Hokkaido Marathon

First, the good. The course is nice. Mostly flat with a limited number of rolling hills. The fans were great. So many people of all ages yelling 'Gambatte kudasai'. It was a fun environment. Sapporo is a wonderful city to visit and is worth a couple of days in addition to marathon day to explore and shop in. The 9AM start time is a bit later than we are used to in Taiwan and while a little earlier wouldn't hurt, it was tolerable, especially for those of us used to the heat. Now, the not so good. The official race website says that runners will be aligned behind the invited runners in order of submitted times. I submitted a 3:06 time so I fully expected to be placed in the front of five groups. However, this is not what happened. After initially being put in the 'E' (last) group, for whatever reason I don't know, they moved me up to the 'C' group. They told me that 'A' and 'B' groups were reserved for 'Registered Japanese runners' and was told that 'this is how we do it in Japan.' This, of course, meant that a large number of 4-5 hour marathon runners were in front of me at the start. The first four kilometers were a dreadful chore of navigating through slow runners, putting a lot of stress on the quads while losing a lot of time at the same time. I feel like all of my training and preparation to get a Boston Qualifier time was wasted. I never had a chance. I am not a strong enough runner (yet) to overcome those obstacles to get a BQ. If you are looking for a BQ or PR and are not a registered Japanese runner, avoid this race at all costs. If you are just going for enjoyment, by all means, make the trip. Other than the race, I really enjoyed my time in Sapporo.

There were 8,000 runners, and no costumes - just the way I like it. It's a small event; there's not much of an expo, no advertising, etc. Not much English is spoken there, so you may have to learn a Japanese word or two. Everyone was friendly and helpful. The volunteers and spectators seemed to enjoy the foreign runners. I ran a PB, and had a great day.

They have a 12:10 p.m. start in summer. This says it all. In '06 we had the worst conditions ever for the race. Slowest winning time in 20 years, lowest # of runners under 2:40 (34) since 1991). Conditions not withstanding, the organisers COULD start it at 8 a.m. (time enough for when the trains start at 6), and spare people a lot of pain, etc. But I was told, "This is Japan. All races start at 12:10." Nonsense - Nagano starts at 8:45. These guys obviously are more interested in making money from sponsors and the media than staging a proper marathon. If you want/need a time to qualify for other Japanese marathons (e.g. Fukuoka) and you can handle the heat, this is an ok race - the course is very fast. For fun or a PR, do not waste your time. Kinki Nippon Travel, which handles applications for foreigners, is completely incompetent. Again, another sign they are not concerned about athletes.