THE TOKYO MARATHON: SEVEN THINGS TO KNOW

The only Asian competition among the World Marathon Majors, the Tokyo Marathon (東京マラソン) is a fixed event for Japan, which this year will be held on March 6, as a recovery of the 2021 edition.

Runners from around the world © The Times of Israel

A marathon full of passion, inclusion and fun: we have listed for you seven things that you absolutely must know about this very important event.

1. History. The Tokyo Marathon was organized for the first time in 2007 , as a union of two marathons that had been held separately until that year, namely the "Tokyo International Marathon", a men's competition run since 1981, and the "Tokyo International Women's Marathon", women's race already present since 1979.

2. A race through Japanese history. The marathon is not just a sporting demonstration: the route, in fact, passes through the most important historical and tourist places in Tokyo . Starting from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shijuku, runners compete through major districts such as Ginza, Shinagawa, the Imperial Palace or the beautiful Hibiya Park, until reaching the final stop, Tokyo Station .
   The athletes reach the finish line in front of the famous Tokyo Station © tuttosport
   
   
3. A Japanese organization . As in many areas of Japanese life, even for the marathon, the watchwords are respect and punctuality : the rules of the competition are very precise and must be followed to the letter, under penalty of very severe sanctions. Latecomers, for example, are forced to start from the back and the audience is also different from that of marathons in the rest of the world: they cheer and encourage the runners with " Ganbare!" (頑張れ), translatable as “Come on guys!” , but without deafening noises, with respect for the athletes' effort.

4. The records. The Tokyo marathon saw thousands of runners and some of them achieved incredible results: in 2017 the Kenyan Wilson Kipsang won with a time of only 2h03'58'', the lowest ever achieved. But the records are also for women: in the last organized edition, that of 2020, the Israeli Lonah Chemtai Sapleter finished the race in just 2h17'45''.

5. An inclusive marathon. The competition is a meeting point for many people from all over the world: there are around 35,000 participants , drawn at random from over 300,000 annual applications. In addition to hosting men and women, both elite and amateur, the competition is also possible for wheelchair athletes , while 400 places are reserved for charity runners.

6. The oddities. In the homeland of anime, cosplay and manga, even a sporting event becomes an opportunity to have fun: competing alongside the classic runners, there are often superheroes, ninjas, historical or cartoon characters, just like in a real costume party .

7. A curiosity. Despite being organized in spring, for the first four years of the competition the runners had to face an additional problem: rain . In fact, 2011 was the first year in which the weather proved generous to the athletes who, again this year, hope to be able to compete in peace.

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