DRun_AprilJune_07 4/4/07 5:19 pm Page 35 Tokyo City Marathon, Japan. FEBRUARY 18 Talk of the town 2007 By Akemi Nakamura, staff Honolulu Marathon’s resounding writer for Japan Times success was built upon Japanese participation. Japanese mass Reprinted by kind permission of runners gradually found other races Japan Times, Feb 20, 2007 issue. to participate in, even further afield. Over the last five years interested It was a long time brewing, but the parties from Japan – the athletic expected whirlwind finally swept authorities, the City government through the city of Tokyo on 18 and the police – have sent sizeable February 2007. More than 30,000 delegations to observe the big city people from around the world ran marathons in action. New York, through the Shinjuku, Ginza and Berlin, London have all been visited Asakusa districts in the realisation several times, among other places. of a long-prepared plan to bring Watching, learning and planning, mass marathon running to the the various co-operating parties had streets of the Japanese capital. pieced together this event with great care. For decades Japan has been a leading light in the marathon world. The first indication of success came Olympic victories stretch from 1936 when the organisers received through to the last two occasions, 95,000 applications for the 25,000 2000 and 2004. The restricted-field places available (the other 5000 elite races run through the streets of places were for a supporting 10km Tokyo had long attracted hundreds race). Over two thousand of those of thousands of enthusiastic flag- who ran were from overseas, waving locals onto the streets, and compared to the handful of invited television viewership of such athletes that used to come to the spectacles has always been the envy elite-only events. They came from of TV sports producers elsewhere in 49 countries, and given the relative the world. distance they had to travel to get to Japan, this figure compares So why did it take so long for the favourably with the 3,200 foreign inevitable to happen? Japan had runners from 46 countries attracted become used to the marathon by an established event like the model with which the entire world London Marathon [2003 figures]. grew up for three-quarters of the last century. The great changes that At 09.05 Tokyo Governor Shintaro © RUNNERS were wrought by the popular Ishihara fired the start gun outside running revolution of the late 1970s the Tokyo Metropolitan and early 1980s took place at a Government building in Shinjuku “It’s good to have a marathon time when Japan was experiencing ward, to set off 31 wheelchair unrivalled economic growth. athletes, who were competing in once a year. People looked Although Marathons have never either the 10km race or the full been taken anything less than marathon. Soon afterwards the so happy while they were seriously in Japan, allowing them to world-class competitive runners and cheering for the runners.” bring cities to a virtual standstill for the masses of amateur athletes were the best part of a day was never set off after them, as the rain seriously countenanced. poured down. marathon runners has always been normally Tokyo’s busiest, traffic Races staged in relatively rural After passing the Yasukuni Shrine strong, but as the clock ticked on was stopped for more than six locations, without such great and the Imperial Palace, the mass and the rain continued to fall, the hours. Police officers were pressure on road use, were able to runners reached Hibiya Park in cheers from the crowd along Hibiya everywhere along the course and increase their size significantly, but Chiyoda ward at around 10.00, Boulevard grew noticeably louder. medical support teams were for a true “Big City” marathon about 20 minutes behind the stationed at strategic points. More experience most Japanese mass leading group. This was something “This weather is the worst possible than 10,000 volunteers were used runners migrated to Honolulu. The new. Street support for elite for the runners and for us,” said to staff the refreshment stations and Masaaki Hashimoto, a member of act as course marshals to control Takahama Jogging Club in Chiba spectators. who had come out to see two fellow joggers take part. “It’s very Yoshie Gonda, a housewife from unusual [in Japan] for a full Koto ward came to the Ginza marathon to have a (maximum) district in Chuo ward for lunch. She time limit of seven hours. I wish I said that she had to get out of her could run.” taxi before arriving at Asakusa Station due to the traffic controls Tokyo is promoting itself as Japan’s put in place because of the candidate for the 2016 Olympic Marathon. “I had to walk in the Games, and this inaugural mass rain for a while,” said Gonda, who race provided an opportunity for is 70 years old. “But it’s good to the city powers to show their ability have a marathon once a year. to handle large scale sporting People looked so happy while they events. Hosting a mass race in were cheering for the runners.” central Tokyo is no easy task, all the more so because it has not been Despite the large number of seriously attempted before. On spectators, businesses along the © TOKYO MARATHON 2007 MARATHON © TOKYO some of the streets which are course appeared to have a tough Distance Running April – June 2007 35 DRun_AprilJune_07 4/4/07 5:20 pm Page 37 MEN: 1 Daniel NJENGA KEN 2:09:45 2Tomoyuki SATO JPN 2:11:22 3 Satoshi IRIFUNE JPN 2:12:44 4 Masashi HAYASHI JPN 2:15:28 5Kazuyoshi TOKUMOTO JPN 2:15:55 6 Vanderlei DE LIMA BRA 2:16:08 RESULT 7 Seiji KOBAYASHI JPN 2:17:13 8 Monabu ITAYAMA JPN 2:17:29 9Koji KANNAN JPN 2:18:03 10 Moges TAYE ETH 2:18:20 WOMEN: 1 Hitomi NIIYA JPN 2:31:02 2Mari TANIGAWA JPN 2:49:54 5Yuko ARIMORI JPN 2:52:45 © TOKYO MARATHON 2007 MARATHON © TOKYO best rating for the week. But the last time. Hiroki Ishikawa, manager of Masazumi Soejima, 36, crossed the medallist Yuko Arimori, another word should go to a citizen of the eel restaurant Tamai in the finish line at Tokyo Big Site in Koto special guest, came in fifth. Tokyo, who stood in the rain on that Nihonbashi district, said the event ward to win the wheelchair historic day: “I was moved by seemed to have hurt his trade. “On category. Daniel Njenga, a 30-year Television viewership figures were watching people with physical or Sunday, our restaurant usually old Kenyan who had already won another measure of the race’s mental disabilities running alongside becomes full as soon as we open at the 2004 Tokyo International success. At 23.6% this was Fuji TV’s other people,” said Oriko Nishimori. 11.30,” Ishikawa said. This was at Marathon, was the first runner to noon, and only one customer was finish, beating a field of invited elite seated there. He said he hoped that runners. In the women’s race no RACE CONTACT DETAILS people would come in after the race international runners had been TOKYO MARATHON, FEBRUARY was over and the traffic restrictions invited and it was a marathon Hideyuki Sasaki, C/O Yokiuri Shimbun Tokyo, Sports Planning Enterprise were lifted at around 15.00. “I debutante, 18-year old Hitomi Division, 2-9-2 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-8325 want the course to be changed Miya from Okayama Prefecture, Tel: +81 3 5320 6896 Fax: +81 3 5388 1739 (next time),” he grumbled. who was the first woman home Email: [email protected] Inet: www.tokyo42195.com with a very respectable time of Exactly 92 minutes and 21 seconds 2:31:01. Two-time Olympic Full race contact listings start on page 70 after the race had started, Distance Running April – June 2007 37.