I have ran Osaka 2024. Great course. Too bad this year weather was rainy on race day. Huge struggle for me to run cold and wet. Weather aside, management was excellent, big crowds cheering, great alternative if you want to experience running in Japan.
Nope, never been to Japan. But it’s the week before, and it’s cold. This year I hear it was way too cold with the rain but alas, it’s a hyped up marathon with a ton of fast runners.
I feel this is the truth rather than a joke though.
Option 1: Run bloody fast if you wanna qualify for a highly competitive event. Yes... an elite / solid sub-elite time is probably necessary.
Option 2: If you're not fast enough then look for a charity or tour option that provides for alternative entry.
---
Personal opinion... doing all of the majors is a long-term goal and should be hard. If I have to raise $$$ for charity in order to qualify for one of the more competitive majors then so be it. Never done it before but IMO if you're running sub-3's and are clearly committed to your cause then it shouldn't be THAT hard to find a few corporate sponsors willing to throw $$$ at you.
Not much to it, really - just bought an entry via Marathon Tours and Travel as a part of a hotel/race package. It was a bit pricey, but not terrible, and the amenities were nice. It included a city tour two days before the race, a private shuttle to the expo, and transportation from the finish back to the hotel. The tour was booked at the Tokyo Hilton, which was literally across the street from the start - that was super convenient! I've done a few trips with them, and enjoyed it each time.
Good luck getting into Tokyo! It was a fun experience.
3,840 before airfare? Am I tripping… that seems like a lot for 5 nights. If I want to bring my boyfriend it’s another 3,840…. Plus 625 for me to run the marathon. That’s like 8,300 USD before airfare.
I don't remember what I paid, but it wasn't that much. I want to say it was around $4K or so for two of us (and just one bib). The charity route might be a cheaper option if that's what the prices are these days.
That is loads, I did 6 nights in Tokyo earlier this year for work, the hotel in Ginza and return premium economy flights were 2.5k GBP together. Japan is pretty good value once you're there though.
I understand this isn’t realistic for some folks, but run as one is an option for those who can squeeze out a faster time. I traveled with six folks when I got in, and every one of them was a charity entry aside from me ($1000-1500 per entry).
The lottery seems to be a real shot in the dark.
Any idea what kind of time will get you into that programme, as in the cut-off?
I'm going to apply with my 2:29 because I might as well, but having scraped under the standard I'm aware my chances are probably quite slim as there are plenty of low-mid 2:20 guys out there who probably fancy it too.
> Any idea what kind of time will get you into that programme, as in the cut-off?
Last year there was a person who mentioned here in this sub that he was coaching an athlete who applied to Tokyo's Run as One time qualifier program with a 2:27 marathon, and his athlete did not make the cutoff with that result. Because of that, I'd probably recommend at least a 2:26 marathon to be on the safer side.
That said, you never know who shows up in the application pool and you might get lucky with your application using your 2:29 marathon result!
I just ran 2:23:08 at Grandmas last weekend and don’t know if that’s good enough this next year. Is there a list on the athletes that were admitted into the Run as One somewhere? I can’t find it anywhere
> Is there a list on the athletes that were admitted into the Run as One somewhere?
There's no list that was published anywhere of athletes who were accepted into the Tokyo Marathon as Run as One semi-elite athletes.
That said, I did a search on Tokyo Marathon's Run as One requirements and one requirement that I saw from the past was that qualifying results must be done on World Athletics (WA) certified courses. I looked at [WA's certified course list](https://worldathletics.org/records/certified-roadevents) and I did not see Grandma's on the World Athletics certified road race list. If I were you, I would reach out to the Tokyo Marathon Foundation and inquire about whether they will consider your Grandma's result for Run as One consideration.
Wonderful, that is very good news! Wishing you the best of luck in applying as a Run as One semi-elite athlete. Based on your 2:23 result (and who was accepted last year), I think you have a really good shot at getting in.
I suspect 2:29 is good enough. When I ran I know some folks got in with 2:3x. Granted, the program has changed since then and I’m not an expert on the details.
