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And they're off

17 Comments

Runners fill the street at the start of the Tokyo Marathon in Shinjuku on Sunday. About 36,000 runners participated in the event.

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roughneck: Maybe you haven't heard, being popular is not always being right. Else Justin Bieber would be a really good singer and the earth would go around the Kardashians.

Being a fan of neither the Beib nor the Kardashians, I don't disagree with the sentiment. What I disagree with is your trying to make some kind of a point about something that is relatively inconsequential in the scheme of things and probably doesn't cause nearly as much disruption to your life as you're making out. Your sentiment towards people doing something as a way to set fitness goals, to encourage themselves to keep exercising or just for the beauty of a challenge is a bit off too for so many reasons, starting with the idea that it's a good thing for a country's people to want to be fit and if the goal of running a marathon encourages them to do that then that's a good thing and dare I say, more beneficial to the overall social and economic health of the country than whatever it is you're doing driving around for a few hours on a Sunday, one Sunday out of the year.

If I need to keep track of "Tokyo Marathon" before I need to go out driving, it must be as disruptive as snow storm!

I'm not really sure what your point is there but I didn't say you should "keep track of the marathon". My point was simply that you could find alternative routes. As for the marathon being as disruptive as a snow storm, hardly. A snowstorm will put out most of the streets, not the few along the course. The effects of a snowstorm can last for days while the marathon is over by mid-afternoon. A snowstorm doesn't give a month's warning so that whingy drivers can plot alternate routes. The marathon does. Get over it. No one likes a whiner especially one whining about how he can't drive his car one Sunday out of the year because those rotten marathoners are taking over every single street in the city!

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Justin Bieber would be a really good singer

Say what you want about his antics, I'm most definitely not a fan, but the kid is a great singer.

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That's your opinion and you're certainly entitled to it but the 36,000 runners, the 300,000 plus who applied to run it and the millions who watch it live and on the telly undoubtedly disagree....

Maybe you haven't heard, being popular is not always being right. Else Justin Bieber would be a really good singer and the earth would go around the Kardashians.

If you know exactly when the marathon occurs and what the course is, including the blocked routes...

If I need to keep track of "Tokyo Marathon" before I need to go out driving, it must be as disruptive as snow storm!

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roughneck: If you want to run, run any day. No need make it a business earning 360 million yen (and more from the sponsors) for 1 day and annoy all the drivers who are forced to go out, knowing that some Low self-esteem person feeling the urge of "proving themselves" will be clogging the road.

That's your opinion and you're certainly entitled to it but the 36,000 runners, the 300,000 plus who applied to run it and the millions who watch it live and on the telly undoubtedly disagree with you and your odd assessment of the runners as "low self-esteem person".

You get your self-satisfaction of being able run, good for you. The organizers get showered by the money of all of you "Being Fit" lovers...good for them.

Yes, how terrible of those people to want to be fit and enjoy a run with other people. That aside, I'd say that the winners get far more than the "self-satisfaction of being able to run". The top runners win up to 17,250,000 yen and make a very descent living trying "to prove themselves".

We, those who need to go out and drive, get nothing more than annoyance.

If you know exactly when the marathon occurs and what the course is, including the blocked routes, which are posted well in advance, when not just plan an alternate route and stop your whinging? It really makes it seem like you don't have any self-esteem and just have something to prove.

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It causes traffic jams for one day out of the year. Can't you walk, ride a bicycle or take the excellent public transportation that Tokyo has to offer that one day out of the year and not contribute to the traffic jams? Or better yet, just keep your whiny self home that day

I don't like to change my plan of travel for others' "feeling of being fit". There are 52 Sundays, and they take 1 away. If you want to run, run any day. No need make it a business earning 360 million yen (and more from the sponsors) for 1 day and annoy all the drivers who are forced to go out, knowing that some Low self-esteem person feeling the urge of "proving themselves" will be clogging the road. You get your self-satisfaction of being able run, good for you. The organizers get showered by the money of all of you "Being Fit" lovers...good for them. We, those who need to go out and drive, get nothing more than annoyance.

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I completed my 1st ever marathon at the Tokyo Marathon 2014 yesterday. My unofficial time is 4 hour 26 minutes, 27 seconds. I started at the G BLOCK, target time was 4 hours and 30 minutes.

The support from the crowd was pretty amazing! "GANBARE! GANBATTE KUDASAI! FIGHT-O! FIGHT-O!". We kept hearing these encouragement from start to finish.

From km33, the calves/legs spray provided by some of the spectators were really a great help.

February 23, 2014 - This date will be forever itched in my memory!

Otsukaresama-deshita!

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roughneck: This event every year causes traffic jam.

It causes traffic jams for one day out of the year. Can't you walk, ride a bicycle or take the excellent public transportation that Tokyo has to offer that one day out of the year and not contribute to the traffic jams? Or better yet, just keep your whiny self home that day.

Can't they held it somewhere else? May be somewhere in Saitama or farther where they have wider roads?

But then they'd have to change the name from the Tokyo Marathon to the Saitama or Farther Where They Have Wider Roads Marathon. It just doesn't really roll off the tongue the same way.

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This event every year causes traffic jam. Can't they held it somewhere else? May be somewhere in Saitama or farther where they have wider roads?

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I am so happy being a non sport guy!

Packed all week long in the subway and paying to do the same on the weekend. Have fun!

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wild_one: How long before the last runner crosses the Start Line at the beginning of the race?

I was probably about 70% of the way back, and it took me 10 min 9 sec to cross the start line. Still managed to finish in 3:48 - personal best!

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Don't expect your personal best time if you're at the back of that pack.

I had a start number close to 10,000 and I came nowhere near my personal best. As always I am happy to have completed it.

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How long before the last runner crosses the Start Line at the beginning of the race?

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Damn I have to drive into the city now, hope you all had personal bests & are now off having a cold one celebrating!!!

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Where's Wally or Waldo?

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I wanted to go to Odaiba to watch the winners finish, but my bed was too warm.

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Sato-san, is that you in the photo?

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36,000? Don't expect your personal best time if you're at the back of that pack.

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