Marathons have become more popular in Japan recently. Nothing about marathons has attracted me until now, as some of my friends took part in the 51th Ehime Marathon. So, I went to Horinouchi Park designated as the endpoint of the marathon to cheer them on and welcome them. An IC chip attached to every runner's number tag enabled you to know the present location of a particular runner. I'd like to have seen my friends running on the route, but I didn't fully understand the road traffic regulations, which are seemingly very strict, so I stayed at the finish, waiting for their arrival. A Hougaku concert of traditional Japanese music was taking place in a hall in the park so while I was checking their present position, I was able to listen to beautiful tunes until their arrival. The picture shows a part of the park. The castles on the hill are one of the potent symbols of Matsuyama City. A variety of stalls were busy in their preparations.
All my friends, but one, successfully arrived at the finish. The one who didn't make it stopped running at 30km because he didn't reach the finish line within the given time. He was picked up by bus and brought to the endpoint. The runners must arrive at the finish line within 6 hours. I was watching the runners coming into the finish during the last 20 minutes. Some of them were slightly fat and it made me think of the possibility that I could participate next year.
How clever that you could track your friends' progress.
Posted by: Jennie | May 07, 2013 at 10:46 PM