50 BibTag Smart Decoders at the 2024 Hokkaido Marathon

The Hokkaido Marathon held in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan, is one of the prominent marathon races of the year. The 36th edition of Hokkaido Marathon had 17,705 participants running the full marathon in Sapporo. The race was timed with MYLAPS BibTag technology including 50 BibTag Smart Decoders by our esteemed partner R-bies.

Marathon Course

The Hokkaido Marathon is Japan's only full-scale summer marathon, drawing around 20,000 runners, including elite athletes and running enthusiasts from Hokkaido and beyond. The course itself incorporates sections used in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic marathon and race walk. It takes runners through the breathtaking scenery of Hokkaido, featuring flat stretches, rolling hills, and gentle inclines. Starting at Odori Park near the Sapporo TV Tower, runners wind through the city. They pass Susukino with its scenic mountain and river views, the Hokkaido University campus, and the iconic Red Brick Government Building.

BibTag Technology at the Hokkaido Marathon

The BibTag System is the MYLAPS solution for mass running events with affordable chips and the highest read rates in the industry. It was used in October at the Chicago Marathon when Kelvin Kiptum broke the world record. The MYLAPS ThinTag is 75% thinner than regular tags, reducing waste and shipment space, which lowers carbon emissions. The BibTag Smart Decoder, the latest revolution in mass timing, was designed to make the life of timers easier, by creating a device with improved usability and optimal performance. Through using the latest technology the decoder introduces features that add flexibility to your timing operation. There were 10 timing points for the Hokkaido Marathon and 50 BibTag Smart Dedcoders used in this iconic event. Timing Points were at the Start, 5k, 10k, 15k, 20k, 25k, 30k, 35k, 40k, and Finish.

2024 Results

The men's winner was Shogo Nakamura of Japan with an impressive time of 2:15:36. Running her debut, Kamulu Pauline Kaveke of Kenya was the winner of the women's marathon with a time of 2:31:04.

About R-bies

R-bies Co., Ltd. was established in 1975 and has since been the leading pioneer of the Japanese running industry. Japan’s oldest and largest running magazine “RUNNERS” was published in 1976, and “RUNNET,” R-bies’s race entry platform launched in 1997. “RUNNET” currently boasts over 4 million users and handles around 1,600 events a year. R-bies Co., Ltd. also owns timing division, RECS, who times over 400 races a year (over 2 million chip times yearly) including Japan’s largest marathon. R-bies Co., Ltd. has dramatically made an impact to the running industry in Japan.