Cycling & running events in Ōita, 2026

Oita Training Notes

Running: Locals run Oita with the bay in mind and the mountains close enough to keep you honest. The bay loop is 13 km with 27 m of gain, so it works for steady Z2 or light intervals. The longer bay route is 47 km and climbs 40 m, so it feels short but not flat. Oita Miyoshi Weisse Adler and Oita Trinita are the named clubs here, while runners usually treat the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon as the anchor event. The Beppu-Oita National Road runs 195 km through the region.

Cycling: Locals ride the Beppu-Oita Route for daily base miles, and Betsudai National Road has the cycling road many cyclists use every day. The Coastal Roads of Beppu Bay / Kunisaki Peninsula Course runs 152 km and gains 1,204 m, so it is a proper gran fondo day, not a cafe spin. The Tour de Kunisaki A & B Course brings 3,105 m of climbing, while Hashirimizu Toge reaches 428 m when you want a clean test. The Yamanami Highway Course connects Oita and Kumamoto, and its 124 km hit harder because the climbs average 4.7%.

Season: Fall has good riding conditions, with foliage on Maple Yabakei Course and a lot of cyclists in the valleys. Summer riding works best on the coast or around Onyujima Island, where the sea breeze makes Z2 feel smoother. Winter changes the bag fast, because mid to late December can swing from high teens to snow. A typical winter ride can start cloudy in low single digits and warm into the low teens with sun, so runners keep layers simple and cyclists respect the descents. The city centre stays useful, but the highlands decide the day.