The 57th Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Application Requirements

MGC Series 2026-27 (Men: G1, Women: G3)

National Selection Trial (men) for World Athletics Championships Beijing 2027

National Selection Trial (men) for Los Angeles 2028

Organizers

Chugoku Athletics Association, Yamaguchi Athletics Association
Yamaguchi Prefecture, Yamaguchi Amateur Sports Association, Hofu City, Yomiuri Shimbun, KRY Yamaguchi Broadcasting Co., Ltd.

Supporters

Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF), Hofu City Sports Association, Hofu City Board of Education, Sports Hochi Western Headquarters

Supervisors

Yamaguchi Athletics Association, Hofu City Athletics Association

Cooperators

JGSDF (Japan Ground Self-Defense Force) 17th Infantry Regiment, Air Self-Defense Force 12th Flight Training Wing, Air Self-Defense Force Air Basic Training Wing JGSDF 13th Brigade, Hofu Medical Association, Hofu Traffic Safety Association, Hofu Scout Council, Hofu Tourism Convention Association, Hofu Neighborhood Association, Hofu City Sports Promotion Committee (scheduled)

Sponsors

TBD

Schedule

Starting at 10:40 am, Sunday, December 6, 2026

Course

Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Course – certified by JAAF and WA/AIMS: 42.195km

Prefectural Road in front of DaikyoNishikawa Square Salt Arena Hofu ～ Oaza Tajima, Hofu (turnaround point) ～ DaikyoNishikawa Square Athletics Stadium

• The record of 15km, 20km, half, 25km, 30km and the marathon of the athletes who competed the race will be certified.

Broadcast

TV and radio by KRY – Yamaguchi Broadcasting Co. Ltd.

Category

(1) General (men and women)

(2) Elite (men and women)

(3) IPC registered (men and women)

Time Limit

4 hours (from 10:40 to 14:40)

1. Time regulations will be enforced on the signal gun as follows: Athletes who fail to pass a check point before the time limit below will be disqualified and unable to continue the race thereon. Please follow the instructions of the officials to stop the race and get on the sweep bus.

   Check Point	Distance	Point	Gross Time	Time
   First	7.7km	Salt Arena West Intersection	0:44:00	11:24
   Second	17.1km	Salt Arena West Intersection	1:38:00	12:18
   Third	22.5km	Hofu City Hall Intersection	2:09:00	12:49
   Fourth	Turnaround Point	Tajima Intersection – south	2:48:00	13:28
   Fifth	35.0km	Kaide Intersection – west	3:20:00	14:00
   Sixth	41.8km	Glorious Gate	4:00:00	14:40

2. Any athlete, deemed to be significantly late, and cause traffic security problems, must follow the instructions of the officials, stop the race and get on the sweep bus.

Qualification

Athletes satisfying the following requirements and approved by the organizers

1. General (men and women): 3000
   • 400 Yamaguchi Prefecture resident spots included
   • ①19 years old and over on the race day
   • ②have a certified record within the specified time at an international or a domestic race between December 1, 2022 and the deadline of the application.
     • The net time of the certificate will be accepted.
       Marathon: 4:00:00 or faster
       Half-marathon: 1:33:00 or faster *Submission of the certificate is required.
   • ③registered in JAAF or not registered yet for 2026
2. Yamaguchi Prefecture resident spots: 400, Shiawasemasu Hofu spots: unlimited, Hometown Tax payer spots: 400
   The following requirements in addition to ①②③ above have to be satisfied:
   1. Yamaguchi Prefecture resident spots: athletes who are the registered residents of Yamaguchi Prefecture
   2. Shiawasemasu Hofu spots: athletes who are the registered Hofu residents
   3. Hometown Tax payer spots: athletes who paid Hometown Tax with the entitlement to participate in this race, and are not registered Hofu resident
3. IPC athletes: unlimited
   Athletes who have handicap in sight and registered in IPC (International Paralympic Committee) for 2026

Competition Rules

1. This race will be conducted in accordance with the latest rules and regulations of WA, JAAF, and this marathon competition. This is a WA Elite Label Road Race; thus WA Road Race Label Regulations and WA Advertising Regulations will also be applied. In addition, the doping test will be carried out under WA regulations.
2. As for the IPC athletes, IPC Athletics Rules and Regulations, and the rules of this marathon competition will be applied.

