The story
Fukuoka Marathon in Fukuoka
The Fukuoka Marathon originated in 1947 as the Kanaguri Prize Asahi Marathon, honoring three-time Olympian Shizo Kanaguri, father of Japanese marathon running, with its first race held in his hometown of Kumamoto. Fukuoka became the permanent host city by 1959, and after admitting foreign athletes for the first time in 1954, the race grew into what was long considered an unofficial world championship of marathon running.
The race now known informally as the Fukuoka Marathon traces its lineage to 1947 and the founding of the Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship, originally staged under the name Kanaguri Prize Asahi Marathon in honor of Shizo Kanaguri, a three-time Japanese Olympian across the 1912, 1920, and 1924 Games who is widely remembered as the father of Japanese marathon running for his pioneering role in bringing the sport to national prominence.