Lake Biwa Marathon 2026 Race Report: My 2:40:15 Finish

2:40:15 at the Lake Biwa Marathon 2026 — and for the first time in a long while, I crossed the finish line feeling like I could have kept going.

I ran the Lake Biwa Marathon 2026 on March 8, 2026, in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture. This is my full race report, covering how to get to the venue, race-day conditions, my warm-up routine, the starting corral experience, and key course characteristics.

My Training Leading Up to Race Day

This Lake Biwa Marathon was my second full marathon of the 2025–2026 season.

The first was the Mie Matsusaka Marathon in December 2025, where I finished in 2:48. I tweaked my foot right before the race, and race day brought heavy rain — conditions couldn’t have been worse.

After Mie Matsusaka, my legs took a while to fully recover. But from mid-January 2026 onward, the pain gradually eased, and by February I was running pain-free.

I took a hard look at my training approach. Despite nearly four years of consistent work, my race times had stagnated well below my personal record from back then.

I had been obsessing over volume — squeezing in double runs during my lunch break even when work was hectic. The load was there, but the recovery wasn’t. That, I concluded, was the root cause of my plateau.

Starting in 2026, I shifted back to single-session days — the same approach I used before 2021. That alone gave my body the breathing room it needed, and recovery started keeping pace with training.

From January onward, my fitness gradually came back. The leg pain disappeared, fatigue lifted, and I completed a 30km training run in February in 1:51:44.

Race Goals and Strategy

My goal wasn’t to leave everything on the course. I wanted to run the full 42.195km with something in reserve — a controlled, comfortable effort from start to finish.

The reasoning: I wanted to be ready for training and track races from March onward. And honestly, running with a relaxed mindset sometimes produces better times anyway — it’s more about the mental approach than the physical output.

My time goal was sub-2:40. I figured I could hold that pace without accumulating too much fatigue, and without slowing down in the final stretch.

For the tapering, I kept my structured workouts as normal through the final week and only backed off the easy mileage in the last two days. Muscle fatigue had cleared well, and I was in a state I’d describe as “ready for a quality long effort.”

Lake Biwa Marathon 2026 Race Recap

Here’s how race day unfolded.

Race Morning: From Wake-Up to the Start Line

I woke up at 4:25 a.m. I’d gone to bed just after 9 p.m. the night before, so I got over seven hours of sleep — a bit longer than usual, and it felt good.

The Lake Biwa Marathon starts at 8:20 a.m., and I was heading in from Aichi on race morning — a tight schedule. I needed to make a train connection that isn’t shown in standard transit apps.

Traveling overnight to stay near a marathon venue is a real logistical challenge for me — less about cost, more about family coordination. Being able to travel on race morning is essential, and honestly, it limits which races I can enter.

Right after waking, I did my usual InBody Dial body composition check: body weight 65.3kg, body fat 8.7%. I had been extra careful this cycle about eating enough, and I also did a two-stage carb load with Palatinose before bed each night.

Breakfast was the same as always: 250g of rice (mixed white and mochi barley), two fried eggs, one pack of natto. On a normal day I’d add vegetables and miso soup, but today I kept it simple.

My race day gear:

This was my first time using the ASICS METASPEED base layer. I’d managed to order it when stock briefly came back on the official site. With cooler temperatures in the forecast, the timing was perfect.

I needed to leave the house by around 5:40 a.m., so there wasn’t much time between waking up and heading out. I also prepped my race nutrition: a caffeine-boosted coffee drink (30g Palatinose mixed with three instant coffee sticks) and a post-marathon recovery protein shake.

I got out on schedule. I booked an unreserved seat on the bullet train — checking the reserved car beforehand, it looked mostly empty, so I figured unreserved would be fine. I arrived at the platform about 13 minutes before departure. Since the train originates from Nagoya, getting a seat was no problem.

On the train, I took a short rest and did a gel inventory check. I’ll go into detail about carb loading and race fueling later in this post.