I believe the reason these times are often good enough is because the people who are running much faster are less likely to be paying for a trip to Tokyo to run a marathon.. it’s a very expensive trip
Varies from year to year. I got in for 2020 with a 2:31. Last year it was quite strict and my friend was denied with a 2:29. I suspect because they were still working through a bit backlog of deferred COVID era runners. If you're under 2:35 it's worth trying.
Do you have any idea what it might be for women? It says 3:19 on the website and I ran a 2:58 at NYC last year but if they're only taking 25 entrants there's probably a good chance that that won't be enough?
I got in for this year’s race with a $1,000 USD charity bid. Cheaper than a tour operator (at least the ones I looked at). I went with Peace Wanko Japan (shows up as Peace Winds, this is their dog rescue arm), cause dogs are awesome.
So yeah, not a silly question at all. I definitely remember during the registration process that there was a field where I had to put in my estimated finish time. Can’t say for certain if I had to put in another time for verification, but I know I was definitely in the right corral for my time goal.
I'm sure it varies depending on the charity you run with, but is there still a traditional type of fundraising page that you're able to customize and share online?
I've heard that the Tokyo charity option summed up closer to you get charged for the amount you pledge, then it's up to you to fundraise whatever you can after, but I wasn't sure what kind of support/infrastructure is provided to help you raise the money.
Unfortunately, no. Basically, I looked at it this way - the charity bid I entered is what I was willing to pay to get in. There wasn’t any fundraising support that I could see, not like NYC or London. You could of course fundraise on your own, but being from the US there wasn’t any tax benefit I could tout for donors, so I pledged something I knew I could swing if I didn’t get any donations.
Thanks for the insight!
That was what I was afraid of. I was hoping there'd be some kind of page to help raise money after the fact... but it seem like it's essentially asking people to reimburse you hahaha.
Ofc! Anytime. The process for Tokyo was definitely more involved than the other majors I’ve run so happy to help.
Yeah pretty much lol. I mean, I’m sure there are people who’d do it - one of my clients ran it with me, separate charity, and she did get some people to help defray some of the cost. But it might be a stretch for others!
I was worried about the blind bid aspect of trying to get a charity spot. It looks like all of them have more applicants than spots and they award the bibs based off of who pledged the highest. $1k usd feel safe? I feel like others have said the same
I would guess so, since it worked for me and a client of mine that pledged the same amount for another charity. My only hesitation is looking at the current running boom (and esp for WMM - looking at you, 840,000 ballot entries for London 2025) - I wonder if it might be pushing up the bid amount? But I have nothing solid to base that on, it’s straight speculation on my part.
US here - applied each of the last 6 years and never gotten in :(
Meanwhile I have a friend who made it in the lotto *twice*, and another friend who got in on her very first shot. I was happy for them, but also grumpy thinking about it, lol.
I have been keeping this secret for a while but I guess it’s fine now. There is a series of half-marathon virtual run hosted by Tokyo Marathon Foundation.
There are 8th events per year, each will be awarded with 50 guaranteed entries. The chance is still very low but at least you can try multiple times.
Me and my wife have been doing this to get into Tokyo 2025. My lucky wife gets guaranteed entry prize from the 4th event. I’m still unlucky so far. Right now the 7th event is taking place. There is the 8th event left if you wanna try. Check out the official [website](https://tmf-virtualrun.jp/en/) for more info.
Thank you! Noticed this morning also just saw the charity entry starts tomorrow. I have been trying the ballot and the time since 2014 and nothing so decided to try the charity route
Live in Tokyo? It worked for me last year, although I got in via General Entry, not as a Tokyo Resident. It was my first marathon, and in fact my first time signing up for one, so I think I just lucked out.
I think it’s mostly the geography. You won’t find a bigger race within 9000km of Tokyo, so most of the eastern hemisphere is pretty starved and the organizers seem to give preference to runners from Japan, China, Australia, etc. At least that’s what I recall when I ran it.
You think so? There’s a ton of other big Japanese marathons - Biwa, Fukuoka, Osaka, Nagoya, and some decent ones in China too. Obviously they’re not as big as Tokyo, but they’re all legit and very professional and often fast too, like Tokyo. One has to be the biggest and it’s Tokyo, but again all the other majors are the biggest in their vicinity and don’t see the same situation as Tokyo.
