The is an annual

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ru ...

competition held in May in

Gifu is a Cities of Japan, city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. Durin ...

, Japan. First held in 2011, the race is also called the , named after

Naoko Takahashi is a retired Japanese long-distance runner and Olympic gold medal-winning marathoner. She won the gold medal in the marathon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and at the 2001 Berlin Marathon she became the first woman to complete a marathon in un ...

, the retired local runner who won the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

at the

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

and broke the

marathon world record World records in the marathon are ratified by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of athletics. The late Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptum set a men's world record time of 2:00:35 on October 8, 2023, at the 2023 Chicag ...

in 2001, becoming the first woman to complete the distance in under two hours and twenty minutes. The first edition featured top level and popular sections for the half marathon as well as a shorter 3-kilometre

fun run A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors prov ...

. All the funds raised during the event went towards the reconstruction effort following the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...

. Some 9000 people took part in the inaugural event including elite Kenyan runners

Martin Mathathi Martin Irungu Mathathi (born 25 December 1985 in Nyahururu) is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who competes in track, cross country and road running events. Mathathi won the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2007 World Championships in Osa ...

and

Catherine Ndereba Catherine Nyambura Ndereba (born 21 July 1972) is a retired Kenyan marathon runner. Between 2003 and 2008, she finished in the top two in five successive global championship marathons. Ndereba has twice won the marathon at the World Championshi ...

. The 2012 edition of the race attracted greater numbers of elite runners, both international and Japanese. Mathathi won for a second time while South Africa's

René Kalmer René Kalmer (born 3 November 1980 in Roodepoort, Gauteng) is a South African runner who has competed over distances ranging from 800 metres to the marathon. She represented South Africa at the 2008 Summer Olympics, running in the 1500 metres. S ...

won the women's race. In 2013 the race gained IAAF Bronze Label status and attracted six-time World Half Marathon champion

Zersenay Tadese Zersenay Tadese Habtesilase ( Tigrinya: ዘርእሰናይ ታደሰ; born 8 February 1982) is an Eritrean former long-distance track and road running athlete. He held the men's half marathon world record from 2010 to 2018. His bronze medal i ...

, who set a course record of 60:31 minutes to dethrone Mathathi.

Mestawet Tufa Mestawet Tufa (Amharic: መስታወት ቱፋ; born 14 September 1983 in Arsi) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She was the winner of the women's 10,000 metres at the 2007 All-Africa Games and the runner up in the senior women's race at the ...

knocked three minutes of the women's course record with her run of 70:03 minutes. In 2015

Eunice Kirwa Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa (born 20 May 1984) is a Kenyan-born Bahraini long-distance runner who specialises in marathon running. Having switched countries in 2013, she is the Bahraini record holder with 2:21:17 hours for the distance, set in 2017 a ...

improved the women's course record to 69:37 minutes. The course for the competition starts and finishes at the

Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at the Gifu Memorial Center in Gifu, Japan. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It is the host of FC Gifu Football Club Gifu (フットボールクラブ岐阜, ''Futtobōrukurabu Gifu''), abbreviat ...

. It has a single-looped format and mainly follows the

Nagara River The has its source in the city of Gujō, Gifu Prefecture, and its mouth in the city of Kuwana, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Along with the Kiso River and Ibi River, the Nagara River is one of the Kiso Three Rivers of the Nōbi Plain. Previously, t ...

in the north and central parts of the city. The first section of the race heads south for 4 km, passing through the

Yanagase is a downtown covered shopping arcade that serves as the main shopping area in the city of Gifu in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. History Yanagase first gained nationwide fame when Kenichi Mikawa released ''Yanagase Blues'' in 1966.Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

beside

Gifu Station is a railway station in the heart of the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). Lines Gifu Station is served by the JR Central Tōkaidō Main Line, and is located 396.3 kilometers from the ...

. The course then returns north and, upon reaching the river, takes a 6 km-long route going east alongside the river, passing Mount Kinka and

Gifu Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Along with Mount Kinka and the Nagara River, it is one of the main symbols of the city. The castle is also known as . It was designated a National Historic Site in 2011. ...

. The course then crosses Tidori Bridge into the Nagara-Furutsu district and heads back west before finally ending up at the stadium. The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Past winners

Key:

References

External links

Official website in EnglishOfficial website
{{coord, 35.4414, N, 136.7656, E, source:wikidata, display=title __NOTOC__ Half marathons Road running competitions in Japan Recurring sporting events established in 2011 Sport in Gifu Prefecture Annual sporting events in Japan 2011 establishments in Japan

Past winners

See also

References

External links