How to get into the Tokyo Marathon
As you probably already know, the Tokyo Marathon is one of the World Marathon Majors. I had the opportunity to run the race in March 2025, and while it happened to be an unusually warm day, it was still a great experience to run through the streets of Tokyo, Japan.
Of all the Majors, I think Tokyo is the one that has the most mystery around how you can actually get an entry. Applying for a charity is a much different process than any other race I’ve done, for example. This post breaks down the different ways you can get into the Tokyo Marathon (if you aren’t a Japanese resident) so you can increase your odds in the coming years to run this race!
RUN as ONE - Global Virtual Run Series
This is a series of 10 virtual half marathons. For each one that you complete, you are entered into a lottery to win an entry into the Tokyo Marathon. You can learn about this option here. There is one event left in the current series and you must register for it by Monday, March 17 (JST).
The nice thing about this option is that you don’t need to run the entire half marathon in one go – you can run multiple runs to add up to a half marathon. You just need to do it in a certain time frame (generally a week). And they only cost about $10 each, so you’re not losing out on too much if you don’t get in.
I did a few of these in the spring of 2024 to try and gain entry into the 2025 marathon. I didn’t get lucky for any of the lotteries, but it was easy to do since I was already running those miles.
There’s also a marathon option they added this year as part of the virtual series. It has passed for the 2026 Tokyo Marathon, but will likely be an option for future ones. You can learn more about that here.
Note that the timelines to enter and complete the challenges are in Japan time, which is 14-17 hours ahead of most places in North America, so take that into account when looking at the dates. Also be sure to read the instructions thoroughly before completing the challenge, so your watch is connected to the correct app and it records properly!
Charity
This is the option that I used to secure my entry for the 2025 race. This option works differently than any of the other Majors, though, which I didn’t realize when I was trying to get a spot for the 2024 Tokyo Marathon!
The charity option is different from other races in a few ways:
You must apply for a charity BEFORE the general lottery. You will also find out if you were accepted before the lottery.
There is a ~2 week window to apply for a charity. If you miss that window, you’re SOL.
You can only bid for ONE charity. There is a minimum amount you must bid for any of the charities, but you must pick only one from a list. The list tells you what is prioritized for each charity – how much you bid, the essay, or something else.
If you aren’t accepted to that charity, you can try another option, but you won’t get a charity bib for that year.
You must pay the amount you bid within a few weeks or you forfeit your spot. There isn’t a charity page given to you like other races. You just pay the money and then you get a link to register for the race soon after.
I ran with Madre Bonita for 2025. They’re a wonderful charity who supports postpartum women, and I heard about them from one of my athletes who ran with them in 2024. While not a mother myself, I coach a good number of mother runners and in general, I think postpartum care is something that is not prioritized enough.
I bid around 130,000 yen (~$850 USD equivalent) and was given a spot, however, I have many friends who bid a good deal more than me for other charities and did not get a spot. I also know people who did a charity in prior years and bid the same amount for 2025 and didn’t get in that way. So my guess is that the amount you need to bid for most charities will continue to increase because the demand is higher.
If you are accepted into a charity, you have a specified amount of time (about 2 weeks) to pay the amount you bid. So it’s not like other races, where you set up a fundraising page and ask people to support you. You just pay it. You can set up a GoFundMe or something similar after the fact to collect the money, so you’re not just paying it out of pocket, and I know people who did this. I chose not to, and I’ll just take the tax write-off. But this is something to consider if you’re applying for charity – you will need to fork up the money soon after being accepted.
Post-race at the Madre Bonita booth
Time qualifier [Semi-Elite]
Tokyo has the hardest time qualifier of any of the Majors. You can see more information here for 2025, but essentially you needed to have run a 2:28 for men or a 3:09 for women in the last two years to even apply. And from there, only 25 for each category are accepted (there isn’t a separate non-binary category).
Because it was posted in a Facebook group I was in, I know that a 2:51 was rejected and a 2:47 was accepted in 2025 for females. So you essentially need to run at least 20 minutes faster, at least on the female side, to get a spot this way. And I’m sure it will continue to get faster as the years go on.
One Tokyo Global
Membership for this is 30,000 JPY (about $200 USD) and opens for registration during a specific period of time. Your membership gives you the virtual run series (that is mentioned above) for free, as well as entry into another lottery for the marathon that comes before the general lottery. You need to make sure you actually enter the lottery, though. Your membership doesn’t just automatically enter you into the lottery; you still need to press the buttons to enter. I also believe you get access to a special finisher jacket if you’re part of One Tokyo Global, but don’t quote me on that.
In my opinion, this isn’t worth it unless you plan on going for the 2027 Tokyo Marathon or beyond. But you can spend your money however you choose, so if $200 is worth it to enter another lottery, go for it!
More information on this option can be found here.
General Lottery
This is the one most like the other Majors. You enter into the lottery and wait to see if you get in. There’s about a two week window to apply to the general lottery.
**The timeline + dates for the 2026 Tokyo Marathon can be found here.
There are also a few other options outside of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation to gain entry:
Abbott World Majors Lottery
If you already have 4 or more stars, and you’re signed up in the Abbott portal, you’ll be emailed by Abbott to enter your name into this lottery for Tokyo. There are also virtual half marathon challenges to earn extra entries. Note that these virtual half marathons are different from the first one I mentioned above.
This is a way to get into any of the Majors, although the number of stars you need is different for each race. The dates of the drawings and more information about this option can be found here.
International Marathon Tours
There are a few different marathon tour groups that have packages available for Tokyo. Entries do sell out quickly for this race, so if this is the route you want to take, I recommend reaching out now or getting on their email lists so you know when registration opens. Below are a few to check out. There may be others, but these are the more well-known ones.
Brand Connections
The final way you can gain entry into the Tokyo Marathon (that I know of) if you don’t live in Japan is with a connection or partnership to a brand. There are many partners, just like any big race, with Asics being the big running brand partnership. So if you have a large following on social media or know someone who works for a partnering brand, this is another option!
Let me know if you have any questions and good luck gaining entry!!
