Tokyo Weekender - February 2016

You’ll feel like a good part of the city
has come together to help everyone
cross the finish line.
Along with the world-class runners
who are vying for top positions in
the race itself and the Abbott World
Marathon Majors series, the Tokyo
Marathon has also become an place
for serious amateurs and recreational
marathoners to hit their stride. Over the
years, long-distance running has been
on the rise in Japan, and marathons are
now held around the country. In order
to support this grassroots long-distance
movement, Tokyo Marathon launched
the RUN as ONE program last year,
which gives promising runners a
streamlined entry into the Marathon.
Beginning this year, this program will
be expanded to include semi-elite marathoners
from around the world. And
given the popularity of the race—more
than 300,000 apply for 37,000 spots—the
Tokyo Marathon draws a huge field of
amateur marathoners (as well as, from
what we hear, a few cleverly costumed
runners) every year.
RUN BY VOLUNTEERS
Read up on participants’ reports
from previous Tokyo Marathons and
you will find plenty of stories about
hitting the wall and making the push
for personal bests. However, another
common thread in stories about the
event is that it is well run, thanks in
no small part to a veritable army of
enthusiastic volunteers. This year,
expect about 10,000 of them (including
700 foreign language speakers)
who assist in every aspect of the race,
from distributing drinks and snacks
along the route to helping keep
the course almost spotlessly clean
and making sure that competitors’
luggage is waiting for them once the
run is done.
In addition to the volunteers who
are helping out in traditional roles in
the lead up to the competition, there
are also a wide variety of performances
taking place alongside the
streets of the Marathon course: runners
will be buoyed along by taiko
drummers, bands, and choirs, school
cheerleading groups, and more.
Combine this with close to 1.5 million
spectators who line the course,
yelling out a spirited “Ganbare!” to
everyone who runs by, and you’ll feel
like a good part of the city has come
together to help everyone cross the
finish line.
The 2016 Tokyo Marathon takes place
on Sunday, Feb. 28. Start time for
runners is 9:10 am.
www.marathon.tokyo/en
37,000 RUNNERS
¥308,750,711
RAISED FOR CHARITY
87 81
96,462 BANANAS
DISTRIBUTED DURING THE RACE
2:05:42
2:22:23
Photos courtesy of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation
www.tokyoweekender.com FEBRUARY 2016