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| My Red Big Nose |
Perhaps due to the cold weather, I was suffering from the flu and cough when I touched down in Japan. For the whole night, I have been tossing on my bed, waking up a few times to take medicine wishfully thinking my sickness would go away miraculously. It was not a pleasant night for me. In the end, we woke up around 7a.m.
The morning was freezing cold, probably at 4 degrees Celsius. I and Rosalind couldn’t make up our mind on what to wear for the run. At one end, we were worrying not wearing enough to keep us warm. On the other end, we were afraid it might be too warm once we started our run. Finally, we did a trial to get a feel of the temperature outside our room by running down to the vending machine at ground floor to buy some hot canned coffee.
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| All prepared for the run |
The Tokyo Marathon began at 9.10am in front of the Tokyo Government Office. We had a quick breakfast at the Japanese fast food chain opposite our hotel before taking a 20minutes train to the start point via the Chuo line. Inside the train, we saw quite a number of runners inside the train including families and supporters. Even before the run, I could feel the excitement surrounding me.
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| Outside the station exit, could start to see the deposit trucks loading bags |
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| I was a bit confused by the Signage |
We alighted at Shinjuku Station. As expected, the train station was crowded with runners and supporters. We could hear the station's announcement given to runners on the direction to exit together with the assistance from the marshals. Once we stepped out of the station, we were overrun by the whole marathon atmosphere. There was an English announcement made to inform that the baggage deposit area would be closing in ten minutes. Quickly, we put our bags into a clear deposit bag, wore our disposable poncho before parting from each other and headed towards the baggage trucks. I was assigned to G block based on my reported past marathons' completion time. Nevertheless, I hoped to run with Rosalind together and finding my way to K block instead. Unfortunately, I could not locate her and stuck inside the corral. The corral was about 2km from the start point and you have to be there within the gate closure time or you would be stopped by the gatekeeper.
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| Waiting for the run to start. |
The weather was perfect for the run. By this time (about 9 a.m.), the sun had came out and I could feel the warmth of sun ray on my face. The sky was clear blue with no cloud sighted. After a long wait of 15 minutes, I finally heard a loud bang to signal the start of the race with the sighting of thousand of balloons flying up into the sky. Adrenaline started to fill me in but the runners at K block still could not run. One by one, we moved slowly towards the starting line like a car being straggled in a traffic jam with marshals controlling the traffic flow.
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| Slow traffic moving towards the start line |
However, once we ventured across the start line, things were looking differently with wide road and passage welcoming the runners. There were supporters all around us shouting "Gambette Gamebette"!! As in any big races, the first few kilometres was a battle to keep a clear passage and avoid bumping into other runners. After zigzagging for about 3 kilometers, the run took its form. At this moment, my eyes were attracted by the various interesting costume runners around me than focusing on the run. Japan has been well-known as a land of cosplay, and it is by no means of exaggerating. I could see runners dressed up as different anime characters which included the supporters everywhere. Moreover, the supporters would come in groups, dancing and beating on the traditional Japanese drums to cheer for the runners. This made the whole marathon felt like a carnival or parade than a race itself.
It was bitterly cold when the chill wind blew through my body. Luckily, for the sunny weather with most of the route exposed to the sun, I could still able to tolerate the biting cold. At 5km mark, with enough body temperature generated from the run, I decided to forsake my disposable poncho. Nevertheless, it was still very windy on that day, and I had to keep lowering my head to protect my face using my cap from the wind.
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| Long Queue in front of the toilet |
Perhaps due to the cold that make me feel a sudden rush to pee, I began to look around for toilets. However, there were super long queues in front of the mobile toilets. The enthusiasm of the supporters everywhere could not allow me to find any private spot to finish my business. After running for 10 km trying to spot any empty queue, I gave up the idea and continue my run.
At the 18km mark, I spotted Rosalind near the U-turn point. I was happy that she was doing fine as I was worried she might not adapt to the cold temperature. If not for the 30mins queue for the toilet, she might not have DNF and made it for the cut-off time which I later found out after the run.
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| Running Route |
As for the running route, this year it passed several of the Tokyo's main tourist spots, including the Imperial Palace, Tokyo Tower, Asakusa and Ginza before end at Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba. After 20km, my run came to the Ginza shopping streets. It was only about 2 hrs passed but I could see many fast runners coming from the opposite lane. Tokyo marathon certainly lived up to its name for attracting top runners participating.
By 28km mark, my run started to deteriorate as I developed very bad cramps on my calves and tights for both legs. The supporters were cheering me up non-stop, smiling, waving and shouting "Gambette gambette". I acknowledged with a nod saying "Arigato". As I walked with my slow pace, my eyes were automatically caught hold of the various foods and goodies offered by the supporters on the sidelines. Among the food that I took was dark chocolate (my favor), candy, sushi, miso soup, cakes, bananas etc. The food was well prepared in generous portions and not cheap.
By this time, my run had transformed into a food tour. For the rest of the journey, I did a half-walk, half-run and many gobbling of the delicious food given by supporters. Eventually, I completed my marathon in 5:30hrs and was ushered into Big Sight where you would have your massage or change to a warmer clothes.
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| You got a big towel as a finisher's souvenir |
Although I did my worst marathon timing, but I am not disappointed. Participated in Tokyo Marathon was an unforgettable experience and I truly enjoyed it. The running was relatively flat with occasional rolling hills similar to Xiamen Marathon. The support from the crowd was overwhelming and amazing. You could see supporters everywhere for the entire 42km. The running route was excellent with very efficient logistics support from the volunteers. Furthermore, where would you see so many different and interesting running costumes except here?