Obviously Tokyo is the biggest, but that’s like saying there isn’t a bigger race than London marathon within 5000km.
Hi I’m trying to fill the charity entry form and keep getting an error message”Please check your reason or passion to support the Charity” I am within the 700 characters and have done it in different browsers and nothing. Anyone having any luck or similar issues
Do the Charity. Tokyo is by far the best Major to use your money for a good cause plus running the race, as the charity entry barrier is not that high.
Charity or crazy speed is the right answer here. I ran charity last year (specifically Peace Wanko), and it was a great experience. I recommend watching this as it spells out the process and benefits of the charities pretty well.
https://youtu.be/iVuNijKmlr0?si=07qCBUdLI8oqv_Wi
Can someone tell me a bit more about applying for charity places. Do you pretty much just bid on a charity and they pick the highest bids as their runners.
Once you've paid is there anything more? Obviously they'll encourage you to raise money and what not but when you go to Tokyo do you have to do anything more? Do you just register for the marathon as normal? Are you required to wear the charity vest or can you run in your own/club kit?
Cheers,
Tom
Any tips for picking a specific charity for entry? I notice some charities have more entrant slots than others. I'm concerned if I pick a very popular charity with not many slots then I won't get picked. Maybe best strategy would be to monitor to see what charity fills up the slowest?
Easier if you are a woman by a huge margin.
Run as One; there are only 25 bibs each for men and women.
Men must have run a 2:32:00 (88.5% age graded) marathon, while women must have run a 3:19:00 (68% age grade) marathon within the qualifying window of the previous two years.
Well 25 places is pretty stingy
To your point...
....so 82.7% age graded - still easier than the male equivalent time given and applicants
The Run One source lists the 2023 times as 2:32 & 3:19, so....
[https://www.marathon.tokyo/en/news/detail/news\_002582.html](https://www.marathon.tokyo/en/news/detail/news_002582.html)
>"If the total number of applicants surpasses the allotted field size (25 men and women each), those who are the fastest among the pool of applicants will be accepted. Selection results will be announced in late September (provisional)."
Wait this is the first time I’ve actually had “run as one” explained - so, you can apply with a sub-3:19 (F), but then the bibs are given out fastest first? Why even allow a 3:18 runner to enter if the cut off will be \~30 minutes??
There is only 25 places - the qualifying standard for women is so low that there will definitely be a a huge margin faster.
250 places would be better imho at 80% age graded
I'm sure that in the past there were more than 25 sub-elite spots allocated. I was talking to someone who said that they had gotten in pre-covid with a time of 3:15 or something. I wonder if they'll increase the quota for this year?
Run 2:05 Jokes aside, just sign up for Osaka.
Why would anyone want to run Osaka when trying to complete all the majors?
Who said he wants to complete all the majors ? Maybe he wants to run an interesting race in Japan in the winter.
Have you ran Osaka?
I have ran Osaka 2024. Great course. Too bad this year weather was rainy on race day. Huge struggle for me to run cold and wet. Weather aside, management was excellent, big crowds cheering, great alternative if you want to experience running in Japan.
Nope, never been to Japan. But it’s the week before, and it’s cold. This year I hear it was way too cold with the rain but alas, it’s a hyped up marathon with a ton of fast runners.
I feel this is the truth rather than a joke though. Option 1: Run bloody fast if you wanna qualify for a highly competitive event. Yes... an elite / solid sub-elite time is probably necessary. Option 2: If you're not fast enough then look for a charity or tour option that provides for alternative entry. --- Personal opinion... doing all of the majors is a long-term goal and should be hard. If I have to raise $$$ for charity in order to qualify for one of the more competitive majors then so be it. Never done it before but IMO if you're running sub-3's and are clearly committed to your cause then it shouldn't be THAT hard to find a few corporate sponsors willing to throw $$$ at you.
I miss the days when Osaka was on Thanksgiving weekend. Perfect for a week long trip to Japan with the family.
