Nagoya Women's Marathon: World's Largest Women-Only Race Earns Global Acclaim

By: WE Staff | Saturday, 9 August 2025

• The Nagoya Women's Marathon is held every year on the second Sunday of March in Nagoya, Japan
• It is the biggest women's marathon globally and is Guinness World Records-certified
• 20,000 women runners out of which 3,500 are foreign athletes will compete this year

The Nagoya Women's Marathon is held annually, on the second Sunday of March, in Nagoya Japan. It is the world's largest women-only marathon, according to Guinness World Records, and is also a World Athletics Platinum Label event.

The Nagoya Women's Marathon has gained a good reputed international status as a high-quality and organized event. By 2026, there will be 20,000 women runners accepted, along with 3,500 international runners, to all come together on one platform, to honor and empower women through their experience of finishing 42.195 km.

Among the event's highlight attractions is the finisher's awarding—an especially handmade Baccarat crystal tumbler, a French luxury company that has been in operation for more than 260 years. Brought into the scene in 2025, this special award has become emblematic, with the 2026 model to be launched during the Marathon Expo, to be held a day prior to the run.

What was initially an individual challenge of wills has turned out to be an experience that inspires and unites. In the Nagoya Women's Marathon, the intensity of shared community and unity whereby thousands of stories of runners empowering one another to the finish line exists. It is the experience itself that embodies the excitement for runners.

The marathon also provides a secure, accessible, and pleasant experience for all runners, with excellent medical facilities, an excellent number of clean toilets, roomy changing rooms, a lenient seven-hour cut-off, and a flat route—particularly welcoming to beginners.

Coming up this spring, female runners from all over the world are invited to this exciting challenge in Nagoya.