Capacity

3,500

1. General: 3,000 (including Yamaguchi Prefecture resident spots:400)
2. Hometown Tax payer spots: 400
3. Elite men and women, Shiawasemasu Hofu spots and IPC athletes: unlimited

Entry Fee

13,000 yen

Entry

1. Please apply for the race using your computer or smartphone in the following method, and make payment by the deadline for each division.
   • ①General (men, women, Yamaguchi Prefecture resident spots and Shiawasemasu Hofu spots)
     Period: Monday, June 22, 2026 ～ Monday, July 6, 2026
     Announcement of the entry result: Monday, August 17, 2026
     Deadline for the entry fee payment: Tuesday, August 25, 2026
     Procedure:
     1）Apply through RUNTES
     2）Attach the data of your certificate from “my-page” (upload) by Monday, July 6th upon agreeing the terms of use.
   • ②General (Hometown Tax payer spots)
     Period: Monday, June 22, 2026 ～ Friday, July 10, 2026
     Deadline for the entry fee payment: Tuesday, August 25, 2026
     Procedure:
     1）Pay the Hometown Tax through Furusato Choice
     2）Upon agreeing the terms of use on the dedicated website of RUNNET sent from the secretariat, attach the data of your record certificate, and apply for the race through the RUNNET “my page” by Friday, July 10th.
   • ③IPC athletes
     Procedure: Fill in the designated transfer form sent from the secretariat, and make the payment for the entry fee at a Japan Post Bank or a post office. Then, send the secretariat your record certificate, etc. satisfying the qualification.
     • The designated transfer form cannot be passed onto anyone else.
     • The file format of the record certificate is JPEG or PDF.
   • Record Certificate
     • ①Submit the image data of the record certificate (of the race you specified on the application) through RUNNET “my-page” by the deadline date of each division.
       The record must be the one (net time will be accepted) of an international or a domestic certified race after December 1, 2022.
     • ②Athletes who apply for this race with Hofu Yomiuri Marathon record (53rd ～ 56th) do not need to submit the certificate as the secretariat confirms it.
     • ③Please fill in the accurate name of the race, the date and the record on the Record Entry Column.
     • ④Once the payment of the entry fee is confirmed by the secretariat, the entry is considered completed. The name of athletes who completed the entry will be posted on the website of this race.
     • ⑤If the payment for the entry fee is not completed by the deadline, the application will be canceled. Any payment after the deadline will not be refundable.

Entry Period

As written on the Entry above,

• the entry period varies by the application divisions.
• If the number of applications exceeds the capacity, participants will be determined by lottery.

Award

1. General: men – the 1st to 8th, women – 1st to 3rd,
   • ①The 1st prize winner of the men and women will be presented with a winning trophy, and the best man rookie with Hamamura Cup / Sadanaga Cup.
   • ②The fastest athlete (man and woman) from Yamaguchi Prefecture will be awarded.
   • ③The top three athletes (men) in their forties, fifties, and over sixties will be awarded.
   • ④The excellent runner from overseas will be awarded with International Goodwill Kohtoku Prize.
   • ⑤The invited athletes with the outstanding record will be awarded The Good Fighting Spirit Award.
2. IPC athletes: the first man and woman

Reception

1. Time and Date: 7:30～10:00, Sunday, December 6, 2026.
   • Please register with the QR Code on the Participation Guide using the QR Code scanner at the venue.
   • The Participation Guide, the athlete bib, the timing chip, etc. will be sent to you by two weeks before the race.
2. Venue: DaikyoNishikawa Square Salt Arena Hofu
   • Please check the official tournament website regarding the shuttle buses.

