Tougenkyo Marathon

　　Tougenkyo, which can be literally called Xanadu in English, is another name for Matsuno Town, which is located in the southern part of Ehime Prefecture. The town is well known for its production of peaches. The peach farms are very beautiful in this season, and the area around the farms are filled with a lovely scent. The Tougenkyo Marathon was held using the paths stretching into the orchards. I attended the 10 km category.
　　It takes about two and a half hours to drive from my home to the town. I left home shortly before 6 o'clock. As I came close to the town, the weather became terrible. I wanted to run under a blue sky, but the rain gradually got harsher.
　　Though the rain weakened for a while, after the race started, the rain got heavier. It seemed that if you ran with your mouth open, you did not need water aid stations during the race. I was tired, but I was able to finish within a the similar time to last year. I wore a plastic bag as a makeshift raincoat, which is usually used for garbage, as shown in the following picture.