Race Report: Road Race Chikura 2018

Sept 23, 2018

On Sept. 23, 2018, Road Race Chikura 2018 took place in Minami Bohsoh City, Chiba Prefecture. It is a half marathon. I ran it in 1:50:25 without wearing shoes. The time is average, compared with most of the times from my past half-marathons. But nonetheless I am happy, because for the first time in my life did I run the entire course of an official half-marathon race without wearing shoes. Below is the detail of how I ran the race.

About an hour before the race I went to the start area to pick up a memorial T-shirt with two runner friends of mine, Mr. A T. and Mr. K.T. We had run a number of races together in the past, but it was a first time for three of us to run this particular race together. Mr. A.T., who has his parents' home nearby, offered me and Mr. A.T. a base.

After picking up the memorial T-shirt, we went back to the base to drop it, and headed back to the start area. It was packed with runners. But according to the other two friends of mine who had run the race before, there were far fewer runners this year, probably because of this accident last year. Aid workers misled runners, and they finished the race, running 3 K less. Among the angry runners were university track team members who had counted on the race to see the fruit of their hard work during hot summer. Those young athletes were all gone this year...

Daytime highs were expected to reach 27 degrees Celsius, but as the start time came near, the sun came out, and winds died down. I was afraid it would be a lot hotter than the forecast said it would be. The start area was filled with a festive atmosphere with local businesses selling dried fish and sweets. The homestretch was lined with cheerers, many of whom were housewives, old people, and small children.

At 10:00 sharp the gun went off! The crowd slowly started moving forward, initially very slowly, but then picked up the pace gradually as runners spread out.

As the race progressed, I checked the road condition carefully, and avoided areas that could damage my soles. There is 12 K up to the turning point. The course goes southbound along the coast slightly westward. It's mostly flat, but there is slight undulation here and there. I was expecting to enjoy the view of the ocean. But the increasingly high temperature didn't allow me such a luxury. Also, I was constantly looking down on the road to run the best part, and that was another reason, I wasn't able to enjoy the ocean view as much as I wanted to.

Near the 5 K mark, there came the first water station. I had some sports drink, and water. I stopped running for a moment to have the drink. There was a long way ahead. There was no need to hurry. And I didn't want to feel choked, trying to drink fast as I ran. The goal today is not the time, but to complete the race without wearing shoes!

After the 5 K mark on, I started to overtake one runner after another, as they probably slowed down from their excessively high pace and increasing heat. I could hear some whisper, "Barefoot?" as I ran past them. Some cheerers said, "Go caveman!" as they saw me going barefooted. I felt encouraged. 

Just when I was approaching the 10 K mark, I saw the leader coming toward me led by two speed cops. As he ran beside me, I yelled, "Sentoh, kakko iizoh!" which literally means, "The leader, you are so cool." "You too are cool," said a woman across the lane along the road. I thanked her for the encouragement, and pressed on. 

After the leader was gone, there was a long silence before the 2nd runner came. After that more and more runners started coming back from the turning point. I gave a high five to one of the runners who was running in minimalist shoes. I felt like we were brothers. 

In no time I found myself turning around the turning point. Now I was running into head winds. I pulled my chin down, and took shorter strides to minimize energy loss. I stayed on the central dividing line which had a much smoother surface than the rest of the road. Again the purpose is to decrease the friction between the sole and the road surface. A couple of runners gave me a high five as we ran past each other. 

Around the 15 K mark, the course got off the main road along the coast into a residential area. The road surface suddenly got a lot rougher, and I had to slow down to minimize pain. Just before another turning point at 16.2 K, a runner was lying in the arms of an aid-worker. Several others surrounded the runner, looking worried. The runner had his eyes shut, and looked unconscious. I gave a quick look as I ran past them, but soon I was zoning in on my own run.

Before the 17 K mark, I was back on the main road. Now the road surface was better, and there were a little more than 4 K to go. I was running in the stream of runners which were a mix of half-marathon runners and those who signed up for 10 K. You could tell those runners belonging to a different category by the color of their bib. All half-marathoners had a white bib. 10 K runners had a yellow one. Most were slow, and there were plenty, so I zigzaged through them to move ahead. 

With less than 500 M to go, I saw a guy with short grey hair running in complete bare feet. Near the finish line he was slowing down a bit. I wanted to exchange a few words with him, but I was just about to put on a last spurt, so I kept pressing on, and kicked for one last time down the home stretch to cross the finish line. I had no time what my time was, because I didn't have my watch on. For a while I was out of breath because of the last surge. When my breathing became more stable, I walked to the area where runners received a certificate of completion. I told one of the staffers my bib number, and he got my certificated printed out, and handed it to me. It said 1:50:25. It's an average time. But I gave myself a tap on my shoulder, saying it's my first time to run a full marathon without shoes.

My next race is Aqua Line Marathon 2018. It's a full marathon that takes place on October 21. I have three more weeks to go. My training goal is to do double-training at least twice before the race in which I run twice on the same day and my total running distance is beyond 42.195 K. I will cut down on alcohol, and have enough sleep to keep the level of my body's batteries at their maximum when I train.