Personal Information

1. The organizers and JAAF recognize the importance of personal information, comply with the laws and regulations to protect the information, and deal with it based on the personal information protection policy of the organizers. Personal information will be used to improve the services to the participating athletes, to send the Participation Guide, a record, necessary information, and the next event guide, to provide medical aid and the services from sponsors, supporters, and other groups, and to announce the record (ranking).
   Organizers, JAAF, and contractors may contact you to confirm the details of your application.
2. Organizers, sponsors, JAAF and the third party granted by them may use the image, pictures, articles of the race, personal records, etc. on pamphlets, posters, products, TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, and/or the Internet for promoting purposes.

Cancellation of the Race

1. The criteria of the race cancellation:
   • ①a governmental agency requests the cancellation of the race
   • ②it was considered difficult to carry out the race due to a natural disaster, etc.

Others

1. Please participate in the race upon checking and agreeing on the guidelines and regulations (tournament regulations, competition regulations, entry regulations, etc.)
2. This road race will observe and be conducted in accordance with the legislation of Japan.
3. Organizers shall hold the publication right of videos, pictures, articles, records, etc. of this race on television, newspapers, magazines, the Internet and so on.

Secretariat

Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Secretariat

7-1 Kotobuki-cho, Hofu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture 747-8501

TEL: 0835-25-2274 / FAX: 0835-25-5578

E-mail: sports@city.hofu.yamaguchi.jp

Tournament Regulations

These tournament regulations are the matters that applicants and runners of the 57th Hofu Yomiuri Marathon shall comply with.

1. This road race will observe and be conducted in accordance with the related legislation of Japan.
2. The organizers will hold the race within the tournament regulations, competition rules, competition regulations, and the entry regulations.
3. The organizers will not bear any responsibilities in the following situations unless done on purpose or with gross negligence:
   1. disease, epidemic or other accidents (first-aid excluded)
   2. lost or damage
   3. delay due to the public transportation or road conditions, etc.
4. The organizers enforce regulations at the competition area to carry out the race safely.
5. Please follow the instructions of the organizers. Those who do not will be canceled to participate or told to withdraw from the race.
6. This race will be held using the JAAF certified course, and World Athletics approved course. No objection using participant’s GPS distance measure will be admitted. Also, when proved not going through the measuring point(s) (including the situation a part or all of the records are not taken), or making a shortcut, the runner may be disqualified.
7. Please note that we are trying our best to obtain the record, however, due to various external or environmental factors, we cannot 100% guarantee to obtain the record.
8. Due to the traffic, security, and operation reasons, the closing time for gates will be set. Athletes who fail to run through a gate with its designated limit time, must stop the race. In addition, when a judge regards a runner being considerably late, he or she can stop the runner from the race even between the gates.
9. The publication and managing right of videos, pictures, articles, records, locations, name, age, address (country, prefecture, city) of participating runners during the race on TV, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, etc. shall belong to the organizers. The organizers may provide these information to the co-sponsors, supervisors, collaborators, supporters, sponsors, and media for record ranking tally purposes, etc., which runners are regarded that they have agreed on.
10. Organizers recognize the importance of personal information, comply with the laws and regulations to protect the information, and deal with it based on the personal information protection policy of the organizers.
11. There will be no health check so please be responsible for your own health conditions when participating. Organizers would provide first aid for accidents during the race but not bear
    any further responsibilities. Please bring your health insurance card in case of emergency. To give the highest priority to human life, a person of the opposite gender may administer
    first aid such as AED and /or chest compression.
12. It is not permitted for athletes to take videos or photos on the course etc. In addition, for the safe and smooth operation of the race, maneuvering and piloting unmanned aircrafts such as drones on and around the course is prohibited. Furthermore, commercial use, including SNS, of videos or photos taken by athletes or the third party without permission of organizers is prohibited.

Privacy Policies

The organizers recognize the importance of personal information, and deal with the information complying with laws and regulations to protect it. They will take necessary measures to protect privacy, and to prevent the information from leaking. When the request to amend or delete the personal information is made by an athlete, the organizers shall promptly take care of it.

