[1] Initiated in 1966,[2] the Chiba Cross Country is held in Showa-No-Mori Park and features a competition schedule of eight races.

[5] The competition is one of three in which Japanese athletes can qualify for the World Championships; the others being the annual Fukuoka International Cross Country and the biennial Asian Cross Country Championships.

[6] Over a thousand runners compete at the meeting each year, although the attendance record set in 1991 featured nearly twice as many participants.

[2] A select number of international athletes are invited to compete each year, although the majority of the field typically comprise a mix of Japanese runners and Japan-based Kenyan athletes.

[4] Previous winners include Olympic gold medallists Samuel Wanjiru and Derartu Tulu, eight-time European cross country champion Serhiy Lebid, and Tegla Loroupe – twice winner of the New York City Marathon.