Tokyo Marathon Livestream: How to Watch the 2024 Tokyo Marathon Online
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Quick Answer: You can stream the Tokyo Marathon on UK’s Eurosport or Japan’s Nippon TV if you have a VPN. U.S. viewers can also watch the Tokyo Marathon on FloTrack, a racing-oriented streaming service.
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It’s race weekend in Japan as more than 37,000 runners lace up for the 2024 Tokyo Marathon. It’s the first of the six World Marathon Majors of the year, with Boston and London to follow in April before a gap to Berlin, Chicago and New York in the autumn. But this is just the first of three before the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, which will feature long-distance runs with the world’s fastest runners.
As usual, the race will see runners make their way through a ‘T’-shaped route starting from Shinjuku Station and ending by Tokyo Station in the center of the city. The Tokyo Marathon passes by many of the city’s landmarks, from the Tokyo Tower, to the Kaminarimon. But, if you can’t make it to Japan to watch the race — maybe to see friends, family, or pro runners cross the finish line — you can still tune in online. Below is a quick guide on how to stream the Tokyo Marathon online (even if you don’t have cable).
How to Stream 2024 Tokyo Marathon Online
The national broadcast of the Tokyo Marathon is being aired on Nippon TV in Japan, with live streaming available on Hulu Japan and TVer, NITTERE TADA. The race is also being broadcast internationally by Eurosport in 63 countries, while ESPN International is set to air the race across 47 countries.
Marathon enthusiasts in the U.S. and Canada can catch the race on FloTrack, where the livestream will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 2, 2024.
If you’ve cut the cord on cable/satellite, you can watch the Tokyo Marathon online using a VPN service like the one below.
How to Watch Tokyo Marathon Online With a VPN
One of the best ways to watch the Tokyo Marathon online for free is to get a virtual private network (VPN) like ExpressVPN or NordVPN, which will let you access free (legal) livestreams from UK’s Eurosport or Japan’s Nippon TV.
If you’re unfamiliar, VPNs are services that change your streaming device’s virtual location, letting you access content that’s normally geo-blocked in your physical location. In other words, they “trick” your device into thinking it’s somewhere else. These services are easy to use, very safe (safer, in fact, than normal browsing), and great for getting free legal livestreams of sports, TV series, and movies.
To watch the 2024 Tokyo Marathon online with a VPN, install a good one like ExpressVPN. It’s fast and easy to use once you add the service’s web browser extension. ExpressVPN costs $12.95 a month, or $8.32 a month if you pay for a year upfront. Subscriptions also come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can get a full refund after 30 days if you don’t want to continue service.
Once you have a VPN set up, set your location to Japan or the UK and watch free Tokyo Marathon livestreams.
When is the Tokyo Marathon? Date, Time
The 2024 Tokyo is happening on Sunday, March 3, 2024. The men’s and women’s races will start at 9:10 a.m. local time, and for international viewers, the Tokyo Marathon will start at 12:10 a.m. GMT on March 3 or 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 2.
Who’s Set to Win the Tokyo Marathon? Predictions, Speculation
Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge is expected to be one of the front-runners, at the very least. Renowned for his front-running style, the 39-year-old is Tokyo Marathon this weekend will be his final race before likely qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics. With an impressive 11-year career just in the marathon, his course record of 2:02:40 set two years ago still stands, he’s still trying to carry that momentum into his fifth Olympics in Paris.
The women’s race also has some incredible runners to look out for, with Sifan Hassan leading the pack. Making her Tokyo debut, the reigning London and Chicago Marathon champion is considered one of the favorites to win the women’s race. Though she already has three Olympic medals, she’ll use Tokyo as a litmus test to judge her readiness for a potential championship marathon debut in Paris.
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