1. Personal Information
   The organizers deal with the personal information of athletes (including the applicants) who are to participate in the race.
   1. Personal information before the race Name, nationality, age, birthday, gender, address, telephone number (including the mobile phone), mail address, data from the questionnaire.
   2. Personal information after the race Running record, measured race data

2. Usage of personal information
   The organizers use the personal information to improve the services for, and to provide information to runners.
   The personal information will be used on the following occasions:

   • send the participation guide for the race, and notify the record and its related information
   • grasp the health condition when providing medical care or in a natural disaster
   • send information about the next race
   • send information from the organizers (including projects to be held by the organizers)
   • provide services from the sponsors, supporters and related groups
   • announce the ranking, etc.
   • make the program, the list of records or the website of the race.
   • provide information to various media.
   • as reference materials for interviews
   • send information about paid photo services

3. Providing the personal information to the third party
   The organizers may provide the personal information to contractors, competition officials (JAAF, etc.), and sponsors (paid photo services, etc.) . In these occasions, the organizers will ensure strict protection and management of the personal information.

Competition Regulations

Participation against the competition rules, other legislation, public orders and morals, and following 1 to 12 is not approved. When organizers find any violation, the athlete may not be admitted to the race, and order him or her to stop the race even after the start of the race. No objection to the judgment will be admitted.

1. Wearing outfit or articles that may be deemed dangerous such as hurting or making other runners fall, and/or covering the whole face
2. Outfit making other runners or spectators uncomfortable or considered unsuitable for the sporting event
3. Outfit with the purpose to promote or advertise the political or religious claims
4. Outfit to promote or advertise the individual name, certain area or group without the organizers’ approval
5. Use of the thing or equipment which makes such loud noise that other runners mistake the sound with the start signal, creates confusion and disturbance to the race
6. Action to delay the race such as dancing, performing, or playing instruments around the starting or finishing line, or along the course
7. Asking for donations or autographs
8. Disturbing the public people crossing, or the emergent vehicles passing in a part of the course
9. Not following the instructions of the officials and disturbing the race operation
10. Accompanying an escort runner who is not approved by the organizers (including a guide dog)
11. Changing clothes or relieving yourself at a place not prepared by this road race
12. Other actions, apart from 1 to 11, that are considered unsuitable for the race by the organizers

Entry Regulations

The person who does not comply with all the regulations and the following rules will be rejected or cancelled to participate in the race, or disqualified if he or she has already started the race. There will be no refund. Furthermore, the participation in the future races will not be granted.

1. Double entry from one person is not possible.
2. False declaration of the name (the name to confirm the athlete), birthday, gender, nationality, address, record, etc. will not be approved.
3. Please fill in the accurate information as JAAF registration will be checked for those who are registered.

The secretariat will contact you on the registered e-mail address or the telephone only when there is a problem with the details of the registration. When confirmation cannot be made due to faults of the registered information, etc., he or she cannot run the race as a JAAF registered athlete.

4. The organizers will hold no obligation if the application cannot be made with your terminal, OS, or browser software, and if there is also a delay in applying due to failure of the Internet connection, etc.
5. We will not confirm any failure in e-mail delivery due to the faults in your registered e-mail address.
   The organizers will hold no obligation for any disadvantages caused by failure to receive e-mails from the organizers due to troubles with a terminal (breakdown, etc.), incoming mails or security setting, non-arrival of mails via mass mailing, or the change of your e-mail address, etc.
6. If the payment of the entry fee is not paid by the deadline, the entry application will be automatically cancelled (regarded as abandonment of the right) and you will not be able to participate in the race.
7. Running by anyone who has not applied for the race (substitute runner or transfer of the right) will not be granted. Please make sure to register yourself on the day of the race. Without the runner registration, the participation will not be possible.
8. Changes of the start entrance gate or the start block due to the personal circumstances are not possible
9. In the case of the race itself to be cancelled, whether refund is possible, or its amount will be determined upon deducting the expenses up till the cancellation.
10. Refund, the transfer of the right or favorable treatment, etc. to participate in the future races will not be made for cancellation due to the violation of the regulations or the personal circumstances.