A new marathon race run on the same course as the historic Fukuoka International Marathon, which ended after its 75th edition in December, will be held in the southwestern Japanese city later this year, the Japan Association of Athletics Federations said Monday.
The race scheduled for Dec. 4 is set to feature around 100 elite runners, the JAAF said.
The Fukuoka International Marathon was first held in 1947 in nearby Kumamoto Prefecture before moving to Fukuoka in 1959.
Serving as a qualifying event for the Olympics and world championships until the introduction of Japan's Marathon Grand Championship in 2019, it received a World Athletics heritage award in October 2020 as one of the world's six oldest races.
Even though it produced world records and a number of memorable races, its popularity and revenue waned over the years.
But strong local support persuaded the JAAF, the Fukuoka prefectural government and local athletics federations to seek ways to stage a new event in a different operating system.
"I'm really happy we can host a new race in a new shape while inheriting the history and tradition (of the old one)," said JAAF President Mitsugi Ogata.
Organizers hope the new race will be part of the Japan Marathon Championship Series, which determines who takes part in the Marathon Grand Championship in the fall of 2023 — the qualifying race for the 2024 Paris Olympics.