Akiyoshidai Marathon (第17回秋吉台カルスト高原健康マラソン)

Yamaguchi Prefecture will be be hosting the 17th Akiyoshidai Marathon on March 4th. If I haven’t mentioned it to you before, almost every race in Japan is referred to as a marathon (マラソン); maybe the name just sounds more impressive. It doesn’t matter whether you’re running a 5K or the full distance (42.195 km): marathon.

I mentioned this once to a fellow runner who happened to be Japanese; he didn’t know the history of the run in ancient Greece. Although I’m confident many Japanese people were taught Greek history in school (my students have refreshed my memory about a few mythology details), this does go to show how katakana (foreign Japanese writing) is used in society – it means nothing; it’s just a name, like mine. You can go into Starbucks and order a プリミムホトチョコレト (premium hot chocolate), and then have to specify whether you want it あたたかい (atatakai, hot for drinks) or つめたい (tsumetai, iced).

Half Marathon (ハーフ)
Start Time 10:50 AM
Price 3000円

10K (10 キーロ)
Start Time 11:05 AM
Price 3000円

5K (5 キーロ)
Start Time 11:10 AM
Price 3000円

If you’re commuting from Hiroshima, you’re probably going to want to have a friend with a car, or take the Shinkansen early. I’m not sure if the station is near the starting line.

You can only register online for this race here, but like always, you need a Runnet account if you’re not registered. If you’re unfamiliar with the Kanji, feel free to email me.

Take a look at some of the pictures along the course (コース): this promises to be a rather scenic race, although I can’t guarantee sunny weather. If only the cherry blossoms were out early…

Official race website

The deadline to sign up is February 2nd