RIP Fukuoka: 2021 Fukuoka Marathon (The 75th) Will Be Last One Ever

Wow.

LetsRun can sponsor it. How often do you get to take over a well-established world class race?

The 2022 Fukuoka Marathon presented by LetsRun.com . Traffic to the website would skyrocket, every shirt would have "LetsRun.com" and people would go to the site just to see what it is.

sad

Fukuoka isn't 14 laps in a park somewhere. The future is here.

I remember back in the day when the running Triple Crown was to win Boston, Fukuoka and Olympic marathons. Did anyone ever do it? It's been sad to watch it fade into obscurity over the years.

Definitely not. The only Olympic Champion to ever win Boston was Gelindo Bordin, who won gold in Seoul in '88 and won Boston in '90.

Several have won two of the three, like Bill Rodgers (Boston & Fukuoka), Gezahegne Abera (Olympics and Fukuoka), and Toshihiko Seko (Boston & Fukuoka).

Dang - this was a bucket list race that I finally got fast enough to run in and won't be able to. This is sad news.

harlem river blues wrote:

Dang - this was a bucket list race that I finally got fast enough to run in and won't be able to. This is sad news.

I had the same goal and it was finally becoming more realistic. Bummer.

Shorter won Fukuoka and the Olympics.

ilonggo wrote:

I remember back in the day when the running Triple Crown was to win Boston, Fukuoka and Olympic marathons. Did anyone ever do it? It's been sad to watch it fade into obscurity over the years.

The Triple Crown was actually Boston, New York and Fukuoka. Bill Rodgers won all three in succession (with an added NYC to make it four races) but not in the same calendar year (NYC 77, Fukuoka 77, Boston 78, NYC 78).

ilonggo wrote:

I remember back in the day when the running Triple Crown was to win Boston, Fukuoka and Olympic marathons. Did anyone ever do it? It's been sad to watch it fade into obscurity over the years.

I remember when the Triple Crown was to win Boston, NYC, and Fukuoka in the same year. Rodgers came close, winning Fukuoka in 1977, Boston in 1978, and NYC in 1978, making him the only runner to hold all three titles at the same time. (His loss at Fukuoka in 1978 controversially deprived him of the #1 marathon ranking in T&F that year, which was perhaps the best competitive year of his road-racing career.)

As I recall, Fukuoka began to use pacers at some point, presumably to make the top times more competitive (and therefore more attractive to many top time-trialists) with those at some of the top time-trial courses, and it lost considerable luster in my eyes at that point. But for many years before that, Fukuoka was the top dog, with only the Olympic marathon as its competition once every four years, and Boston as a bit of an American side-show that featured a downhill course, frequently advantageous tailwinds, rather unpredictable weather, and uneven fields of international-caliber runners who were unable or unwilling to foot the bill to fly to Boston.

Avocado's Number wrote:

uneven fields of international-caliber runners who were unable or unwilling to foot the bill to fly to Boston.

That is, uneven fields of international-caliber runners, many of whom were unable or unwilling to foot the bill to fly to Boston.

Used to be 1 of the Big 3 Yearly Marathons, Boston, New York and Fukuoka. Only the once every 4 years Olympic Marathon was bigger than this.

Thanks mods for modifing the post title. As soon as I pressed <enter> I realized the mistake.

And thus... another call for the ability of the poster to edit.

Wtf. Isn't this like the most competitive marathon in Japan after the Tokyo marathon? Considering how big the marathon is in Japan, I would think this one would be able to survive somehow. Maybe even they need loads of hobby joggers to financially sustain the marathon.

I would if this is a bluff to drum up some sponsors and get an injection of cash to keep it going.

sub sub elite local hobby jogger wrote:

Wtf. Isn't this like the most competitive marathon in Japan after the Tokyo marathon? Considering how big the marathon is in Japan, I would think this one would be able to survive somehow. Maybe even they need loads of hobby joggers to financially sustain the marathon.

