Japanese races cancelled into 2021

The third – the Koga Hanamomo Marathon – usually takes place in mid-March but is now cancelled for the second year in a row because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The 2021 Kyoto Marathon will be held as on online-only marathon. By using a phone app runners can run the online marathon whenever and wherever they like.

The organisers said: “To date 142,347 runners have traversed the streets of Kyoto and smiled at its riches. We hope that the online marathon will motivate you all and serve as a bridge across these troubled coronavirus times to a better day to come.

“We’ll also be holding a running event at the marathon’s start point at Nishi-Kyogoku Sports Park on its original date, 21 February 2021. Details on both it and the online marathon will be published on the race website in early September.”

The Kitakyushu Marathon organisers said: “Founded to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Kitakyushu’s incorporation as a city, after seven successful editions we have been making preparations for the Kitakyushu Marathon’s eighth running in February next year. While moving forward we have come to the conclusion that we cannot guarantee the safety of everyone involved in the event [so] have unfortunately decided to cancel our 2021 race.”