This was my second marathon after the 2003 NYC marathon. Nagano was definitely a good experience. Well organized and a flat course, the race was a good training marathon for more races I plan to do later in the year.

The field was pretty amazing and inspiring - just over 6,000 (although I noticed that only 4,000 made the 5-hour cutoff). I was impressed by how many older marathoners there were - a large part of the field looked to be in their 60s or older.

There were a lot of spectators, however toward the latter parts of the race when support would have been good, they became almost completely quiet. Other gripes are that the course, while flat, was not exactly easy. There is no shade at all the whole way, and I wound up with a bad sunburn on a warm but not hot day. Also, there was a strong headwind for the last 10K that succeeded in lifting the topsoil from the farms we ran by - not too much fun to be eating dirt when you are just struggling through the last parts of the race.

Overall though, this was a good race. The little league team all dressed in their uniforms at the 12K mark waiting to high-five passersby brought a big smile to my face, as did the screaming schoolgirls at the 25K mark. Was also nice to see some people waving American flags - not really used to seeing openly friendly attitudes towards the US of A these days.

The Nagano Marathon is definitely worth checking out if you are based in Japan, and maybe hopping over if you are based in East Asia.

The course was probably not the most exciting, but I didn't see it. Many years ago I read that the Japanese fans are strange. They just wave the flags in total silence. Almost a surreal experience. As soon as I started, I couldn't believe my eyes, and ears. They were cheering so well, so loud, so enthusiastically, and there were so many of them. As a result, I was running constantly looking at their smiling faces, screaming 'Arigatoo' to their 'Gambatte!' (good luck) and smiling back to them. The Nagano fans can be compared only to NY, and are probably even better than in Boston. A lot of spectators were old people, many on wheelchairs, waving and screaming with no less enthusiasm than their younger countrymen and women. I wish the weather was a bit cooler, but it all depends on luck, and this year the marathon day was rather warm while a day earlier and the next day were cooler. Still, I enjoyed the Nagano Marathon very much, especially its great spectators.

It was an amazing place for a marathon. Great time of year, beautiful scenery, and a great course. I was especially impressed with how well organized the event was and the number of fans on the sidelines. I was smiling and nodding my head to the cheers until the last 10k when all I could concentrate on was putting one step in front of the other. The drums were an added bonus. It was a bit warm during the run and the last few kilometers seemed to stretch into a never-ending farmland for a while there, but the water/sports drink stations kept me going. Overall, a great day. I will definitely consider doing it again next year!

The marathon started at the Olympic Memorial Torch Platform in Yamanouch Town. It was a picture perfect starting-overlooking beautiful mountains surrounding the town. The first 10 KM was all downhill along the most beautiful cherry blossoms. The rest of the course was mostly flat and fast. However, there was no shade at all, it felt hotter than 18.5 degrees C. from the running on asphalt after a couple of hours. But, there were plenty of water and sports drinks at each refreshment station to cool me off, Japanese drummers to keep my pace, and enthusiastic 140,000 spectators. Eventually, I finished at Olympic Memorial Stadium.

This race was organized with the OLYMPIC TOUCH. Among some 5,000 runners, there were 15 elite runners from Africa, Greece, Poland, Russia, and China besides 14 Japanese invited runners.The whole race was broadcasted live on TV and a radio station. I got to watch reruns on TV at 2 AM at Sunroute Hotel.

There were fun cultural activities and ceremonies before and after the marathon. As a vacation marathoner, I went for the full effect-welcoming activites-Japanese drum playing and Japanese dancing at the registration desk at Big Hat, Nagano train station, opening ceremony, and farewell party (must-if you love great food and saki) at Hotel Kokusai. There were English interpreters at formal ceremonies.

It was a GREAT way to see and experience Japan! The Japan Travel Bureau did a good job in making foreign tourist-runners welcome!

So many spectators it became tiring to continuously high-five them all the way round! They cheer you on all the way round and really helped. Didn't find the weather too bad, although the downhill incline the first 5km or so may be a little tough on the knees. Beautiful course though, and a nice town to stay in for the weekend. I'm going back next year and looking forward to it already.

The people were lined up, it seemed, the entire 26.2 miles. The course became hot however. We started the race at 9:05 a.m. So, by 11:00 the road was hot. Luckily there was a lot of water stations. The race was extremely well organized and I used the Japan Travel Bureau (JTB) to assist with travel. I would definitely do this event again. Course overall is flat and finishes inside the Main Olympic Stadium. GO FOR IT!