6°
Cold and wet, around 5 to 6 C with constant rain, water pooling on the roads
2019 Ballot results
The datasheet
Tokyo Marathon 2019 ballot: 330,271 applications
The Tokyo Marathon Foundation drew 27,370 general marathon places from 330,271 lottery applications, about 12 times oversubscribed, for a published acceptance rate near 8 percent.
Applications
330,271
Ballot acceptance
8.3%
27,370 of 330,271 accepted
Field size
35,460
Total finishers
Results date
Sep 25
2018
Race day
Mar 3
2019
Ballot close
Aug 31
2018
Semi-elite
M2:21 W2:52
Open category (18–34)
Race day weather
What runners faced on the course
Context
What made 2019 notable
Tokyo 2019 was a brutal lottery and a brutal race day. The Foundation drew 27,370 general marathon places from 330,271 applications, about 12 times oversubscribed and a published acceptance rate near 8 percent, among the longest odds of any Major. Then March 3 delivered cold, constant rain around 5 to 6 C with water pooling on the course. The conditions forced high profile mid race dropouts including Japan's national record holder Suguru Osako, El Hassan El-Abbassi and Gideon Kipketer. The elites who pushed through ran fast anyway: Birhanu Legese took the men's title in 2:04:48 and Ruti Aga the women's in 2:20:40, both first career marathon wins. Of 37,604 starters, 35,460 finished.
Year over year
Applications over time
Applications · 2018 → 2025
320K330K300K
'18'19'25
FAQ
Questions about the 2019 ballot
What were the Tokyo 2019 ballot odds?
The Tokyo Marathon Foundation drew 27,370 general marathon places from 330,271 applications, about 12 times oversubscribed, a published acceptance rate near 8 percent.
When did the 2019 Tokyo lottery window run?
General entry closed at 17:00 JST on Friday, 31 August 2018. Marathon lottery results were notified by email following Tuesday, 25 September 2018.
Who won Tokyo 2019?
Birhanu Legese in 2:04:48 and Ruti Aga in 2:20:40, both Ethiopians winning the first marathons of their careers.
How cold was race day on 3 March 2019?
Cold and wet, around 5 to 6 degrees Celsius with constant rain, conditions that forced high profile dropouts including Japan's Suguru Osako.
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