Entries in the Yokohama Marathon sold out in just 4 hours, holy crap!
It was on my race calendar for 2010 but now I'll have to give it a miss. I'm not too bummed as its just two weeks after I run the half marathon in Toda, but it is an event I'd like to participate in sometime in the future.
Was just talking about you to some running friends the other day. We were talking about running in Japan and how they didn't figure running was that popular there...... I told them about how you mentioned how fast races sell out.
ReplyDeleteTim,
ReplyDeleteRunning has been experiencing a huge surge in popularity for a number of years now. In a country where fads come and go within months, sometimes even weeks, running has held on and continues to grow in popularity. Surprisingly the surge is being lead by female runners who continue to adopt the sport at an incredible rate.
Events sell out months in advance and I envy those runners around the world who can turn up and enter an event on race day.
If you were planning a trip to Japan to run in an event you would be able to conveniently secure your place a few months in advance then sort out your travel plans afterwards.
The Tokyo Marathon determines runners by lottery as the race receives far more entries than starting places available. But a method exists that allows overseas runners to book a guaranteed place via a registered travel agent.
If you or your friends ever find yourselves looking to run an event in Japan let me know and I can help you arrange the details.