During the ride, I mentally rehearsed the Kyoto Station transfer. I had six minutes to switch from the bullet train to the local line — and since I rarely use Kyoto Station, I had no real sense of how big it is.

It’s less than 40 minutes from Nagoya to Kyoto, so before I knew it, we’d arrived. As I stepped off, I could see other runners making the same transfer.

Kyoto Station turned out to be more compact than I’d imagined. The transfer from the bullet train to the local line was quick, and I made my target train without any issues.

If you’re coming by JR, the nearest station to the Lake Biwa Marathon venue is Otsukyō Station — just 10 minutes from Kyoto. When you exit, race volunteers guide you directly to the venue, so there’s no risk of getting lost.

When I arrived at the venue, plenty of runners were already getting ready.

There’s almost nowhere to shelter from rain at the venue — so if it had rained, it would have been pretty miserable. Fortunately, the weather cooperated this time.

Overall, it’s a pleasantly minimal race. The distance from the nearest station to the venue, and from bag drop to the start line, is short. Not a lot of walking.

Warm-Up and the Starting Corral

By the time I dropped off my bag, I couldn’t take photos anymore — so I don’t have any shots of the warm-up area. That said, there’s a large open field available, and warm-up space shouldn’t be a problem.

There are restrooms on the dirt field and in front of the stadium near the start. But the lines were longer than I expected. I’d wanted about 15 minutes for a warm-up, but the bathroom queue ate into that, and I only ended up with about 5 minutes.

Honestly, that wasn’t enough. I decided to use the first kilometer as an extended warm-up instead. This is a recurring mistake I keep making with pre-race bathroom logistics — something I genuinely need to fix.

Runners needed to be in their corrals by 8:05 a.m. for the 8:20 a.m. start. With the cold temperature, many runners were visibly shivering. Fortunately, the sun had come out over the stadium by then.

We waited about 15 minutes at the start. I was in the S corral — the frontmost block. There are staff members at the side of the start line who collect throwaway clothes, so you can stay warm until the very last moment.

I wore an old thick sweatshirt until just before the gun and had no issues with the cold.

And then — 8:20 a.m. The gun went off.

From the Starting Gun to the Finish Line

The Lake Biwa Marathon 2026 started right on time at 8:20 a.m. The race begins inside the stadium, so the footing was perfect. I treated the first kilometer as a warm-up.

I turned off the COROS auto-lap feature. When auto-laps drift from actual course distances, it creates mental noise. The reliable markers are the official timing mats at every 5K — so I trusted those and hit the lap button manually each time.

I can control pace well enough by feel. Watching the numbers fluctuate didn’t worry me.

The first few kilometers barely registered in my memory. I was barely exerting myself — zero perceived effort, no sense of speed. Heart rate was around 82% of HRmax, basically an extension of my jog.

My first 5K split: 18:58 (6:05/mile (3:47/km)). Almost exactly on target pace for sub-2:40. From there I just kept it steady and relaxed.

Thinking back on the Mie Matsusaka Marathon — where running in a group had been nearly impossible — I made a deliberate point of staying near other runners at Lake Biwa, even if it meant a slightly softer pace. Getting comfortable with pack running was the priority over time.

Finding a perfect match was tough, but I was almost always running with two or three others nearby. Not quite drafting, but psychologically, it made a significant difference.

The 5–10K split: 18:56 (6:05/mile). Like a metronome. I barely glanced at my watch.

After the race, other runners mentioned the wind had been strong. There was definitely wind — but I’d gone in mentally prepared for it, so it didn’t bother me much.

To stay in a group as long as possible, I kept looking for runners near my pace and tucking in behind them. I’d also rotate to the front occasionally so I wasn’t always drafting off the same person.

The 10–15K split: 19:03. There was a noticeable headwind in that section.

The 15–20K stretch includes several out-and-back segments, but also a north-to-south section where, on a day with a north wind, you get a tailwind. And that’s exactly what happened.

With the wind behind me, everything felt suddenly easy. My pace drifted up naturally, and even 6:02/mile (3:45/km) felt almost effortless. I didn’t need to draft off anyone in that section.