I would if this is a bluff to drum up some sponsors and get an injection of cash to keep it going.

Fukuoka wasn't picked as one of the so-called "majors" (which, of course, has very little to do with the quality of the race), it hasn't produced the ungodly fast times that other races have produced (presumably because it wasn't designed as a time-trial course), and it doesn't have thirty thousand participants (sometimes referred to, without irony, as "runners"). So who really cares about it? Local spectators and the few individuals around the world who recognize it as perhaps the greatest yearly marathon in history. I guess that's not enough, especially if it stops getting its turn as a national championship or Olympic team selector. Even the fancy new shoes probably won't be able to keep it competitive with Lake Biwa. But I don't know. To me, it's just another sad development in an increasingly sucky sport.

I'm with you 100%.

HRE wrote:

Avocado's Number wrote:

Fukuoka wasn't picked as one of the so-called "majors" (which, of course, has very little to do with the quality of the race), it hasn't produced the ungodly fast times that other races have produced (presumably because it wasn't designed as a time-trial course), and it doesn't have thirty thousand participants (sometimes referred to, without irony, as "runners"). So who really cares about it? Local spectators and the few individuals around the world who recognize it as perhaps the greatest yearly marathon in history. I guess that's not enough, especially if it stops getting its turn as a national championship or Olympic team selector. Even the fancy new shoes probably won't be able to keep it competitive with Lake Biwa. But I don't know. To me, it's just another sad development in an increasingly sucky sport.

I'm with you 100%.

Looking through the list of Fukuoka winners, it is crazy how many former world record holders, Olympic Champs, Boston champs, and NYC champs have won the race.

Also, isn't Lake Biwa done too?

Here are the past winners. Quite an impressive list. This is very sad news. The OP's news story doesn't say why it's being discontinued.

Ed. Date Winner Country Time Notes Rf.

74 2020.12.06 Yūya Yoshida Japan 2:07:05

73 2019.12.01 El Mahjoub Dazza Morocco 2:07:10

72 2018.12.02 Yuma Hattori Japan 2:07:27

71 2017.12.03 Sondre Nordstad Moen Norway 2:05:48

70 2016.12.04 Yemane Tsegay Ethiopia 2:08:48

69 2015.12.06 Patrick Makau Kenya 2:08:18

68 2014.12.07 Patrick Makau Kenya 2:08:22

67 2013.12.01 Martin Mathathi Kenya 2:07:16

66 2012.12.02 Joseph Gitau Kenya 2:06:58

65 2011.12.04 Josephat Ndambiri Kenya 2:07:36 [11]

