Sweets Marathon 2023 (Sponsored by Chateraise)

Staff Journal

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I wasn’t too interested in marathons—that is, until I heard there was one with all-you-can-eat cake at the finish line…

▲Over 35 Varieties of Chateraise Sweets

This genius of a juxtaposition known as “Sweets Marathon” has been satisfying the sweet tooth of runners across Japan since 2010—with 2023 being the first year for the event to come to Yamanashi. It has been quite successful in introducing a whole new demographic to the running scene with their beginner-friendly, all-inclusive, finger-licking good approach. Just to give you an idea, 64% of participants are women, and 48% are first-time marathon runners.

Sign Up Online ✔︎ Pay the Entry Fee ✔︎ Come with an Empty Stomach ✔︎

Prefectures that decide to host a Sweets Marathon will typically reach out to several local confectionery companies to sponsor the event and prepare the desserts. Yamanashi, however, managed to pull off the event with just one single sponsor: Chateraise.

When it comes to sweets, Chateraise is a household name in not just Yamanashi, but all over Japan. For the Sweets Marathon, Chateraise went above and beyond, bringing in over 35 unique varieties of sweets to fill the bellies of the over 1000 participants who came to participate in the run.

▲Fuefuki City, Yamanashi (Spring)

This year, Sweets Marathon made its way to Yamanashi Prefecture’s very own Fuefuki City. The city is known for its rolling hills of pink peach blossoms in the spring, and the old-fashioned onsen town, known as “Isawa Onsen-Kyo.”

▲”Mina no Hiroba” (Fuefuki, Yamanashi)

My worries about becoming overloaded with sugar were quickly dispelled when I saw the lineup of local food trucks in the event plaza serving savory bites of yakisoba, curry and fried chicken.

After an encouraging speech from the mayor of Fuefuki City, Masaki Yamashita, we made our way over to the starting line. On the way there, we managed to snap some selfies with DBZ’s Goku, a panda and Fukki (Fuefuki City’s mascot).

Many runners chose to join in costume, making for some very delicious, eye-popping, Instagrammable shots.

BANG!
And with the sound of the starter pistol, we are off!

▲Marathon Start

Fuefuki’s Sweets Marathon runs at just 3 km with a generous time limit of 80 minutes—a stark contrast to a typical marathon, which is usually around 42 km in length. The course being so short helps first-time runners feel more comfortable, allowing them to take the race at their own pace while enjoying their surroundings.

▲Mid-Race

Once you reach the finish line, prepare to be greeted by trays upon trays of cakes, jellies, juices, pastries and much more glutinous goodness! I didn’t feel too guilty indulging though, seeing as Chateraise’s sweets are made with zero additives and locally-sourced ingredients.

▲Finish Line

The top three runners were sent home with a delectable set of assorted Chateraise pastries, and the rest of us went home with full bellies. In a sense, everyone was a winner in the end. I wonder which prefecture will host the next Sweets Marathon?

If you want to enjoy some Chateraise sweets yourself, check to see if they have a store in your country or prefecture. If you want to join another fun running event, Yamanashi hosts a number of other local marathons every year, namely the “Momo-no-Sato” Marathon and the Mt. Fuji International Marathon.

Let’s give another big thanks to JTB and Chateraise for bringing this incredible, scrumdiddlyumptious event to Yamanashi!