The 22nd Tachikawa Marathon Race

Date : Sunday March 9, 2003 Weather : Fine

Location : Tachikawa City, Tokyo


Details of RaceRefer to the 20th Tachikawa Marathon Race.


IMAGES

Snow-covered Mt. Fuji Everybody's Plain

T-shirt

Record

• 5 km : 27 minutes
• Goal (10 km) : 52 minutes 44 seconds

Impression

• I could leave my home around 9:00 AM since the location of Showa Memorial Park where the race would be held is comparatively close to my home.
• It was fine and cold. It was windy as was last week.
• Around 10:00 AM, I arrived in the entrance of the park, where runners joined the half marathon race (Started at 9:00 AM) were entering into the park. (The entrance of the park is 15 km point of the race.)
• The start/goal points locate in "Everybody's Plain". Runners also reached the goal one after another there when I arrived in the reception.
• "Everybody's Plain" is wide plain with turf and strong wind was blowing there. I could see fully snow-covered Mt. Fuji and the neighboring mountains from there. When I saw them, I felt freezing!
• This time, I joined with one running mate, but I could not meet him before the race somehow.
• The registration of 10 km race finished at 10:30 AM and the race started from 11:00 AM.
• I belonged to the group of the middle age and was positioned almost the end of the lines at the start point. I heard that an elderly man was proudly talking that this was his 20th paticipation to the race. The temperature was 10.5 degrees Centigrade then.
• Immedeately after the start, it was so crowded that I happened to touch several runners' knees and I felt dangerous.
• Every 1 km, the distance was indicated. I could pass the 5 km point after 27 minutes from the start. It was not so windy on the course.
• My running condition was not so good. I felt my legs heavy and finally stifling. Maybe, it was caused by the lack of training and/or still damaged throat. The goal time was 52 minutes 44 seconds. The time worsens year by year!
• I was waitng for my running mate. Finally he came back to me, however, he told that he could not find out his daypack at the place where he put before the race. His daypack was stolen!!
• Fortunately he did not leave his purse in the pack, however, he lost his clothes and mobile phone. Consequently, he had to come back to Tachikawa station with only half-sleeve T-shirt in the cold wind.
• Anyway, he bought the wear at the shop in the Tachikawa station. Then, we went to Japanese pub "Yoro-no-taki" where we went every year after the race. However, unfortunately, the shop was being re-built and was not open. We could not meet the hostess this year. (She might already quit the pub.)
• Therefore, we dropped in another Japanese pub near the station. Almost all guests were watching the horse races on the TV there. I wondered if it was of no use to do such a thing at day time. (I could not blame them---.)
• Anyway, I drank hot Japanese sake and felt I came back to life. I managed to be home after several drinkings.
• It's shameful to steal the runner's bag while he is out of the place. The park's controller said a lot of runners were stolen their bags on that day. How hard world it is! Be careful, everybody!! Keep your valuables in your body while running.
• By the way, my running mate was forced to be day-off on the next day since he finally caught a cold. He had a hard time of it on the race day.

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