64 2010.12.05 Jaouad Gharib Morocco 2:08:24

63 2009.12.06 Tsegaye Kebede Ethiopia 2:05:18

62 2008.12.07 Tsegaye Kebede Ethiopia 2:06:10

61 2007.12.02 Samuel Wanjiru Kenya 2:06:39

60 2006.12.03 Haile Gebrselassie Ethiopia 2:06:52

59 2005.12.04 Dmytro Baranovskyy Ukraine 2:08:29

58 2004.12.05 Tsuyoshi Ogata Japan 2:09:10

57 2003.12.07 Tomoaki Kunichika Japan 2:07:52

56 2002.12.01 Gezahegne Abera Ethiopia 2:09:13

55 2001.12.02 Gezahegne Abera Ethiopia 2:09:25

54 2000.12.03 Atsushi Fujita Japan 2:06:51 NR

53 1999.12.05 Gezahegne Abera Ethiopia 2:07:54

52 1998.12.06 Jackson Kabiga Kenya 2:08:42

51 1997.12.07 Josia Thugwane South Africa 2:07:28

50 1996.12.01 Lee Bong-ju South Korea 2:10:48

49 1995.12.03 Luíz Antônio Brazil 2:09:30

48 1994.12.04 Boay Akonay Tanzania 2:09:45

47 1993.12.05 Dionicio Cerón Mexico 2:08:51

46 1992.12.06 Tena Negere Ethiopia 2:09:04

45 1991.12.01 Shuichi Morita Japan 2:10:58 Current course layout introduced

44 1990.12.02 Belayneh Dinsamo Ethiopia 2:11:35

43 1989.12.03 Manuel Matias Portugal 2:12:54

42 1988.12.04 Toshihiro Shibutani Japan 2:11:04

41 1987.12.06 Takeyuki Nakayama Japan 2:08:18

40 1986.12.07 Juma Ikangaa Tanzania 2:10:06

39 1985.12.01 Hisatoshi Shintaku Japan 2:09:51 Course layout changed

38 1984.12.02 Takeyuki Nakayama Japan 2:10:00

37 1983.12.04 Toshihiko Seko Japan 2:08:52

36 1982.12.05 Paul Ballinger New Zealand 2:10:15

35 1981.12.06 Robert de Castella Australia 2:08:18 WR

34 1980.12.07 Toshihiko Seko Japan 2:09:45

33 1979.12.02 Toshihiko Seko Japan 2:10:35

32 1978.12.03 Toshihiko Seko Japan 2:10:21

31 1977.12.04 Bill Rodgers United States 2:10:56

30 1976.12.05 Jerome Drayton Canada 2:12:35

29 1975.12.07 Jerome Drayton Canada 2:10:09

28 1974.12.08 Frank Shorter United States 2:11:32

27 1973.12.02 Frank Shorter United States 2:11:45

26 1972.12.03 Frank Shorter United States 2:10:30

25 1971.12.05 Frank Shorter United States 2:12:51

24 1970.12.06 Akio Usami Japan 2:10:38

23 1969.12.07 Jerome Drayton Canada 2:11:13

22 1968.12.08 Bill Adcocks England 2:10:48

21 1967.12.03 Derek Clayton Australia 2:09:37 WR

20 1966.11.27 Mike Ryan New Zealand 2:14:05

19 1965.10.10 Hidekuni Hiroshima Japan 2:18:36

18 1964.12.06 Toru Terasawa Japan 2:14:49

17 1963.10.15 Jeff Julian New Zealand 2:18:01 Held in Tokyo

16 1962.12.02 Toru Terasawa Japan 2:16:19

15 1961.12.03 Pavel Kantorek Czech Republic 2:22:05

14 1960.12.04 Barry Magee New Zealand 2:19:04

13 1959.11.08 Kurao Hiroshima Japan 2:29:34 Fukuoka becomes permanent host

12 1958.12.07 Nobuyoshi Sadanaga Japan 2:24:01 Held in Utsunomiya

11 1957.12.01 Kurao Hiroshima Japan 2:21:40 Held in Fukuoka City

10 1956.12.09 Keizo Yamada Japan 2:25:15 Held in Nagoya [4]

9 1955.12.11 Veikko Karvonen Finland 2:23:16 Held in Fukuoka/Koga [4][12]

8 1954.12.05 Reinaldo Gorno Argentina 2:24:55 Held in Kamakura/Yokohama [4][13]

7 1953.12.06 Hideo Hamamura Japan 2:27:26 Held in Nagoya [4]

6 1952.12.07 Katsuo Nishida Japan 2:27:59 Held in Ube [4]

5 1951.12.09 Hiromi Haigo Japan 2:30:13 Held in Fukuoka/Maebaru [4][14]

4 1950.12.10 Shunji Koyanagi Japan 2:30:47 Held in Hiroshima [4]

3 1949.12.04 Shinzo Koga Japan 2:40:26 Held in Shizuoka [4]

2 1948.12.05 Saburo Yamada Japan 2:37:25 Held in Takamatsu [4]

1 1947.12.07 Toshikazu Wada Japan 2:45:45 Held in Kumamoto [4]