Half Marathon Pace Table and CutoffsComparing 5 races' limits by official numbers, only Sendai needs 7:07 per km

Comparing half marathon cutoffs and time limits across 5 races' entry guides, the strictest is the Sendai International Half at 2 hours 30 minutes, 7:07 per km. The other 4 races are between 8:18 and 8:32. Cutoffs count from the gun, so the wait to the start line is subtracted too.

Is it true that you can walk it with a 3-hour limit?

The half marathon time limit is said to be "about 3 hours," 8:32 per km. But look at the cutoffs and some races need a pace in the 7-minute range per km.

Open the entry guides, though, and the story changes. The Sendai International Half is 2 hours 30 minutes. Hakodate Marathon's half has a 3-hour eligibility, but its guide says "if you cannot run about 7 minutes per km, you will not get through the first 2 cutoffs."

First, I make a pace table by target time. After that, I convert the 5 races' deadlines to the same yardstick and line them up.

Half marathon pace table by target time (21.0975km)

There is only 1 formula.

Scroll the table sideways →

This table is time from the moment you cross the start line. A race's deadline is not. That is the next part.

5 races' time limits compared as pace per 1km

Conditions first.

• Only races whose official site lists both the time limit and the cutoff times.
• Time counts from the gun. For races with several start waves, counted from the last group's gun.
• Pace is calculated as if you cross the start line at the same moment as the gun.

Scroll the table sideways →

Only Sendai is a step tougher. 7:07 is exactly the "2:30" row of the pace table. If you enter planning for 3 hours, you are 1:25 per km short (8:32 − 7:07).

Gifu Seiryu's time limit is "3 hours 5 minutes," but that is based on the first wave's gun (9:00). For the second wave (9:10), the participation guide says "2 hours 55 minutes from the second wave's gun." Even in the same race, the back group gets 10 minutes less.

Marugame is built the same way. General C is split into 2 groups, 10:55 and 11:00, and the finish deadline is 14:00 for both. The front group has 3:05 and the back group exactly 3:00.

Hakodate needs a little care in reading. In the entry guide's cutoff table, the finish closes at 15:00, the same time as the full marathon that starts simultaneously. For the half, the eligibility field says "a running ability to finish within 3 hours 00 minutes from the gun." The table is calculated with the eligibility's 3 hours.

The first cutoff closes first

Gates close partway along the course, before the time limit. I converted the first cutoff to pace from the gun.

Scroll the table sideways →

10 minutes something per km looks comfortable. But this number does not include the wait to the start line.

Hakodate's entry guide says it this way: from the 9:00 gun, it takes about 17 minutes for the last runner of the half's last block to pass the start line.

Recalculate: 54 min − 17 min = 37 min. 5km in 37 minutes is 7:24 per km. The guide's line that "if you cannot run about 7 minutes per km, you will not pass the first and second cutoffs" is the result of this subtraction.

Nagoya City closes the start area at 10:40, 20 minutes after the gun. If you cross right at the close, what remains to the 6.0km cutoff is 43 minutes, 7:10 per km (43 × 60 ÷ 6.0 = 430 seconds).

One more thing. Passing every cutoff does not guarantee being treated as a finisher. Sendai's last cutoff (19.6km, 12:38) is 143 minutes from the second wave's gun, 7:18 per km. The time limit is 7:07. At the cutoff pace you get through the cutoff but do not reach the time limit.

Gear is "watch, pouch, cap." No need to carry water

From the numbers so far, I decide what to carry. The criterion is "does the official guide have a number that gives a reason to carry it."

Watch: press at the gun, not at the line

Starting with the no-cost way. Cutoffs close at clock times like "11:16," so one wristwatch where you can see the time lets you know whether you will make it. Writing the cutoff distances and times on the back of your bib or the back of your hand is enough.

A GPS watch helps beyond that. It gives pace per km, so you can compare it with the pace table above as you run. When you use one, press it at the gun, not at the start line. That makes it the same clock as the race deadline. A watch pressed at the line starts about 17 minutes late for the last place at Hakodate.

For Amazfit, I compared models with HYROX modes in another article. If you plan to enter HYROX too, choosing from there covers both with one watch.

