Tokyo Marathon 2015 Race Experience
My apologies for such a delayed post and have it dated after my race day in February 2015.
Now, to talk more about my actual experience in Tokyo Marathon 2015 which was in 22 February 2015.
I used the chance to explore around the race route area (mainly Asakusa area and Shinjuku area). As my hotel was near the start point, I have enough exposure and familiarity with the start point and how much time is needed to enter into the corral start on the actual race day.
As I stayed near to the start point, I woke up at 630am feeling fresh and had a quick breakfast before heading out to the luggage deposit point. This edition Tokyo Marathon’s emphasis is on security. So, items that are deemed to be dangerous are forced to be disposed, with a maximum of 200ml of liquid allowed only to the event. Before the race started, we need to deposit our stuff which we could do so easily by locating the truck number and it took only a few seconds to do so. As I did not take a photo of the bag deposit truck, have a look at another runner who did the race and had a photo (click here to see. Source credited to Randall Wu). There were also policemen who stepped up as Ekiden runners who patrolled the race route in 8 teams, ensuring runners’ safety (source: http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASH244TH3H24UTIL01S.html & http://japanrunningnews.blogspot.sg/2015/02/64-riot-police-to-run-tokyo-marathon.html )
Not to forget, this year’s Tokyo Marathon had a slight drizzle which most of us were in disposable raincoats or used jackets in the race corrals before being flagged off. The race bibs we had will determine the race corrals to be in (e.g. A for the elites, B to G groups for below 3 to 4 hours and up to J). The event was also live telecast from 9am to 4pm (Japan timing) and I managed to spot the TV crews during my run. I was at the “G” corral, so there was a 10 minutes late start for gun timing), it was lively with crowd support and cheering to start the race with a bang and dry fireworks in the sky before starting the race officially.
Plenty of chances to high five with the crowd and official photo/video shots points from the race organizer at points with clear signboards to see! However, as i was aiming to improve my timing from 2014's Osaka Marathon, I didn't get to do so much interaction with the crowd support and instead felt the positive vibes from them while I was running! =)
Similar to Osaka Marathon 2014, the drinks (water & isotonic) & food stations were really plenty unlike Singapore races with just a few tables. Long rows of tables can be seen (estimated 20-30 tables) and there was no need to grab drinks from the first table. Both the race volunteers and the unofficial crowd support were excellent! I drank and ate cube-sized chocolate pieces, cold herbal iced green tea, crackers, sports candies, bananas, swiss cake rolls, freshly sliced oranges, cherry tomatoes and many many more from even crowd supporters! Just recalling them and looking at the photos really had me nostalgic and saving up more resources to do future Japanese running events.
One noticeable observation was that the costume runners were more muted/toned down (as in outrageous) as compared to Osaka Marathon 2014 due to the tighter security check for this year's event. Even so, we were able to see quite a number of costume runners which were a sight to behold and some sources which showcase their creativity/uniqueness:
1) https://outsiderintokyo.wordpress.com/2015/02/22/tokyo-marathon-2015/
2) http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/02/23/national/tokyo-marathon-2015/ (good photos presentation which showcased most costume runners)
3) http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2015/02/23/photos-tokyo-marathon/#slide/1
The race route for Tokyo Marathon 2015 is as follows:
Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku --> Iidabashi --> the Imperial Palace --> Hibiya --> Shinagawa --> Ginza --> Nihombashi --> Asakusa Kaminarimon --> Tsukiji before finishing at the Tokyo Big Sight which is Japan's largest exhibition and convention centre in Ariake.
0-10km (Shinjuku --> Hibiya)
The first km was crowded due to the huge number of runners and once we started running, the running path was quite spacious and easy to navigate round the crowd. After clearing the 3km mark, I saw my Japanese host (Makiko) with her friend, Jes taking photos of Singapore runners who did the event, stopped for a moment to say hello to them and had a photo taken by them. So thankful to see familiar faces while I was doing the marathon =)
Credits to Tokyo Marathon Singapore Contingent Facebook Group.
