Tokyo Marathon 2027: a 12-week winter build that lands on your Garmin
Race day is Sunday, March 7, 2027, and training starts on Monday, December 14, 2026. In two minutes, Running Workout sets the plan to that date; then your AI assistant sends each week's workouts to your watch, all the way to the start in Shinjuku.
Last updated: October 27, 2026
Tokyo Marathon
Sun, March 7, 2027
118 days
to race day
- Distance
- 26.2 mi
- Edition
- 20th
- Entry
- Lottery
- Time limit
- 7 hours
Plan starts: Mon, December 14 (12 weeks)
Train for March 7Free to start · official Garmin connection
Try it now
Ask your assistant
Once your Garmin is connected, paste one of these into Claude or ChatGPT:
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« Build my 12 weeks of training for the Tokyo Marathon on March 7, 2027, with 4 runs a week. »
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« I'm aiming for 3:15 on Tokyo's flat course: what pace should my marathon-pace blocks be? »
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« Analyze Sunday's long run, done at 36 °F: pace, heart rate and drift over the last miles. »
Free to start · 4 workouts a month sent to your watch
Your training, timed for March 7
The plan lasts 12 weeks, starting on Mon, December 14. With more time, it can start on November 16 with 4 lead-in weeks.
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Weeks 1–3
Base
Dec 14 → Jan 3
Settle volume, wake threshold up
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Weeks 4–7
Development
Jan 4 → Jan 31
Marathon pace comes in, long runs get longer
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Weeks 8–10
Specific
Feb 1 → Feb 21
Long blocks at marathon pace, 2-hour-plus runs
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Weeks 11–12
Taper
Feb 22 → Mar 7
Two weeks to arrive fresh
A flat, wide course
Start in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku, long avenues towards Asakusa and Ginza, finish near Tokyo Station on Gyoko-dori Avenue: the route drops over the first miles, then stays flat. The wide avenues leave room to run your own line.
Early-March temperatures sit around 41 to 54 °F (5 to 12 °C), with a risk of cold wind. Use a cold long run to try your race-day kit, gloves and layers included.
A full winter preparation
Early March: a 16-week plan from mid-November, or 12 weeks from mid-December. The holidays fall mid-preparation, January and February carry the peak load in the cold.
Every week, your connected assistant reads your actual sessions on Garmin and can adjust what comes next. On icy days or slippery roads, ask it to move the interval session or the long run: it reschedules it in your Garmin calendar, from where it reaches your watch.
Pacing and jet lag
Arrive at least three days early: in early March, Tokyo is nine hours ahead of the UK and fourteen ahead of the US East Coast, which is hard to absorb in 48 hours. The plan's race week keeps only two short sharpeners (5 × 1 min, then 2 × 1.25 miles at marathon pace) and a 20-minute shakeout the day before; your assistant can schedule them after you land.
- Mid-November to December: volume, holidays absorbed.
- January–February: marathon-pace blocks, long runs of up to 2.5 hours in the cold.
- Last week: travel, jet-lag days as active rest.
On the course, the classic flat-route instruction: first three kilometres at target pace plus 10 seconds, target pace afterwards, fuel every 20 minutes. Wind in the long avenues is handled at the low end of the pace range.
Frequently asked questions
When is the 2027 Tokyo Marathon?
On Sunday, March 7, 2027, the official date announced by the Tokyo Marathon Foundation. The start is at 9:10 a.m. at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku, with a 7-hour time limit.
How do you get a bib?
Through the very selective lottery, an authorised tour operator, or a charity entry. Registration opens in August of the previous year.
How early should you arrive?
Three days minimum to absorb the jet lag. The plan's race week is light; ask your assistant to schedule its short sessions after you arrive.
Is Running Workout free?
Free to start: Garmin connection, plans, reading your activities and 4 workouts a month sent to your watch. Running Workout Pro (€4.90 a month or €35 a year, no commitment) removes the limit.
Tokyo Marathon
March 7 is 118 days away.
The plan is set to that date; your assistant does the rest, week after week.