The Fukuoka International Marathon, which has become a representative selection race for the Olympic Games and World Championships in the men's marathon, will end the December tournament at the end.
This was revealed by an official of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations.
The Fukuoka International Marathon was the predecessor of the Asahi Marathon, which started in 1947, and has been held under the name of the Fukuoka International Marathon since 1974.
It is one of the representative selection competitions for the men's marathon of the Olympics and world championships, and since 1991 it has been changed to a course that runs in urban areas with few ups and downs, and it has become a "high-speed race" and has sent out a large number of representative athletes.
On the other hand, the men's marathon is exposed to headwinds such as the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, which has the longest history in Japan, being integrated into the Osaka Marathon at the end of this event. This means that the 75th tournament scheduled for December will be the last to end.
It is believed that the reason is that the burden on the tournament sponsors is heavy.
The Japan Association of Athletics Federations will announce the end of the tournament soon.
What is Fukuoka International Marathon?
The Fukuoka International Marathon began in 1947 in Kumamoto with the Asahi Marathon, and was initially held in Fukuoka, Kagawa, Shizuoka, Yamaguchi, and other parts of Japan.
Held in Fukuoka after 1959, it became the name of the current "Fukuoka International Marathon" in 1974.
It has been set as one of the representative selection competitions for men's marathons in the Olympics and world championships, and has sent out a large number of representative athletes.
In the 1979 tournament, Toshihiko Seko, who won the championship for the first time in the previous year, won the championship in a row and was appointed as the representative of the Moscow Olympics with the brothers of Shigeru So and Takeshi So in 3rd place. I didn't participate.
In addition to this, Mr. Seko played many famous games in this tournament, and in particular, in the 37th tournament in 1983, it was a fierce race that involved Juma Ikangaa of Tanzania until the final track match, and at the last 100 meters. I brilliantly overtook and won the championship.
This figure symbolizes the winning pattern of Seko at that time and is engraved in the memory of many track and field fans.
In addition, famous runners such as Takeyuki Nakayama and Akio Usami who livened up the men's marathon world ran through.
From 1991, the course was changed to a course that runs in urban areas with few ups and downs, and it became a faster race and was selected as a World Athletics Heritage by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations last year in recognition of its history and achievements.