Time check based on nett timing (ignored gun timing as a 8-10 minutes delay happened) when i completed was about 59 minutes and I saw the 10km finishing point for the challenge runners at Hibiya park. From then, it was onwards to the next stretch of the race.
10-21.1km (half way mark)
I will say it is consistent pacing and not feeling worn out as at that time. In fact, I was slowly building up the speed and getting ready to have my first few "running winds" to enjoy crusing through the race route. By then, I have cleared the Shinagawa and Ginza area.
21.1 to 30km mark (experiencing some speed surge)
This was when I was able to take advantage of my conservative pacing and starting to enjoy the post rewards from my training runs. I was so glad to see the many tables of food (cube-sized chocolate pieces, cold herbal iced green tea, crackers, sports candies, bananas, swiss cake rolls, freshly sliced oranges, cherry tomatoes and many many more from even crowd supporters!). At one point, I even saw pepsi coke offered by a volunteer and I was amazed by the dedication of the volunteer to offer drinks to the race runners.
Before ending the 30km stretch, I bypassed by the Asakusa area Kaminarimon temple which I have attached sentimental value to the place of worship =) Having seen the temple, it was a confidence booster to me and onwards to the final 12km stretch!
30 to 37km mark
Indeed, the final 12km stretch would have runners starting to slow down and this was really mental for most race participants, including myself although I was able to record negative splits up to the 37km mark and bypassing the famous Tsujiki area (known for its wet markets selling fresh sea produce). From there, it was 5km more to go before I could end the race and felt triumphant over completing the event =) It was a pity I wasn't able to see the second unofficlal support station by our Japanese hosts to say hello to them -__-
38 to 42.2km (Finishing stretch)
Started to see the few slopes/speed bumps to take away my energy level and with regrets, I wasn't able to finish strong for the last 2 km due to fatigue by then and not pacing myself well. When I finally reached Tokyo Big sight, i knew the end was near and really thankful to see the finishing point! =D
Post/After Race
After I completed the race, there is an orderly queue to collect food (bananas, orange, 2 energy bars from CalorieMate), drinks (one bottle of Pocari Sweat and mineral water), one can of Asahi zero beer, small sample of Salon Pas pain spray. A carrier bag is given for the race finishers to put all the items inside which I felt was a great gesture and consideration by the race organiser! *impressed*
Race volunteers will don the finisher towel and medal on you and congrats you for a great job done! When collecting our race baggage deposit, the race volunteers will pass it to you and applause you for a great job done! I have to say words failed me when i got to experience it in person. :thumbsup:
From the Tokyo Marathon 2015 website, about 94% completed the event within cut off timing of 7 hours which was impressive by stanard. Not to forget the sweeper buses picking up runners unable to finish the event within the 7 hours cut off timing.
Here are the official links for race results and photos link:
http://p.tokyo42195.org/numberfile/82151.html (provisional results)
http://r.tokyo42195.org/numberfile/82151.html (actual results)
http://www.tokyo42195.org/2015/result/index.php (detailed results of nationality with conditions)
Screenshot of my race result
Noticed the negative splits from 20km mark onwards as I had started slowly in the beginning.
The only regret was that I didn't had enough tank to finish the last km swiftly leading to a slower split time towards the end.
Few photos taken after completing the marathon with other runners
With 2 male runners which I know through the facebook group
Another group photos with other runners who have finished Tokyo Marathon 2015 with our country's flag.
Conclusion
Indeed a world class event from race registration up to the race finishing which i could once again feel the Japanese race organiser's excellent execution of the event! A few points I had were the heavy pricing of the Tokyo Marathon 2015 photos (twice Osaka Marathon 2014's price) and the lack of a post race survey to collect feedback from runners to further improve the event quality. I have received my hardcopy certificate on 2 April 2015 (Thursday) by postal mail and the photo as below:
Edit: As I didn't purchase the collection of running photos, so please pardon me if you don't see much of my race photos here.
