北海道マラソン

2008Hokkaido Marathon
August 31(Sun.)

The Hokkaido Marathon

The Hokkaido Marathon, Japan’s only mid-summer race, was first held in 1987 in Sapporo, the capital city of the northernmost island of Hokkaido. Sapporo, where 1.8 million people live, hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1972. More than 5,000 athletes run in the race, through downtown Sapporo, overlooking beautiful sightseeing spots, and cheered on by many spectators. The Hokkaido Marathon served as an important event to select Japanese athletes for the Olympic Games hosted by Barcelona in 1992 and by Atlanta in 1996. It is expected to draw a large number of world-class runners from Japan and overseas.

Host Organizations

Organizing Committee for the 2008 Hokkaido Marathon

Hokkaido Amateur Athletic Association
The Hokkaido Shimbun Press
Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting Co. Ltd. (UHB TV)
FM Hokkaido Broadcasting Co., Ltd. (AIR-G’)
Doshin Sports Press
Hokkaido Government
Hokkaido Board of Education
Sapporo City
Hokkaido Amateur Sports Association
Hokkaido Association of Cities, Towns and Villages
Hokkaido Association of Towns and Villages
Federation of Hokkaido chamber of commerce and Industry
Sapporo Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Hokkaido Tourism Organization
Sapporo Tourist Association

Superintendent

Sapporo Amateur Athletic Association

Supporting Organization

Japan Association of Athletics Federations

Official Sponsor

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

Official Supplier

ASICS Corporation

Time and Date

12:10 p.m., August 31, 2008 (Sun.)

Division/Course

【Division for Athletics Federations Registrants】
Makomanai sekisuihaim Stadium - Nakajima Park (Sapporo)
* Course sanctioned by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations

【Division for Ordinary Runners (Athletics Federations non-registrants)】
Road in Makomanai Park - Nakajima Park
* Since the course does not meet the sanctioning requirements, records will not be officially recognized

Number of runners:

5,700

Entry Fee

\7,000 (including tax, accident insurance and a charitable donation to children who have been orphaned as the result of traffic accidents)
* Entry fee will not be returned for any reason.
Farewell party: \2,000/person

Regulations

In accordance with the 2008 Regulations of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations and the Hokkaido Marathon

Eligibility

Division for Athletics Federations Registrants
- Men and women runners registered at the Association of Athletics Federations as of FY 2008, and aged 19 and older as of August 31, 2008.
  Runners are required to meet one of the time requirements specified in the following table in past races between January 1, 2006 and the entry deadline. (For 10-km/10,000-m races, times at certified races alone will be accepted.)
  The registrants' time requirements refer to gross time (the time elapsed between the starter's signal, i.e. signal gun, and the moment at which an athlete reaches the finish line).
Division for Ordinary Runners (Athletics Federations non-registrants)
- Men and women runners unregistered at the Association of Athletics Federations as of FY 2008, and aged 19 and older as of August 31, 2008.
  Runners are required to meet one of the time requirements specified in the following table in past races between January 1, 2006 and the entry deadline.
  Net time (the time elapsed between an athlete passing the start line and the moment at which he/she reaches the finish line) is also accepted for ordinary runners' time requirements. You do not have to send a Certificate of Record.

	Marathon	30 km	Half Marathon	20 km / 20,000m	10 km/10,000 m Division for Athletics Federations Registrants only
Men	under 4:00:00	under 2:50:00	under 1:50:00	under 1:44:00	under 0:31:00
Women	under 4:00:00	under 2:50:00	under 2:00:00	under 1:53:00	under 0:38:00

* Domestic and overseas runners to be invited are recommended by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations and the Host Organizations
* Escort runners for runners with visual disabilities must register according to their eligibility and inform the 2008 Hokkaido Marathon Secretariat of their entry as an escort runner.

The Race

Bib numbers
Bib numbers will be allotted according to the record times submitted to the Secretariat for men, women, Athletics Federations registrants and ordinary runners (Athletics Federations non-registrants) in the order of marathon, 30 km, half-marathon, 20 km/ and 20,000 m and, 10 km/ and 10,000 m..
Starting lining-up
For both Athletics Federations registrants and ordinary runners (Athletics Federations non-registrants), athletes will be lined up in the order of the record times irrespective of gender (invited runners shall line up in the front line). Those who are late for the designated assembly time will line up at the end of the line.
Start method
To maintain a running environment suitable for runners by mitigating congestion and preventing accidents, Athletics Federations registrants and ordinary runners (Athletics Federations non-registrants) will start separately.
Division for Athletics Federations Registrants
Starting in the Makomanai sekisuihaim Stadium

Division for Ordinary Runners (Athletics Federations non-registrants)
Starting at a road in Makomanai Park - Taking Gorin-dori (Olympic Road) (1.6-km point)

Checkpoints will be closed for all runners after a fixed time period (as below) has elapsed. As traffic control will be lifted thereafter, athletes who are behind the closing time of each checkpoint cannot continue the race.

