History of the Kanto 10 Mile Road Race

After completing the Kanto 10 Mile Road Race in December last year, I asked the race organizers to share with me information about the history of this race. I had heard that it was the oldest 10-mile road race in the world, though there are few details available about the race and its history, particularly in the English language. Below, I have summarized the history of the race posted photographs of the letter I received from the race organizers.

The Kanto 10 Mile Road Race was first held on 28^th March 1937. The race was held twice a year, in March and December until the 103^rd convention in 1989, since which time it has been held once a year in late December. The race was not held from 1942 to 1945 due to the second world war, before resuming on 8^th December 1946. Keizo Yamada, winner of the Boston Marathon in 1953 is a former participant in the race, as is Yuko Arimori, who won silver and bronze medals at the Olympics for the marathon in 1992 and 1996 respectively. A 10KM race was added to the event schedule in 1961.

The current records for the 10-mile race are 47:20 (male) and 54:05 (female).