Around 20,000 runners from Japan and abroad, made up largely of amateur runners, participated in the Hokkaido Marathon 2023, taking place on August 27, 2023. This marathon is held annually in Sapporo City in the middle of August.

The full-marathon course is almost identical to that of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics: starting from and finishing at Odori Park West 4. At around the 38 km mark of the course, the runners entered the University from the North Campus area, running towards the South Gate aka the old main gate of Sapporo Agricultural College (Hokkaido University’s predecessor).

Runners received cheers and encouragement from the supporters and passers-by. The marathon started at 8:30 AM local time off with a clear sky. Around noon the weather took a drastic change to a heavy rain with occasional thunder. Many runners withstood the challenge and triumphantly finished the full course.