Tokyo, Japan · March

Tokyo Marathon Training Plan

A free marathon plan for the Tokyo Marathon, built around the course and your current fitness. Answer four questions and you will see every week of it. No account, no email, no card.

Distances
Marathon
Course
Flat
Usually held
Each March

The Tokyo Marathon course

The Major with the most demanding entry lottery relative to its field size, run from the Shinjuku government buildings through Asakusa and Ginza to a finish near Tokyo Station. Flat and fast, with a net drop in the early miles and several out-and-back sections that let you see the leaders. Organisation and crowd discipline are exceptional even by Major standards.

Weather on race day

Early March in Tokyo is cold: starts in the 40s, highs in the 50s, and wind through the city canyons is common. It is good racing weather but a cold wait in the start corral.

What to train for

Flat-course goal-pace fitness, plus travel logistics. The course asks nothing unusual, so the real variables are the long flight, the time change, and adapting to unfamiliar food in the days before. Arrive early enough that race morning is not your third day awake at odd hours.

Registration and official details: Tokyo Marathon official site

Tokyo Marathon training questions

How long should I train for the Tokyo Marathon?

Most runners give a marathon sixteen to twenty weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.

Is the Tokyo Marathon course hilly?

Flat. The Major with the most demanding entry lottery relative to its field size, run from the Shinjuku government buildings through Asakusa and Ginza to a finish near Tokyo Station. Flat and fast, with a net drop in the early miles and several out-and-back sections that let you see the leaders. Organisation and crowd discipline are exceptional even by Major standards.

What is the weather usually like at the Tokyo Marathon?

Early March in Tokyo is cold: starts in the 40s, highs in the 50s, and wind through the city canyons is common. It is good racing weather but a cold wait in the start corral.

Do I need an account to get a Tokyo Marathon training plan?

No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.

Other races

All race training plans · Plan for a different race