Event Concept

The Kobe Marathon is, of course, about running for oneself. But more than just that, it seeks to be about running for people.

At the core of this concept is a desire to make the Kobe Marathon into an event for expressing gratitude to the people and regions, local and overseas, who reached out to Hyogo and Kobe right from the recovery from the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake and on up to the present day.

The attitude of Hyogo and Kobe, which achieved a creative recovery, and the work providing the experience and lessons of the earthquake to disaster victims all over the world are based on the fact that we are all linked together and the conviction that we all share in joy and sadness.
The desire to make this an event where visitors to Hyogo and Kobe encounter the utmost hospitality is also based on the awareness that we are all linked together.

The idea is to turn this into a marathon where runners are not just participating for themselves but for victims of disaster both in Japan and abroad. We want to make this an event that is not just about running but also about enjoying the attractions of Hyogo and Kobe.

Our intention is to make this an event that turns the power of the Kobe Marathon into something even greater and reaches out to the people and regions in Japan and overseas who have suffered terrible loss and damage in natural disasters.

Drawing on the event concept “42.195 km of gratitude” and the theme “Thanks and Friendship” Kobe Marathon 2016 will boost its quota by 2,000, to 20,000 runners. Every runner we add brings more thanks and friendship to every step in the 42.195km of the marathon.

The aim is to make this an event where top runners and local Kobe entrants cooperate from start to finish, each runner takes up the challenge alongside every other runner regardless of competition level or age, and support is given to every single runner participating.