Interview Relay 42 Stories of the Tokyo Marathon
〜Connecting Hearts〜

 

Interview Relay: 42 Stories of the Tokyo Marathon ~ Connecting Hearts ~

The interviewee is Mastercard, one of the Official Partners of the Tokyo Marathon.

Mastercard, a long-time sponsor of various sports and entertainment events worldwide, became an Official Partner of the Tokyo Marathon starting in 2025. As an Official Partner, Mastercard shares its insights on the unique appeal and value of the Tokyo Marathon, as well as the “priceless moments” created through the event — as shared by Kyungjin Park, Vice President, Marketing & Communications, North East Asia, Mastercard.

 

Providing new value and special experiences

――Please tell us what led Mastercard to become an official partner.

 In keeping with our priceless philosophy, Mastercard is always on the lookout for new ways to delight our customers and cardholders by connecting them to their passions, and proudly sponsors some of the world’s most exciting sports and entertainment events. With the global surge in marathon participation, we are excited to partner with Tokyo Marathon Foundation to magnify the benefits of running – its accessibility, simplicity, health and social perks – to an even wider audience. Through this partnership, Mastercard’s issuer and merchant partners worldwide will be able to generate additional value and priceless experience for their cardholders and customers, driving business growth for the ecosystem while strengthening community connections. Mastercard will do our best to support the runners, their families, friends, and spectators to share priceless moments as the entire city of Tokyo comes alive.

 

――What sort of the appealing points you found in the Tokyo Marathon after having involved in the Tokyo Marathon as the official partner? 

 As a first-time official partner this year, we are thrilled to have provided an opportunity for runners, volunteers, and supporters to immerse themselves in the Tokyo Marathon 2025 experience.

The sheer scale of the course, which started at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and passed through iconic locations such as Asakusa, Ginza, and Tokyo Station, was truly overwhelming. It was an incredible experience to witness the elite runners and citizen runners alike, all striving towards their goals and celebrating their achievements together. The support from the volunteers who cheered on the runners, along with the enthusiastic encouragement from families and friends lining the route, enhanced the allure of the marathon beyond our expectations.

It was a joy to see everyone engaging with the event and enjoying the unique blend of Japanese culture and regional characteristics. We are committed to developing further to offer opportunities for runners, volunteers, and supporters to fully experience the Tokyo Marathon with all five senses.

 

The employee volunteer program was well-received.

――What are the initiatives you would like to take by using the Tokyo Marathon as the official partner? Or with the engagement in the Tokyo Marathon 2025, what were the measures you took? 

Mastercard has multilingual employees, proficient in languages such as English, Chinese, and Korean. Therefore, for the Tokyo Marathon 2025, we asked our employees and their family and friends to volunteer to provide language support. We were pleased to be able to support runners from overseas through these volunteer activities. This excellent initiative was so well-received that we will continue to promote and strengthen our employee volunteer program for the 2026 event and beyond.

 

As a Global Marketing Partner and the Official Payments Partner for the Tokyo Marathon 2025, Mastercard will also be working with the local community leading up to and on the day of the marathon to strengthen those community ties while creating a cashless event and providing a special experience for runners and their families and friends who will be cheering them on. The event was a special experience for runners, cheering family members and friends.

For the runner community, we offered Mastercard holders the special opportunity to participate in the Tokyo Marathon 2025 and provided Mastercard cashback rewards for runners’ baggage storage fees.

 

At the Mastercard booth at the Tokyo Marathon EXPO 2025, a variety of participatory activities were held under the theme of “Unforgettable Gambare (going the extra mile)!”. At the Athlete Bibs Photo Booth, runners were able to capture their enthusiasm for the event in a memorable way with photos. In addition, visitors enjoyed winning limited-edition merchandise from our giant Gacha machine, and the cheering tunnel and cheering cards helped boost the spirits of runners and their cheering family and friends.

 

 

On the day of the event, a “Runner Cheering Cafe by Mastercard” was set up at the Tokyo Marathon 14km (and 31km) mark and a “Mastercard Finish Line Grandstand” was set up at the finish area providing a supportive environment for runners’ families and friends to cheer their runners on with enthusiasm.

Mastercard has an official partnership with the Tokyo Marathon Foundation for four years from 2025 to 2028. As a Global Marketing Partner and the Official Payment Partner, we will continue to deliver an experience full of excitement and passion to runners and their supporters.

 

――What are the changes you find within the company as the official partner and any other changes you expect to see? 

The pride that Mastercard employees in Japan and abroad feel in being an official partner of the Tokyo Marathon was an important factor in the success of our efforts for this event. We sensed that this enthusiasm extended beyond our employee‐runner community and resonated with other employees. In particular, we could sense this pride through the interest in our volunteer efforts and the inquiries we received from our customers. We will continue to strive to bring this excitement to even more people.

priceless possibilities for everyone

 

――The Tokyo Marathon Foundation has set a vision of the “Tokyo Marathon, the best marathon in the world, held in Tokyo, the best city in the world” based on three pillars: “The safest and most secure race in the world,” “The most exciting race in the world,” and “The warmest and most friendly race in the world.” What is your view on this? Also, do you have any expectations for the future Tokyo Marathon?

Mastercard supports the Tokyo Marathon Foundation’s vision of “Tokyo Marathon, the best marathon in the world, held in Tokyo, the best city in the world” and its three pillars “The safest and most secure race in the world,” “The most exciting race in the world,” and “The warmest and most friendly race in the world.” This initiative not only strengthens Mastercard’s sports sponsorship but also expands our commitment to inspiring people’s passion and bringing them closer together. 

Mastercard’s initiative not only bolsters our sports sponsorship but also reinforces our commitment to fostering passion and unity among people. This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to create a resilient world of priceless possibilities for everyone, through our connections to over 210 countries and territories. We remain dedicated to pursuing this objective.

 

――What is the value and role of the Tokyo Marathon, for Tokyo and the city of Tokyo?

 We feel that the Tokyo Marathon is more than just a sporting event; it is an important opportunity to show the world the appeal of the city of Tokyo, and a major event that has a significant impact on culture and the economy.

Every year, tens of thousands of runners from all over the world gather in Tokyo, and many tourists visit the city to cheer them on. This year’s event also brought a tremendous economic impact to the city of Tokyo, benefiting not only hotels and tourist facilities, but also restaurants, retail stores, and small local businesses.

 

We want to create even more “priceless moments.”

――What is the value of the Tokyo Marathon for the company? #MyTokyoMarathon is…?

For Mastercard, #MyTokyoMarathon is the way it connects people around the runners, creating a supportive network that cheers them on every step of the way.

 

――What are your expectations for the future Tokyo Marathon? 

 Our goal in establishing an official partnership with the Tokyo Marathon was to create priceless moments throughout the city of Tokyo through the event, and we believe that this goal has been successfully realized. We look forward to being a part of this wonderful event again next year. Through the Tokyo Marathon, we hope to create even more priceless moments and share the excitement with runners , and volunteers, families and friends who support these runners from all over the world!

 

――Please share with us any other thoughts about the Tokyo Marathon. 

 We are truly looking forward to creating more enhanced experiences together with the Tokyo Marathon Foundation that will inspire and connect people to their priceless possibilities.