Running with the elite pack
2006-03-02
Brett Larner
The Japanese marathon scene is unique in featuring a circuit of races with very fast qualifying times; each attracts hundreds of domestic runners and some of the world's top elite. Drawing so many domestic athletes able to meet such standards to even a single race, let alone a circuit, is unthinkable anywhere else in the world but Kenya or Ethiopia. Men's races include those in Fukuoka, Tokyo, Biwako, Beppu-Oita and Hofu, with standards from 2:27 to 2:50. By comparison, the legendary Boston Marathon has a men's qualifying time of 3:10 with slower standards for runners over age 35. Japanese races also feature checkpoint times a runner must meet in order to continue, right up to the finish.
In March 2005, I ran the Tokyo Arakawa Citizen Marathon in a 2:36:17 PB which qualified me for the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon in Kyushu. After recovering from the ING New York City Marathon the following November I had less than 10 weeks to rebuild my mileage, train with intensity, then taper. I thought I would probably not be able to run a PB and decided that instead of my usual careful pacing I would try to run my dream 2:27 marathon pace of 3:30/km until the 30km point without worrying about the consequences in the final stages of the race.
Beppu-Oita tends to be windy as the course follows a horseshoe-shaped ocean bay. The day before the race lived up to this reputation with snow and gusting winds greeting me at Oita airport. Registration required certification of eligibility from Japan's national track and field association. After check-in, there was a lavish banquet with speakers such as Morishita Koichi, a 1992 Olympic silver medallist and Beppu-Oita winner. We were seated based on our qualifying times; it was a chance to meet runners of similar ability with whom we would be competing. Many seemed to be curious about me since I was one of only two amateur non-Japanese entrants. There was a tangible sense of the race's long history, runners pride in taking part and a camaraderie I've never experienced at a marathon.
On your mark, get set, go!
Brett Larner
Race morning saw clear skies and little wind. As people began their ritual warm-ups, I ran a few laps of the track before stretching and saw several elite Japanese I recognized. There was a group of elite Kenyans warming up together, and my friend Kuri-san. TV camera crews were scattered around the stadium. At 11:50 officials called the 400 or so runners - twice the normal number as this was an anniversary year - to line up in rows of 20 by qualifying time. I was in the 7th row, just behind course record holder and 1996 Olympic gold medallist Gert Thys.
The starting gun fired and after one and a half laps of the track we hit the streets. I ran behind Kuri-san in a pack doing 3:30/km. It was windier than I had thought but not yet a problem. I noticed Uladzimir Tsiamchyk, an invited elite from Belarus, drop out just beyond 6km at about the same time that Kuri-san slowed to his goal pace of 3:35/km. As we hit a long section snaking along the water at the foot of a steep mountainside I pulled away from the 3:30 pack and moved up on a smaller group running a Fukuoka International Marathon qualifying pace. The wind was increasing and I didn't want to fight it alone so I caught the Fukuoka pack at 16km and tried to fall in with them. I couldn't catch their rhythm and kept having to avoid stepping on heels so I went back to my own pace, pulling away and targeting two pairs ahead. Soon 20km passed with a 34:50 split, then halfway in 1:13:36. My 3rd fastest-ever half marathon and it felt effortless. I started to get excited that with the tailwind on the return trip I might have a shot at sub-2:27.
Entering Beppu, we were widely spaced and to my surprise spectators cheered me by name. At 24km the lead pack went by in the other direction. Rounding the turnaround point at 25.5km I was dismayed to find a stronger headwind coming from offshore; given the shape of the bay we had a headwind in both directions. I kept on pace, reaching 30km with a split of 34:59 which met my goal. I was stunned to pass Takayuki Nishida, a 2:08 marathoner with the fastest time ever run at Beppu-Oita by a Japanese athlete.
Nearing the finish line
On pace and in 25th place at 35k, the combination of wind, inadequate training and my challenging pace began to take its toll. I walked seven times in the final 4km. Many runners passed me but I was able to catch a few more including one of Japan's top corporate runners. To my chagrin, Kuri-san went by with 200m to go on the final lap in the stadium. I finished in 42nd place in 2:34:43, a PB despite the walking, receiving an enormous towel emblazoned with the race logo. Gert Thys won in 2:09. Most runners skipped the award ceremony and went straight to the locker rooms to get out of the wind.
Beppu is one of Japan's centers for hot springs and many were free for marathoners. I went to three and all were full of runners sharing stories. Many people, runners and non- runners alike, said they looked forward to meeting again next year. In all, it was very exciting to be among some of Japan's top runners and to be part of an event few amateur foreign athletes will ever run. I was satisfied with my performance as a steppingstone to my next marathon. It's often windy and the Beppu-Oita course is fast but I would recommend it for any marathoner able to meet the entry standards.
Larner's next marathon will be a sub-2:27 attempt in fall 2006, either in Chicago or Ohtawara, Japan. His long-term running goal is to run the 150th Boston Marathon in a faster time than he ran the 100th Boston Marathon. To learn more about the annual Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon see: http://www.mainichi-jigyoubu.jp/betsudai/index2.html.