The 15–20K split: 18:49 — the fastest of the race. The 20–21.095K section picked up to 5:57/mile (3:42/km). But the wind at Lake Biwa tends to intensify after the halfway point.

The 21–30K stretch was genuinely windy. I knew running alone would cost me, so I stayed focused on positioning and sticking near other runners. Occasional powerful gusts made forward progress nearly impossible. Even so, the 20–25K split held at 19:01 — not bad, thanks largely to the pack.

Between 25–30K, I fell in with an unexpected group. I latched on to what seemed like a capable medical runner, and ended up merging into a group of about ten. Catching up took some effort, but once I was in, everything became remarkably easier. Heart rate dropped. I felt almost fresh at the 30K mark.

The 25–30K split: 19:04. A slight dip, but I prioritized conserving energy in the group.

30–35K was the real test — the final headwind section. The group started to fragment. Some runners hit the wall at 30K; others got pushed back by the wind and lost pace.

I had been running well within myself, so I didn’t slow down. Around km 34, the course loops around the stadium, and a runner there called out to me. It gave me a real lift — mentally, it made things much easier.

From km 34 onward, I was running alone. I began gradually releasing the energy I’d been holding in reserve. By km 35, the headwind was mostly gone. From here, it was just a matter of running south toward the finish. My legs were tired, but I kept the cadence up.

One mistake: at km 36, I took the last remaining gel, thinking I should use it up. The gel was thick and concentrated — I nearly choked on it. My body still had plenty in the tank, so it didn’t affect the race much, but it was the wrong gel at the wrong time.

The 30–35K split: 19:08 — the slowest of the day. But that was by design, not distress.

From km 35 on, I aimed for the finish. My original plan had been to chase my fastest split of the day in the 35–40K section, but I held back just a bit to avoid carrying too much fatigue post-race.

The 35–40K split: 18:51 — the second fastest of the day. Finishing that section at that pace genuinely satisfied me.

With 2km to go, my legs were feeling the effort, but I still had energy. There was an unexpected hill right near the finish, but I closed out the final 2km — hill included — at around 6:10/mile (3:50/km).

Final result: 2:40:15 (net time). It was the first race where I genuinely felt like I had run a full marathon.

Pre-Race Training Week

Here’s what my training week looked like leading up to Lake Biwa:

I kept my structured workouts as normal and reduced easy mileage in the days leading up to race day. Muscle fatigue had cleared out nicely by Sunday.

Carb Loading and Fueling Strategy

Here’s the carb loading approach I used leading up to Lake Biwa:

At the Mie Matsusaka Marathon, my carb loading had been a complete failure. Learning from that, I adjusted the timing of my Palatinose intake and made a deliberate effort to eat to full capacity at both breakfast and lunch the day before.

Here’s my race day fueling schedule:

My philosophy is simple: take in as many carbohydrates as your body can absorb. In theory, consuming glucose and fructose in the right ratio allows absorption of up to 90–100g of carbohydrates per hour.

That said, gels are thick and viscous — they can’t be absorbed as efficiently as a liquid. I don’t think you can realistically hit the theoretical maximum with gels alone.

From my own experience, around 25g every 25–30 minutes (roughly one gel) feels realistic, and timing each gel with an aid station makes execution much easier.

Lake Biwa Marathon 2026: Reflections and What’s Next

Overall, I’m happy with how this race went. I managed to run with others through the tricky wind sections, held pace through the finish, and crossed the line feeling like I still had a kilometer or two left in me.

The pacing felt right. Finishing without a slowdown, and posting my second-fastest split of the day in the 35–40K section — that’s exactly what I was aiming for.

Since 2022, I’ve put in consistent training without seeing meaningful improvement. It’s been a frustrating stretch. My personal record from that year still stands.

But I finally feel like I understand the load-recovery balance. The leg pain is gone. I’m running every day and genuinely enjoying it. I’ve said this at the start of every year — but 2026 feels different. I’m determined to break through the plateau and set a new personal record.