Now, to talk more about my actual experience in Tokyo Marathon 2015 which was in 22 February 2015.
I used the chance to explore around the race route area (mainly Asakusa area and Shinjuku area). As my hotel was near the start point, I have enough exposure and familiarity with the start point and how much time is needed to enter into the corral start on the actual race day.
As I stayed near to the start point, I woke up at 630am feeling fresh and had a quick breakfast before heading out to the luggage deposit point. This edition Tokyo Marathon’s emphasis is on security. So, items that are deemed to be dangerous are forced to be disposed, with a maximum of 200ml of liquid allowed only to the event. Before the race started, we need to deposit our stuff which we could do so easily by locating the truck number and it took only a few seconds to do so. As I did not take a photo of the bag deposit truck, have a look at another runner who did the race and had a photo (click here to see. Source credited to Randall Wu). There were also policemen who stepped up as Ekiden runners who patrolled the race route in 8 teams, ensuring runners’ safety (source: http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASH244TH3H24UTIL01S.html & http://japanrunningnews.blogspot.sg/2015/02/64-riot-police-to-run-tokyo-marathon.html )
Not to forget, this year’s Tokyo Marathon had a slight drizzle which most of us were in disposable raincoats or used jackets in the race corrals before being flagged off. The race bibs we had will determine the race corrals to be in (e.g. A for the elites, B to G groups for below 3 to 4 hours and up to J). The event was also live telecast from 9am to 4pm (Japan timing) and I managed to spot the TV crews during my run. I was at the “G” corral, so there was a 10 minutes late start for gun timing), it was lively with crowd support and cheering to start the race with a bang and dry fireworks in the sky before starting the race officially.
Plenty of chances to high five with the crowd and official photo/video shots points from the race organizer at points with clear signboards to see! However, as i was aiming to improve my timing from 2014's Osaka Marathon, I didn't get to do so much interaction with the crowd support and instead felt the positive vibes from them while I was running! =)
Similar to Osaka Marathon 2014, the drinks (water & isotonic) & food stations were really plenty unlike Singapore races with just a few tables. Long rows of tables can be seen (estimated 20-30 tables) and there was no need to grab drinks from the first table. Both the race volunteers and the unofficial crowd support were excellent! I drank and ate cube-sized chocolate pieces, cold herbal iced green tea, crackers, sports candies, bananas, swiss cake rolls, freshly sliced oranges, cherry tomatoes and many many more from even crowd supporters! Just recalling them and looking at the photos really had me nostalgic and saving up more resources to do future Japanese running events.
One noticeable observation was that the costume runners were more muted/toned down (as in outrageous) as compared to Osaka Marathon 2014 due to the tighter security check for this year's event. Even so, we were able to see quite a number of costume runners which were a sight to behold and some sources which showcase their creativity/uniqueness:
1) https://outsiderintokyo.wordpress.com/2015/02/22/tokyo-marathon-2015/
2) http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/02/23/national/tokyo-marathon-2015/ (good photos presentation which showcased most costume runners)
3) http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2015/02/23/photos-tokyo-marathon/#slide/1
The race route for Tokyo Marathon 2015 is as follows:
Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku --> Iidabashi --> the Imperial Palace --> Hibiya --> Shinagawa --> Ginza --> Nihombashi --> Asakusa Kaminarimon --> Tsukiji before finishing at the Tokyo Big Sight which is Japan's largest exhibition and convention centre in Ariake.
0-10km (Shinjuku --> Hibiya)
The first km was crowded due to the huge number of runners and once we started running, the running path was quite spacious and easy to navigate round the crowd. After clearing the 3km mark, I saw my Japanese host (Makiko) with her friend, Jes taking photos of Singapore runners who did the event, stopped for a moment to say hello to them and had a photo taken by them. So thankful to see familiar faces while I was doing the marathon =)
Credits to Tokyo Marathon Singapore Contingent Facebook Group.
