Kobe Marathon
The Kobe Marathon (神戸マラソン, Kōbe Marason) is an annual marathon sporting event for men and women over the classic distance of 42.195 kilometres which is held in mid November in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.
| Kobe Marathon | |
|---|---|
 Sannomiya start point | |
| Date | November |
| Location | Kobe, Japan |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | Marathon |
| Primary sponsor | Sysmex |
| Established | 2011 |
| Course records | Men: 2:08:46 (2019) Geofrey KusuroWomen: 2:27:39 (2019)  Haruka Yamaguchi |
| Official site | Kobe Marathon |
| Participants | 19,448 (2019) 19,569 (2018) |
Before of race start of first edition 2011, a stone monument was unveiled to commemorate the first ever marathon held in Japan, the Marathon Great Race held in Kobe on March 21, 1909.
History
The race was first held in 2011.
The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with all registrants automatically receiving full refunds.[1]
Course
The race begins in front of Kobe City Hall, passes through Takatori district, and after crossing and turning around in the West side of Akashi Kaikyo Bridge heads for to Komagayashi / Wada Cape area, where the finish line is located near the citizen's square of Port Island.
Winners
Key: Course record
| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (h:m:s) | Women's winner | Time (h:m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2011 | Takuya Nakayama (JPN) |
2:24:13 | Satoko Uetani (JPN) |
2:40:45 |
| 2nd | 2012 | Kensuke Takahashi (JPN) |
2:21:13 | Yui Ouchi (JPN) |
2:39:52 |
| 3rd | 2013 | Hironori Arai (JPN) |
2:17:01 | Chihiro Tanaka (JPN) |
2:36:53 |
| 4th | 2014 |  Harun Malel (KEN) |
2:13:45 | Hiromi Saitô (JPN) |
2:38:24 |
| 5th | 2015 | Tadashi Suzuki (JPN) |
2:18:01 | Yuri Sugiyama (JPN) |
2:42:01 |
| 6th | 2016 | Morris Mwangi (KEN) |
2:22:31 | Jacqueline Kiplimo (KEN) |
2:40:07 |
| 7th | 2017 |  Khalil Lemciyeh (MAR) |
2:12:42 |  Maegan Krifchin (USA) |
2:33:14 |
| 8th | 2018 | Khalil Lemciyeh (MAR) |
2:13:54 | Susan Jerotich (KEN) |
2:31:38 |
| 9th | 2019 | Geofrey Kusuro (UGA) |
2:08:46 | Haruka Yamaguchi (JPN) |
2:27:39 |
| 2020 | cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic[1] | ||||
Multiple wins
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By country
| Country | Total | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 10 | 4 | 6 |
| Kenya | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Morocco | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| United States | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Uganda | 1 | 1 | 0 |
References
- "Notification of Cancellation of Kobe Marathon 2020 and Refund of the entry fee｜News & Media". Archived from the original on 2020-07-20.
