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8/26/2007

Northern Territories Nosappu Cape Half Marathon

I went to the Northern Territories Nosappu Cape Half Marathon over the weekend. I took a micro-bus there loaded with other runners from the Obihiro area. When I say micro, I mean micro. I had to sit in the guide's seat beside the driver because the area between seats was so small that I couldn't sit there. My knees were pressed up hard against the back of the seat in front of me. I thought I was lucky to be able to sit in the front seat until the ride home when, sun burned and tired, I had to ride for hours into the setting sun with no shade or protection of any kind.
The people on the bus were a good natured and jolly sort that loved to drink and razz each other on. I was surprised again, which I shouldn't have been, but they drank all the way to Nemuro, where the race was being held, drank before, during and after dinner, and then opened up cans of beer the moment they crossed the finish line after the race. They kept opening them for a few hours on the way home until the bus started to quite down as they finally dozed off into drunken slumber. But they weren't too bad as far as the drink goes. Even though it seemed they were drinking the whole time and that the race was only an excuse to drink, none of them got out of hand or overly boisterous.
After breakfast we all loaded into our micro-bus which took us to the Nemuro City Hall. There we got on much larger buses that carried us off to Cape Nosappu. Reception and the opening ceremony was held at the cape and then we were able to get back on to the buses which carried us to the starting line. One for the Half and one for the 10k. It was a straight course to the Nemuro City Hall. The course was full of hills and we were running into a headwind. It was hot. 76 degrees. Doesn't sound too hot but it was too hot for me running in the sun. I got a half body sunburn. Most course are out-and-back or loop courses so you get baked on both sides.
All along the way there were people watching and cheering us on. Especially, when we entered Nemuro, the numbers of people cheering us on increased as we made it down the last 4k to the killer hill at the end before entering the round about at city hall.
After finishing you were able to get a drink, some crab soup and some rice balls if you handed in your meal ticket. Inside city hall they were printing out certificates of completion?? with your time on it. There was a closing ceremony, awards ceremony and a lottery. Every year they give a prize to the person who came farthest for the race. Next year, if I go, I'm writing America instead of the town I'm living in. Since I can't place, that's about all I can do to take something home.

北方領土納沙布岬マラソン大会

今年も根室の北方領土納沙布岬マラソン大会に参加してきました。去年は1時間34分か、1時間44分で走りました。どちかは覚えていません。確認しないと。今回は1時間35分を目指していたけど、残念ながら1時間39分48秒しかだせなかった。私にとっては天気は暑くて大変でした。アップダウンが結構多いワーンウェーコースでした。ほとんど気持ちよく走れたけど、最後の4kmくらいはきつくなり、ペース上げることができなくて、ペースを維持するだけで必死でした。本当に心のかなで1時間30分で走りたいなぁと思っていたけど、現実的には1時間35くらいが可能だろうと思っていました。One wayコースだったので、日焼けもone wayでした。向かい風が時には厳しかったけど、どれぐらい影響あったかはわかりません。
応援はよかった。特に根室市街に入ってから日陰で応援してくれる市民は以外に多かった。もっとたくさん居てもいいと思いますが。
一緒に行った皆さんはかなり楽しんでいたみたいです。皆はよく飲むなぁ。すごい。それから走るんだからすごいと思いました。私は走り終わってからしばらく具合が悪くビールを飲むところではなかった。水とスポーツドリンクを必死に飲んでいました。

8/16/2007

十勝健康マラソン

第29回が終わり日専連の十勝健康マラソンは来年からないという連絡のはがきが来ました。豊頃町のサーモンマラソンにつつき、二つ目の十勝管内のマラソンがなくなりました。十勝では10k以上のマラソンはもうないですか。浦河町のピスカリマラソンがありますが、浦河町は十勝管内ですかなぁ。
After finishing it's 29th meet, the annual Tokachi Healthy (kenko) Marathon has come to an end! There will be no more. At least that is what a postcard that came in the mail from the organizers said the other day. After losing the Toyokoro Salmon Marathon two years ago, there are now now large foot races left in Tokachi! I'm not sure if you can consider Urakawa part of Tokachi, but it is the only race over 10k left near by.This is so sad. Hopefully the race in Honbetsu will gain momentum.

8/02/2007

The team at 5 am, after 12 hours of biking

This year we once again had a team in the All 12-Hour Japan Mama-Chari Endurance Race. What's a Mama-Chari? It's the bicycle. The race starts at 5pm and ends at 5am the next morning and is run on the Tokachi International Speedway, a racetrack. It was fun and something to be remembered. I even behaved very foolishly by paying lavish amounts of money for a t-shirt. Something that I kind of regret now. The team name was G-Power, keeping it the same as the year before, least some other teams be looking out for us. Last year we didn't get any media attention at all, which was pretty disappointing considering we live in a country were most everybody has an Asian face and straight black hair. However this year we did catch the attention of the announcer and of at least two media organizations and got a little write-up done about us in the local news. Apparently, our team was also videoed by a TV channel or something, but I wasn't there when they asked my teammates to dance like idiots for the camera. This I heard second hand. You will notice if you look at the newspaper clipping that I am not in that photo either. Bummer. But at least I did get my name mentioned.