The 6th Tokyo/Arakawa Citizen Marathon Race

Date: Sunday March 23, 2003 Weather : Sunny, breeze

Location: River-side Road of Arakawa River, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo (15 minutes on foot from Ukima-funado Station of JR Saikyo Line)


Details of Race

Race	Full	Time Limit	7 hours	11,000 Runners
	5 km		*	*
	3 km, etc.		*	*
Entry Fee	Yen 4,000
Contact	2-66-1, Itabashi, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo 173-8501 Secretariat of Tokyo/Arakawa Citizen Marathon Race TEL : 03-3579-2654
Gift	T-shirt
Free Service	Mineral Water, etc.
Remarks	Free shuttle bus available

IMAGES

 
Goal & Runners Opening Ceremony Site

T-shirt

Record

10 km	58 minutes
20 km	1 hour 57 minutes
Middle Point	2 hours 03 minutes
30 km	2 hours 57 minutes
40 km	3 hours 57 minutes
Goal	4 hours 09 minutes 26 seconds

Impression

• I left home at 6:40 AM. It was sunny and breezy.
• I changed to Saikyo Line from Ikebukuro Station. A lot of runners came into the train from Akabane Station and the train became crowded.
• Almost all passengers got off at the Ukima-funado Station, the second station from Akabane Station. The small exit was filled with runners and became a bit of panicked there. I was surprised with unexpected situation. It took much time to get out there than I expected.
• Then, I saw a lot of runners waiting for shuttle buses in front of the station. However, the bus came one after another, and thus I could get on the bus shortly.
• It took less than 10 minutes to arrive in the base of the bank of Arakawa River. It was exactly 8:00 AM.
• When arrived, I was overwhelmed by the numbers of runners there. It was said more than 15,000 runners joined the races. The site was full of runners and their friends/families!!
• It was hard to find my running mates there, but finally I could find them. Then, I swiftly changed the wears. I decided to wear a half-sleeve T-shit since the weatherman said it would be warmer during the day.
• At the start line, the runners had to line up according to the numbers determined by the promoter. The number seems to be set by the self-reported finishing time by the runner. My number was 5000s and I was comparatively forward-positioned.
• The race started at 9:00 AM. The temperature was 13 degrees Centigrade. It took 3 miniutes for me to pass the start line. It might take more than 10 minutes for the last runners.
• The course was set either on the river-side road or on the bank of the river. The round-trip of 21.0975 km. It is flat and monotonous course. No scenry changes. The distance was indicated every one kilometer.
• Beside the course, several groups were beating Japanese drums to cheer the runners. It was good for runners and I was encouraged by them.
• The course was crowded by runners until 10 km point.
• When I was running around 15 km point, the top group passed on the opposite course. A top runner ran away so fast.
• The course was monotonous and thus I felt it took much time to reach the turning point.
• I was relived when I could pass the turning point and at the same time, I felt a little bit tired.
• This time, my condition was not so good and I did not make enough training. Therefore, I did not have confidence that I could finish the race. Anyway, I tried not to walk by all means.
• I could not finish within 4 hours, however, as shown above, I could keep even pace and I did not walk. I could continue to run. I am satisfied with the result.
• At the aid station of 35 km point, the sherbet was provided. It became a little bit hot and thus it was very delicious. It seems that the sherbet is delivered there every year.
• The aid station is positioned every 2 km. Water, sport-drink and food were served sufficiently.
• The number of toilets on the course was enough. There were several reed bushes.
• At the 41 km point, I saw Mr. N, my running mate, with whom I started from the same point, in front of me and I could finally catch up with him. I once competed with him at the final stage and I was defeated. Therefore, this time, I passed him and rushed to the goal with heart and soul. And finally, I could defeat him!! I was very satisfied.
• Goal time was 4 hours 09 minutes 26 seconds. Much better than I expected since I thought it might take more than 4 hours 30 minutes.
• After the race, we had a drink party on the turf with beer and Japanese sake. It was sunny and warm and we enjoyed very much until almost 4:00 PM.
• The time limit of the race is 7 hours and thus when we were going back to the station, the runners were still coming back to the goal.
• I came back to Higashi-kurume with Mr. F and we dropped in the Japanese pub and had the second drink party with him. We entered there as soon as the pub opened at 5:00 PM. We were the first customers there!
• We got enough beer and Japanese sake and were drunken. I reached home around 6:00 PM. I took shower and shortly went to bed. I was exhausted.
• By the way, a lot of young gals joined the race. Good for middle-aged men!!

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