Karuizawa Marathon

The Karuizawa Half Marathon is a scenic spring road race held in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, one of Japan’s best-known mountain resort towns. Set in the cool, green atmosphere of early summer, the race offers runners a refreshing contrast to big-city events, with a course that starts and finishes at the Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort parking area, only about an 8-minute walk from Karuizawa Station’s south exit.

The event is organized by Karuizawa Town, the Karuizawa Tourism Association, the Wakaba Festival Executive Committee, and Shinano Mainichi Shimbun, with the Saku Athletics Association listed as the supervising body.

For runners, the Karuizawa Half Marathon offers a classic Japanese resort-race experience: efficient race operations, a compact event village, a scenic course through one of Nagano’s most elegant retreat towns, and a comfortable spring climate. The event includes a Half Marathon and a Family Pair 2.1K, making it suitable both for serious runners and families looking for a shorter community-oriented race.