Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon

Geared towards the Japanese runner market, but did offer some nice touches for foreign participants. Little chaotic at the start. Lots of entertainment on the route. Friendly enthusiastic supporters.

A little hard to secure accommodation but I got lucky. Spring weather was mild and the views of snow-capped mountains was memorable. The organizers provided complimentary train ride from Nagano to the start and buses from the finish back to Nagano (it's a point to point race), so do buffer enough time in your time management. I had no PR expectations other than to have a good time out on the course. Nagano is a small and cozy city to be visiting and I could be back again.

I was totally impressed with every aspect of this event. The fan support is like nothing I have ever seen. People everywhere and all kinds of entertainment! The course is fast and relatively flat. Weather was perfect. Since I was shooting for a PR (sub-3) time, I was concerned about the starting arrangement. I had read that foreigners are all placed in coral C, but that wasn't a big deal in my case. I didn't lose any time at the start and was actually surprised that so many people were going out very fast. One drawback is that if you do not speak Japanese (like me), you need to put in extra time planning and don't expect everything to be perfectly smooth. One tip - get to the start at least an hour before the start. I came about 45 min before and was a bit rushed figuring everything out. I got my PR easily and look forward to doing this race again.