 1315th and so on, a commemorative booth in the post-finish hospitality area, and Saigo-themed cheering points along the course.

Aid is generous. At the 2026 race the Kagoshima Sweets Station at 33.9 km served sweet-potato tart, sweet-potato confectionery, karaimo cream cheese, karukan steamed yam cake and Saigo senbei from local makers. The 2027 line-up and its position on the course have not been published yet.

How do I get to Kagoshima, and what about entry requirements?

Kagoshima has its own airport with domestic connections through Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka, and the Kyushu Shinkansen runs to Kagoshima-Chuo Station, so the race weekend bolts onto a Tokyo or Osaka trip easily. Immigration rules for Japan depend on your nationality and do change, so check the current rule for your passport with an official source before booking rather than relying on a race page. Once you are there, the hot-sand baths at Ibusuki and the Sengan-en garden the course passes at 38.9 km make the obvious add-ons.

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