Osaka Marathon 2027: a 12-week plan from December 7, every workout on your Garmin

Your training, timed for February 28

The plan lasts 12 weeks, starting on Mon, December 7. With more time, it can start on November 9 with 4 lead-in weeks.

1. Weeks 1–3

   Base

   Dec 7 → Dec 27

   Settle volume, wake threshold up

2. Weeks 4–7

   Development

   Dec 28 → Jan 24

   Marathon pace comes in, long runs get longer

3. Weeks 8–10

   Specific

   Jan 25 → Feb 14

   Long blocks at marathon pace, 2-hour-plus runs

4. Weeks 11–12

   Taper

   Feb 15 → Feb 28

   Two weeks to arrive fresh

A flat course from Osaka Castle to Namba, with one rise near mile 20

The Osaka Marathon course is flat with one exception: a climb of about 15 m (50 ft) between km 31 and 34 (miles 19 to 21), around Uemachi-suji and Shitennō-ji temple. It starts outside the Osaka Prefectural Government Building in Otemae and finishes in Osaka Castle Park; elsewhere, the official profile stays between 0 and 5 m (0 to 16 ft) above sea level almost all the way.

Along the way, the route heads up Tenjinbashi-suji (mile 3), runs down Mido-suji to Namba (mile 6), makes an out-and-back to Ichioka on Minato-dori, passes near Kyocera Dome (mile 12.4), heads south on Naniwa-suji (mile 15.5), then returns via Katsuyama-dori (mile 21.7) and Imazato-suji (mile 24.9). Time limit: 7 hours; the first wave starts at 9:15 a.m. and the finish closes at 4:15 p.m.

Three workouts for a flat course that bites near mile 20

On a flat course, the job is to hold marathon pace for a long time, then get over the rise near mile 20 without losing rhythm. Ask your assistant to build these workouts and send them to your watch; it sets the paces from your MAS (maximal aerobic speed).

• — Marathon-pace blocks: 15 min warm-up, 3 × 3 miles at marathon pace (about 77 to 79% of MAS), 2 min jog recovery, 10 min cool-down.
• — A hill late in the long run: 2 hours easy, the last 30 minutes at marathon pace, with a 3-to-4-minute climb around 1:45, like the one near mile 20.
• — Short hills: 20 min warm-up, 8 × 1 min uphill at 90% of MAS, jog back down to recover, then 10 min easy.

A December-to-February build, holidays included

With the 12-week plan, training starts on Monday, December 7, 2026: Christmas and New Year fall in weeks 3 and 4, then January and February are run in the depths of the northern winter. Osaka is 9 hours ahead of London in February: arriving a few days early leaves time to settle in and collect your bib at the Osaka Marathon Expo, at INTEX Osaka.

Missed a week over the holidays? Your assistant reviews it (sessions done and missed, training load), decides by the plan's rules whether to repeat it or move on, then sends the next week to your watch. It can also move a workout to another day in your Garmin Connect calendar.

Entry and race day

Marathon bibs were allocated by ballot: applications closed on August 28, 2026, and results went out by email on September 28; charity places stayed open until October 19. The organizer lists 31,970 marathon places. Overseas runners enter through JTB Sports Station, and bibs are collected at the Osaka Marathon Expo at INTEX Osaka, according to the official map.

Frequently asked questions