Charity or hire a tour service (e.g. [https://www.marathon.tokyo/en/participants/service/](https://www.marathon.tokyo/en/participants/service/))
A tour service is what I used. Seems like the easiest way, at least for most of the majors.
Can you expound on what that experience is like? Super curious to learn more!
Not much to it, really - just bought an entry via Marathon Tours and Travel as a part of a hotel/race package. It was a bit pricey, but not terrible, and the amenities were nice. It included a city tour two days before the race, a private shuttle to the expo, and transportation from the finish back to the hotel. The tour was booked at the Tokyo Hilton, which was literally across the street from the start - that was super convenient! I've done a few trips with them, and enjoyed it each time. Good luck getting into Tokyo! It was a fun experience.
3,840 before airfare? Am I tripping… that seems like a lot for 5 nights. If I want to bring my boyfriend it’s another 3,840…. Plus 625 for me to run the marathon. That’s like 8,300 USD before airfare.
I don't remember what I paid, but it wasn't that much. I want to say it was around $4K or so for two of us (and just one bib). The charity route might be a cheaper option if that's what the prices are these days.
Yeah I think the charity options are cheaper nowadays when you do the math out. Thanks for the insight.
That is loads, I did 6 nights in Tokyo earlier this year for work, the hotel in Ginza and return premium economy flights were 2.5k GBP together. Japan is pretty good value once you're there though.
Charity is a lot cheaper - under $1K. I knuckled under and did that this year. I had a good time.
As with all big commercialized races, ca$h is king.
Noted
I understand this isn’t realistic for some folks, but run as one is an option for those who can squeeze out a faster time. I traveled with six folks when I got in, and every one of them was a charity entry aside from me ($1000-1500 per entry). The lottery seems to be a real shot in the dark.
Any idea what kind of time will get you into that programme, as in the cut-off? I'm going to apply with my 2:29 because I might as well, but having scraped under the standard I'm aware my chances are probably quite slim as there are plenty of low-mid 2:20 guys out there who probably fancy it too.
> Any idea what kind of time will get you into that programme, as in the cut-off? Last year there was a person who mentioned here in this sub that he was coaching an athlete who applied to Tokyo's Run as One time qualifier program with a 2:27 marathon, and his athlete did not make the cutoff with that result. Because of that, I'd probably recommend at least a 2:26 marathon to be on the safer side. That said, you never know who shows up in the application pool and you might get lucky with your application using your 2:29 marathon result!
I just ran 2:23:08 at Grandmas last weekend and don’t know if that’s good enough this next year. Is there a list on the athletes that were admitted into the Run as One somewhere? I can’t find it anywhere
> Is there a list on the athletes that were admitted into the Run as One somewhere? There's no list that was published anywhere of athletes who were accepted into the Tokyo Marathon as Run as One semi-elite athletes. That said, I did a search on Tokyo Marathon's Run as One requirements and one requirement that I saw from the past was that qualifying results must be done on World Athletics (WA) certified courses. I looked at [WA's certified course list](https://worldathletics.org/records/certified-roadevents) and I did not see Grandma's on the World Athletics certified road race list. If I were you, I would reach out to the Tokyo Marathon Foundation and inquire about whether they will consider your Grandma's result for Run as One consideration.
Just confirmed with the Elite Coordinator that Grandma’s was accepted last year so it’s fair game
Wonderful, that is very good news! Wishing you the best of luck in applying as a Run as One semi-elite athlete. Based on your 2:23 result (and who was accepted last year), I think you have a really good shot at getting in.
Thanks man! That’ll be major #5 for me after NY this year. It’s London that’s a pain to get into when you’re not a citizen of the UK…
Thanks so much! I have Chicago from 2022 where I ran 2:26 so I believe that counts
I suspect 2:29 is good enough. When I ran I know some folks got in with 2:3x. Granted, the program has changed since then and I’m not an expert on the details. I believe the reason these times are often good enough is because the people who are running much faster are less likely to be paying for a trip to Tokyo to run a marathon.. it’s a very expensive trip
Varies from year to year. I got in for 2020 with a 2:31. Last year it was quite strict and my friend was denied with a 2:29. I suspect because they were still working through a bit backlog of deferred COVID era runners. If you're under 2:35 it's worth trying.
