The City of Yokohama and the City of Vancouver have maintained a sister city relationship since 1965 and have been continuing to deepen their exchanges ever since. In 2025, which marked the 60th anniversary of this sister city relationship, the Yokohama Marathon and the BMO Vancouver Marathon announced a partnership aimed at promoting international exchange through sports.

Based on this partnership, representatives from the Yokohama Marathon Organizing Committee and the Office of the City of Yokohama Representative to the Americas participated in the 2026 BMO Vancouver Marathon held on Sunday, May 3, 2026, while taking the opportunity to promote the Yokohama Marathon, which is scheduled to take place on October 25, 2026. 

The marathon, organized by the Vancouver International Marathon Society (RUNVAN), welcomed more than 25,000 participants. 

Leading up to the race, the BMO Vancouver Marathon Expo was also held on May 1 and 2, attracting more than 35,000 visitors and featuring over 50 exhibitors showcasing products related to health, sports, and lifestyle. During the expo, the City of Yokohama and the Yokohama Marathon Organizing Committee operated a booth to promote the Yokohama Marathon. 

Runners on the day of the race were met with unusually warm temperatures, adding to the physical demands of the course. Over 3000 volunteers showed up to assist runners with water and medical support throughout the day, reflecting the marathon’s commitment to safety.  

Yokohama sent several of its own runners to take part in the race, including members of the city’s sports promotion department and marathon organizing committee, as well as two competitive runners with strong records at Yokohama Marathon 2024 and 2025. In the women’s division, Yukari Yasutome, who finished 2nd at Yokohama Marathon 2025, turned in a solid performance, placing 13th in the highly competitive field. 

In the men’s division Kosuke Fujiwara, the Yokohama Marathon 2024 champion and 2025 runner-up, crossed the finish line in 1st place with a time of 2:22:03, taking 1st by exactly 30 seconds over Canada’s Russell Pennock. Despite the extreme exhaustion from his impressive feat, Fujiwara’s happiness and excitement shone through when, asked how he felt about the race, he replied, “Very nice day! I’m happy!”   

The combination of a highly visible Expo booth reaching tens of thousands of visitors, and one of Yokohama’s own athletes claiming victory on race day brought very strong results for the city’s international promotion efforts. With the Yokohama Marathon on the horizon this coming October, the weekend offered a perfect opportunity to introduce the race to a new audience. 

View the Official Yokohama Marathon Page here.