© Copyright – 2020 – Athletics Illustrated
A marathon course has been designed, measured, and is now approved for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games (2021). The races will take place in the city of Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido, so to avoid the heat of Tokyo in July.
A test event will take place on May 5. The course includes the city’s iconic Odori Park in the city centre.
Due to the extreme heat during the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships, the organisers decided a month later to avoid the same fate with Tokyo. They moved the marathon and racewalking events to Sapporo 800K north. It was a controversial decision at the time.
The island is home to the popular Hokkaido Marathon, which is run on a different route.
The marathon will be a more spectator-friendly three lap race. The first lap will be longer than the second and third laps.