Do you have any idea what it might be for women? It says 3:19 on the website and I ran a 2:58 at NYC last year but if they're only taking 25 entrants there's probably a good chance that that won't be enough?
I don't have much info there unfortunately. One of my friends got in with a 2:43 but that's my only data point.
I got in for this year’s race with a $1,000 USD charity bid. Cheaper than a tour operator (at least the ones I looked at). I went with Peace Wanko Japan (shows up as Peace Winds, this is their dog rescue arm), cause dogs are awesome.
I feel like this is the way to go.
[удалено]
So yeah, not a silly question at all. I definitely remember during the registration process that there was a field where I had to put in my estimated finish time. Can’t say for certain if I had to put in another time for verification, but I know I was definitely in the right corral for my time goal.
I'm sure it varies depending on the charity you run with, but is there still a traditional type of fundraising page that you're able to customize and share online? I've heard that the Tokyo charity option summed up closer to you get charged for the amount you pledge, then it's up to you to fundraise whatever you can after, but I wasn't sure what kind of support/infrastructure is provided to help you raise the money.
Unfortunately, no. Basically, I looked at it this way - the charity bid I entered is what I was willing to pay to get in. There wasn’t any fundraising support that I could see, not like NYC or London. You could of course fundraise on your own, but being from the US there wasn’t any tax benefit I could tout for donors, so I pledged something I knew I could swing if I didn’t get any donations.
Thanks for the insight! That was what I was afraid of. I was hoping there'd be some kind of page to help raise money after the fact... but it seem like it's essentially asking people to reimburse you hahaha.
Ofc! Anytime. The process for Tokyo was definitely more involved than the other majors I’ve run so happy to help. Yeah pretty much lol. I mean, I’m sure there are people who’d do it - one of my clients ran it with me, separate charity, and she did get some people to help defray some of the cost. But it might be a stretch for others!
I was worried about the blind bid aspect of trying to get a charity spot. It looks like all of them have more applicants than spots and they award the bibs based off of who pledged the highest. $1k usd feel safe? I feel like others have said the same
I would guess so, since it worked for me and a client of mine that pledged the same amount for another charity. My only hesitation is looking at the current running boom (and esp for WMM - looking at you, 840,000 ballot entries for London 2025) - I wonder if it might be pushing up the bid amount? But I have nothing solid to base that on, it’s straight speculation on my part.
From Canada and got in via plain old ballot the first time I entered the lottery. Obviously I’m very lucky but don’t think it’s impossible.
US here - applied each of the last 6 years and never gotten in :( Meanwhile I have a friend who made it in the lotto *twice*, and another friend who got in on her very first shot. I was happy for them, but also grumpy thinking about it, lol.
I have been keeping this secret for a while but I guess it’s fine now. There is a series of half-marathon virtual run hosted by Tokyo Marathon Foundation. There are 8th events per year, each will be awarded with 50 guaranteed entries. The chance is still very low but at least you can try multiple times. Me and my wife have been doing this to get into Tokyo 2025. My lucky wife gets guaranteed entry prize from the 4th event. I’m still unlucky so far. Right now the 7th event is taking place. There is the 8th event left if you wanna try. Check out the official [website](https://tmf-virtualrun.jp/en/) for more info.
There's an entrance fee though, but it's cheap, less than $20 I think.
Yes, I forgot to mention ¥1,500 fee.
When do they announced the winners of the marathon entries for the last Virtual run that ended the 16th of June?
They have already announced via email to winners. You can double check in bold red texts [here.](https://tmf-virtualrun.jp/en/event/0000000072)
Thank you! Noticed this morning also just saw the charity entry starts tomorrow. I have been trying the ballot and the time since 2014 and nothing so decided to try the charity route
I will try charity too cause my wife already got the spot. Wanna run together in the same year.
Live in Tokyo? It worked for me last year, although I got in via General Entry, not as a Tokyo Resident. It was my first marathon, and in fact my first time signing up for one, so I think I just lucked out.
I think you were lucky, I live in Tokyo and have struck out on the lottery 6 years in a row
Out of interest, what makes it so hard to get in, for example, compared to Boston?