Time check based on nett timing (ignored gun timing as a 8-10 minutes delay happened) when i completed was about 59 minutes and I saw the 10km finishing point for the challenge runners at Hibiya park. From then, it was onwards to the next stretch of the race.
10-21.1km (half way mark)
I will say it is consistent pacing and not feeling worn out as at that time. In fact, I was slowly building up the speed and getting ready to have my first few "running winds" to enjoy crusing through the race route. By then, I have cleared the Shinagawa and Ginza area.
21.1 to 30km mark (experiencing some speed surge)
This was when I was able to take advantage of my conservative pacing and starting to enjoy the post rewards from my training runs. I was so glad to see the many tables of food (cube-sized chocolate pieces, cold herbal iced green tea, crackers, sports candies, bananas, swiss cake rolls, freshly sliced oranges, cherry tomatoes and many many more from even crowd supporters!). At one point, I even saw pepsi coke offered by a volunteer and I was amazed by the dedication of the volunteer to offer drinks to the race runners.
Before ending the 30km stretch, I bypassed by the Asakusa area Kaminarimon temple which I have attached sentimental value to the place of worship =) Having seen the temple, it was a confidence booster to me and onwards to the final 12km stretch!
30 to 37km mark
Indeed, the final 12km stretch would have runners starting to slow down and this was really mental for most race participants, including myself although I was able to record negative splits up to the 37km mark and bypassing the famous Tsujiki area (known for its wet markets selling fresh sea produce). From there, it was 5km more to go before I could end the race and felt triumphant over completing the event =) It was a pity I wasn't able to see the second unofficlal support station by our Japanese hosts to say hello to them -__-
38 to 42.2km (Finishing stretch)
Started to see the few slopes/speed bumps to take away my energy level and with regrets, I wasn't able to finish strong for the last 2 km due to fatigue by then and not pacing myself well. When I finally reached Tokyo Big sight, i knew the end was near and really thankful to see the finishing point! =D
Post/After Race
After I completed the race, there is an orderly queue to collect food (bananas, orange, 2 energy bars from CalorieMate), drinks (one bottle of Pocari Sweat and mineral water), one can of Asahi zero beer, small sample of Salon Pas pain spray. A carrier bag is given for the race finishers to put all the items inside which I felt was a great gesture and consideration by the race organiser! *impressed*
Race volunteers will don the finisher towel and medal on you and congrats you for a great job done! When collecting our race baggage deposit, the race volunteers will pass it to you and applause you for a great job done! I have to say words failed me when i got to experience it in person. :thumbsup:
From the Tokyo Marathon 2015 website, about 94% completed the event within cut off timing of 7 hours which was impressive by stanard. Not to forget the sweeper buses picking up runners unable to finish the event within the 7 hours cut off timing.
Here are the official links for race results and photos link:
http://p.tokyo42195.org/numberfile/82151.html (provisional results)
http://r.tokyo42195.org/numberfile/82151.html (actual results)
http://www.tokyo42195.org/2015/result/index.php (detailed results of nationality with conditions)
Screenshot of my race result
Noticed the negative splits from 20km mark onwards as I had started slowly in the beginning.
The only regret was that I didn't had enough tank to finish the last km swiftly leading to a slower split time towards the end.
Few photos taken after completing the marathon with other runners
With 2 male runners which I know through the facebook group
Another group photos with other runners who have finished Tokyo Marathon 2015 with our country's flag.
Conclusion
Indeed a world class event from race registration up to the race finishing which i could once again feel the Japanese race organiser's excellent execution of the event! A few points I had were the heavy pricing of the Tokyo Marathon 2015 photos (twice Osaka Marathon 2014's price) and the lack of a post race survey to collect feedback from runners to further improve the event quality. I have received my hardcopy certificate on 2 April 2015 (Thursday) by postal mail and the photo as below:
Edit: As I didn't purchase the collection of running photos, so please pardon me if you don't see much of my race photos here.