Checkpoint Start	5km	10km	15km	20km	25km	30km	35km	40km
Closing time After start	32 min.	1 hr. 00 min.	1 hr. 28 min.	1 hr. 56 min.	2 hr. 24 min.	2 hr. 52 min.	3 hr. 20 min.	3 hr. 48 min.

* Checkpoints at 31.6 km and 33.7 km will be closed for the safety of the runners and for the lifting of traffic control at 3 hr. 00 min. and 3 hr. 12 min., respectively.
* The distance will be put up every kilometer throughout the course. In addition, the remaining distance will also be displayed every kilometer after "5 km to go."

Those athletes considered to be behind the closing time of a checkpoint may be called to discontinue the race by the officials in charge.
Participants arriving at the checkpoint after it has closed or called to discontinue the race should remove their numbers and board the accommodation bus at the accommodation checkpoint or board the rearmost accommodation vehicle.
In the event of an emergency, such as an accident or a fire, during the marathon, the courses may be yielded to emergency vehicles. In such cases, participants are requested to follow the instructions of the police, fire fighters and race officials.

Entry Period

May 7 (Wed.) to 27 (Tue.), 2008
* The entry will be closed once the limit of 5,700 is reached even if it is before the entry deadline.

Entry method and Inquiries

Kinki Nippon Tourist will serve as an intermediary to help overseas competitors register at the Hokkaido Marathon and handle their inquiries.
Please access the following URL and fill out the necessary details on the online entry form before submitting it via the Web page.
Payment may be made by credit card only
http://www.knt.co.jp/ec/2008/hokkaidomarathon/ (Establishment on May 7)

Approval for participation

A certificate of participation approval will be mailed to runners whose participation is authorized by mid-July (scheduled).

Participation Prize

An original T-shirt will be presented to all participants.
(To be given when bib number are distributed.)

Awarding

【Division for Athletics Federations Registrants】
For men's and women's races, the first to eighth placed competitors will be awarded. For men's and women's races, the rookie award will be presented to new runners who achieved excellent results (applicable to runners 25 years old or younger who have participated in a maximum of three full marathons, including this one).
【Division for Ordinary Runners (Athletics Federations non-registrants)】
For men's and women's races, the first to sixth placed competitors will be awarded.

Schedule

Registration: August 30 (Sat.) 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 pm.
Issuance of bib numbers: Sapporo Park Hotel B2F Park PLAZA
Registration and issuance of bib numbers will only be conducted on August 30 (Saturday).
Opening Ceremony: August 30 (Sat.) 5:00 p.m.
Sapporo Park Hotel 3F Park Hall
Commendation ceremony: August 31 (Sun) 5:30 p.m.
Sapporo Park Hotel 3F Park Hall
Farewell Party: August 31 (Sun.) 6:00 p.m.
Sapporo Park Hotel B2F Park PLAZA
* Fee applies and advanced application required
* Prior application is required. Only athletes who participated in the marathon can be present.
Please note that children, families and supporters cannot attend.

Climate (August 31 of the past two years)

Year	Time	weather	Temp (℃)	Humidity (%)	Wind direction	Wind velocity (m)	Ave. temp (℃)	Best temp (℃)	Min. temp (℃)
2006	12:00	Fine/ cloudy	20.0	63	Northwest	8.2	21.3	23.2	20.0
	13:00		22.1	64	Northwest	8.4
	14:00		22.7	63	Northwest	8.5
	15:00		22.9	60	Northwest	8.2
	16:00		21.6	66	Northwest	8.3
2007	12:00	Cloudy/ fine	22.8	56	Southeast	3.9	20.4	24.4	16.8
	13:00		22.9	57	South-Southeast	5.3
	14:00		23.9	38	South-Southeast	5.4
	15:00		23.3	43	South-Southeast	4.2
	16:00		23.9	43	South-Southeast	3.8

Other

In the case of accidents during the race, the Organizer will assume responsibility for providing first-aid treatment, but expenses and responsibility for other treatment will be borne by athletes themselves.
Doping tests will be conducted on athletes randomly selected from all participants in conformity with Article 55 of the IAAF Charter.
A certificate of record will be mailed at a later date to Athletics Federations registrants who have completed the race and who wish to obtain one. A certificate of completion will be issued to all athletes who have completed the race.
Requests for special drinks will be accepted only for invited runners.
Those in need of accommodation and/or transportation arrangements will be contactedby the official travel agency below.
If athletes wear inappropriate outfits, they may be instructed to stop running the race.

2008Hokkaido Marathon August 31(Sun.)