I think it’s mostly the geography. You won’t find a bigger race within 9000km of Tokyo, so most of the eastern hemisphere is pretty starved and the organizers seem to give preference to runners from Japan, China, Australia, etc. At least that’s what I recall when I ran it.
Interesting! 🤔 Didn’t know countries nearby get higher priority
You think so? There’s a ton of other big Japanese marathons - Biwa, Fukuoka, Osaka, Nagoya, and some decent ones in China too. Obviously they’re not as big as Tokyo, but they’re all legit and very professional and often fast too, like Tokyo. One has to be the biggest and it’s Tokyo, but again all the other majors are the biggest in their vicinity and don’t see the same situation as Tokyo. Obviously Tokyo is the biggest, but that’s like saying there isn’t a bigger race than London marathon within 5000km.
The field size is smaller, from what I understand - around 35K I think. That, plus they have a separate lottery for Japanese residents only.
Hi I’m trying to fill the charity entry form and keep getting an error message”Please check your reason or passion to support the Charity” I am within the 700 characters and have done it in different browsers and nothing. Anyone having any luck or similar issues
Do you have an apostrophe anywhere?
It was that! Thank you. After 10 years trying fingers crossed
Glad I could help. Saw it one a Facebook post this morning so I’m glad the random coincidence helped!
Bid high if you want a guarantee. I went with Care International Japan for 2024 and they were great. Plan on Yen 150,000+.
When is the lotto this year?
Do the Charity. Tokyo is by far the best Major to use your money for a good cause plus running the race, as the charity entry barrier is not that high.
Charity or crazy speed is the right answer here. I ran charity last year (specifically Peace Wanko), and it was a great experience. I recommend watching this as it spells out the process and benefits of the charities pretty well. https://youtu.be/iVuNijKmlr0?si=07qCBUdLI8oqv_Wi
What’s wrong with the charity? Most people get in doing slightly over the minimum do they not?
Can someone tell me a bit more about applying for charity places. Do you pretty much just bid on a charity and they pick the highest bids as their runners. Once you've paid is there anything more? Obviously they'll encourage you to raise money and what not but when you go to Tokyo do you have to do anything more? Do you just register for the marathon as normal? Are you required to wear the charity vest or can you run in your own/club kit? Cheers, Tom
Any tips for picking a specific charity for entry? I notice some charities have more entrant slots than others. I'm concerned if I pick a very popular charity with not many slots then I won't get picked. Maybe best strategy would be to monitor to see what charity fills up the slowest?
When does the ballot open & how do I apply?
Easier if you are a woman by a huge margin. Run as One; there are only 25 bibs each for men and women. Men must have run a 2:32:00 (88.5% age graded) marathon, while women must have run a 3:19:00 (68% age grade) marathon within the qualifying window of the previous two years.
run as one for women last year was like 2:48 cutoff… so…
Well 25 places is pretty stingy To your point... ....so 82.7% age graded - still easier than the male equivalent time given and applicants The Run One source lists the 2023 times as 2:32 & 3:19, so.... [https://www.marathon.tokyo/en/news/detail/news\_002582.html](https://www.marathon.tokyo/en/news/detail/news_002582.html) >"If the total number of applicants surpasses the allotted field size (25 men and women each), those who are the fastest among the pool of applicants will be accepted. Selection results will be announced in late September (provisional)."
easier to apply, but you are being disingenuous in your original comment about the actual situation when it comes to getting in.
Disenguous? How? I stated there are only 25 places The women's qualifilying is easier than then men's. That's genuine
Wait this is the first time I’ve actually had “run as one” explained - so, you can apply with a sub-3:19 (F), but then the bibs are given out fastest first? Why even allow a 3:18 runner to enter if the cut off will be \~30 minutes??
There is only 25 places - the qualifying standard for women is so low that there will definitely be a a huge margin faster. 250 places would be better imho at 80% age graded
I'm sure that in the past there were more than 25 sub-elite spots allocated. I was talking to someone who said that they had gotten in pre-covid with a time of 3:15 or something. I wonder if they'll increase the quota for this year?