Pouch: if you will not check a bag, everything on your waist

At Nagoya City, choosing "no baggage check needed" at entry lowers the entry fee. Gifu Seiryu has baggage storage, but does not take baggage that does not fit the dedicated bag. No changing room before the start is provided either.

The less you check, the easier the day. One pouch that holds your smartphone, keys and transit card and does not move on your waist: worth buying.

Cap: carry one for spring to early summer races

Gifu Seiryu's participation guide asks for frequent hydration and wearing a cap regardless of weather. The official FAQ says daytime temperatures can reach nearly 30 degrees in late April.

Hakodate's aid page lists aid stations with "head dousing water" and "showers." The organizer has built it assuming heat. For April's Gifu, May's Sendai and June's Hakodate, put a cap on the list. February's Marugame and March's Nagoya can wait.

Water: how many minutes until the first aid station

Two races give aid-station locations in the entry guide. Hakodate has 8, counting before the start and after the finish.

In both, the longest stretch is from the start to the first aid station. After that there is water every 1.5 to 3.9km at Sendai and every 1.0 to 3.3km at Gifu Seiryu.

Time to the first aid station. Going at Sendai's limit pace of 7:07, 5.1km × 7:07 = about 36 minutes. At Gifu Seiryu's 8:32, 4.7km × 8:32 = about 40 minutes.

That is why you do not need a hydration pack. In the half, the spacing of aid stations is shorter. If you carry anything, it is 1 small soft flask to bridge the first 30 to 40 minutes. Once you finish it, fold it into the pouch. Runners under 2 hours reach the first aid in 29 minutes (5.1km × 5:41), so empty hands are enough.

Shoes and socks: the only rule is the sole

The Sendai and Marugame entry guides state a rule that sole thickness must be within 40mm at most. It is a Japan Association of Athletics Federations rule, and Sendai says it may inspect some athletes' shoes after the race. When you buy a thick shoe, look at the thickness number on the product page. Where the rule measures is written in the article comparing 10 carbon thick-sole shoes.

There is no entry-guide rule for socks. With no reason to choose by race, the pair you normally wear is enough. If you add a new one, a thin running sock, 1 pair.

Things you can run without

• Hydration pack. In races with 6 to 9 aid stations, water on your back is baggage.
• A GPS watch just for the race. To see whether you will make the cutoffs, a wristwatch that shows the time is enough.
• A new cap for February and March races.

The weak points of this article

The numbers are from the entry guides on the official sites on the day I checked (Oct 13, 2026). Sendai and Hakodate are 2026 races and Gifu Seiryu, Nagoya and Marugame are 2027 entry guides, so the years do not match. Gifu Seiryu's aid stations come from the 2026 participation guide. Recheck the same rows in the entry guide for the year you enter.

The Yamanakako Road Race has no cutoff times in its official entry guide, so it is not in the table.

FAQ

How do you calculate the pace needed to make a half marathon cutoff?

Divide the seconds from the gun to the cutoff's closing by the distance to the cutoff. For Hakodate's 5km cutoff, 54 min × 60 ÷ 5km = 648 seconds, 10:48 per km. For the last place, subtract 17 minutes: 37 minutes for 5km, 7:24 per km.

Is the half marathon time limit from the gun or from the start line?

From the gun. Even if your time from crossing the start line (net time) is within the limit, it does not count as a finish. Nagoya City's entry guide says "the time limit is based on the gun." For Gifu Seiryu too, the first wave's gun is the base. In every race the deadline is set by the clock from the gun.

If I pass every cutoff, will I make the time limit?

Not in some races. In Sendai, the pace needed for the last cutoff is 7:18 per km and the time limit is 7:07. If you move right at the cutoffs, you fall short in the last 1.5km.

Is it a disadvantage for cutoffs if you start from a back wave or block?

Your usable time gets shorter. In Gifu Seiryu, the cutoff times are shared by the 2 waves, so the second wave has 10 minutes less, 2:55. Hakodate has 1 gun, and the last place crosses the line about 17 minutes late. Where you line up is set by your estimated time at entry, so do not submit it blank. In both Gifu Seiryu and Hakodate, leaving it blank puts you at the back.

Gear in this article

Ads and images: Rakuten Ichiba

Garmin Forerunner (GPS running watch)Amazfit smartwatchesRunning pouchRunning capSoft flask (about 250ml)On running socks

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