I completed the Tokyo Marathon and my quest for the Abbott World Marathon Majors 6 Star Medal. The funny thing is that I could care less about medals, but the challenge of running “the Majors” is one that I’ve been working on since they launched the series in 2006. The Majors are New York, Chicago, Boston, London, Berlin and Tokyo. I did my first NYC in 1996, Boston in 1998, Chicago in 2001 and Berlin and London in 2024.
I didn’t know what to expect with the time change, travel and food in Tokyo. The Husband couldn’t make the dates work, so my friend Kathy volunteered to come along which was amazing. We decided to spend three days in Kyoto and then head to Japan from the Wednesday night before to Tuesday after the race.
We were super lucky with on time travel and made our way to Kyoto without incident. One thing about international marathoning for me is that I still want to see all the sights, walk all the steps and eat all the foods. With some running, I averaged 25 – 30K steps per day and I wouldn’t change that. Life’s too short and my time in the race was of no consequence to me. I’ve been feeling pretty burned out and wasn’t expecting to run particularly fast (for me).
We loved Kyoto and it was a bit of a shock when we got to Tokyo. We were staying in Shinjuku to be near the start and our hotel was near the busiest areas in Tokyo (like Times Square). The room was tiny. Thank goodness for Kathy being calm and organized, we settled in and made everything work! I also went on a running tour with Ihor from Go! Running Tours and realized that you could be in an OK place for running within a kilometer in any direction.
We went to the Tokyo Marathon Expo and were totally underwhelmed by it until we realized that there was a whole floor of expo downstairs. I grabbed my number and tried some Pocari Sweat and some sweet bean jelly. I didn’t buy anything other than gloves (which I definitely did not need until the post race weather change!).
I didn’t do any club runs or shake outs but I did meet up with Steven from CARA for a run on Friday. Saturday morning, Gordon, Alan and I ran to the start area to make sure we knew where to go.
I got my “Flat Erica” set for this singlet’s final voyage. It will be hard to part with as it’s really comfortable and so easy to spot!
Race morning was super easy! I met Gordon and her friend Stacy in the lobby of our hotel and we walked 10 minutes to the start. Stacy and I were in the same corral and we had a lovely time pre-race. We met up with Jenny – a new British friend that I met at the Expo and chatted happily with people around us. Although the temps were expected to get hot, the pre-race temps were around 50 and it was overcast. Great for running!
Before we knew it, we were moving up to the mass start. I was worried about how slow the start would be and I couldn’t see the 4:00 pacers. I just tried to relax and go with the flow. It was very crowded but once I crossed the start (about 10 minutes after the gun went off), I was able to get moving at a decent pace and caught up to the 4:00 pace group. I missed Kathy, Leslie and Alia at 6K but they saw me chatting away. (LOL).
I ran with the pace group for the first 10K. It was manageable and not too stressful until we hit the first water stop. The water stops were long but only on the left side. Despite knowing that, I missed the second water stop entirely and had to sprint to catch up to the group after the first one. Tokyo has a strict policy on bringing your own hydration and I didn’t have enough water before the race. Missing the water stop was stressful.
After about 40 minutes, the sun came out and the temps rose. I rode the struggle bus from 10K on. I started to fall off the pace group at the water stops and decided it was too tough to stay with them. I wasn’t getting enough hydration and was worried about having enough fuel with me, too.
I saw my crew with Alan and Denise just after half way. I came through about 2:03 which was fine. I thought I could run between 4:05 and 4:15 with no problem. Also, at the next water stop they had a fuel like Chargel (a gel pouch). I grabbed one and took a bit at each kilometer. I thought that was the ticket to getting back on track.
Since it was a loop course, my crew was at 26K, as well. I was feeling overheated and just like my legs weren’t moving. I stopped for water and photos! After some water and encouragement, I rejoined the race.
In addition to the heat, the crowd didn’t thin out until around 30K (if ever). The fans and volunteers are much quieter than in other cities and I was really wishing for some headphones. I tried to be zen and enjoyed seeing some iconic sights. There were a few really cool traditional dance and music performances. It was tough to be zen when I was feeling pretty off but I tried to take everything in as much as I could.
I ran into Sherry and her friend around 30K and tried to stay with them, but my legs were just not moving. I can’t describe the feeling I had very well. I was running but had no momentum. I just couldn’t keep up my pace and people kept passing me. I didn’t feel like I couldn’t breathe well and had no pain. It was just like my battery was running low. [I hope breaking my streak and taking some rest will recharge it!]
People had warned me that the last loop is a doozy. I just tried to keep moving and keep my spirits up. I saw my crew at 35K and 41K. I grabbed water from them the first time I saw them and keep moving for the last one. The last 1K is more lively with cheering and on this kind of narrow stone street. It felt SO long but I finally crossed the finish line.
I ran a personal worst time by more than 20 minutes (4:34.59). I am grateful that I was able to get a spot in this race and to finish despite the heat and my “low battery!” The trip was phenomenal and in the scheme of things, I did just fine.
I went to collect my 6 start medal and was treated like an absolute rock star because of it! All of the volunteers were cheering for me. It was so sweet. It was surprisingly easy to meet Kathy and Leslie afterwards. The race is so well organized and easy to navigate. I hope they change the policies on bringing your own hydration. That would have made the race a million times better for me and most others.
I’m so grateful for my amazing friends who saw me in 5 spots (even though I only saw them in 4) and who traveled to JAPAN to watch me run. And on the upside what ever the Japanese word is for “let’s go” or “you can do it sounds” like Erica. So I felt very supported most of the way.
Thank you to everyone who wished me luck and cheered me on! I truly appreciate it for this race and the entire 6 World Majors journey that’s spanned nearly 20 years. I’m so lucky and filled with gratitude for all of the amazing opportunities I’ve had and for the wonderful people in my life.
Arigato gozaimasu Tokyo!