Just one more step

It is a major sports event in which 34,000 runners from Japan and abroad run past Osaka’s famous landmarks and through its historical sites.

The course starts in front of the Osaka Prefectural Office, adjacent to Osaka Castle Park. It then runs through Nakanoshima – a symbol of the so-called city of water; Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street, known as the longest shopping arcade in Japan; and Midosuji, a symbol of the commercial city of Osaka – before finishing at Osaka Castle Park.

For race day public roads in central Osaka are opened to runners, allowing them to run on the main streets of the city which would normally be busy with traffic.

In 2022 the race received World Athletics’ Gold Label and was integrated with the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Japan’s oldest marathon. In doing so it became a world-class marathon combining a highly competitive elite field with a large-scale urban mass participation marathon.

The course has only one significant rise and fall and three turning points, making it easy to run. Runners can aim for personal best times on such a high-speed course. The best thing about this course is that even beginners have a completion rate of over 95%.

The Osaka Marathon is fully supported by over a million spectators and 10,000 volunteers.

This includes support through performances such as dancing, cheerleading, and drumming, and the cheers never stop from the start to the finish. Runners are inspired and encouraged to run through the course by the cheers of “Just one more step!”

There is also a wide variety of meals to sustain the runners. “the Maido-AID,” which is very popular for its Osaka specialties and famous sweets, supports runners with takoyaki and drops (“ame-chan” in the Osaka dialect).

Before the race the Osaka Marathon EXPO will be held at the INTEX Osaka building, where runners can check in and where delicious foods and specialties of Osaka, the “kitchen of the world,” will be offered.

The Bank of Chicago Marathon, which will be held in Osaka’s sister city in October 2024, is an affiliated event of the Osaka Marathon. The Abbot Health & Fitness Expo, which will be held prior to the event, will not only introduce the Osaka Marathon, but will also promote Expo 2025, which will be held in Yumeshima, Osaka from 13 April to 13 October 2025.

Come and enjoy the marathon, cheer on the runners and sightsee in the city of Osaka.