Three Huinamu runners, each of them Shonan International Marathon.
This time, HOUYHNHNM's will feature three fast runners who will run in the full marathon portion of the Shonan International Marathon. We will follow each of them as they race.
Here are the three Huinamu runners. From left, Hideaki Makino (BEAMS), Masami Yamamoto (model), and Hayaya Kuroyanagi (model).
Ms. Makino is one of the most stylish and agile runners in the fashion industry. Her personal best time for a full marathon is 2 hours 47 minutes. This time, she will be running together with a senior employee of her company who is aiming for a sub-4 marathon, and she is enthusiastic, saying, "I want to assist him in achieving his goal as a pacer! I want to help him achieve his goal as a pacer!
Mr. Yamamoto has been running for about 10 years. He has run a full marathon before, and his best time is 3 hours and 28 minutes, which he set in this year's Osaka Marathon. This will be his first time participating in the marathon, and his theme is "Enjoy Shonan to the fullest! He will be taking on the challenge under the theme of "Enjoy Shonan!
Ms. Kuroyanagi is a former track and field athlete. She competed in earnest from her school days through to her business career, and continued running as part of her life even after changing her career to modeling. However, this was her first full marathon. Her goal is to run a sub-3 marathon," she says enthusiastically, "but I am concerned that I am not in very good physical condition.
Now, the race is about to start!
Under a clear blue winter sky, the runners proceeded on their long 42.195-kilometer journey. To the west, snow-capped Mt. Fuji, which can be seen from the first turnaround to the end of the race.
You can run comfortably along the beautiful Shonan seaside path. . This is one of the most attractive features of the Shonan International Marathon.
Although the day was sunny in the Shonan area, the wind blew slightly stronger from the west during the day and became a headwind towards the end of the day, making it difficult for the runners.
A variety of food is available at aid stations. Shonan's specialty, shirasu (dried young sardines), is also available!
No paper cups litter the streets near the water supply points. This is a scene unique to the Shonan International Marathon.
Now, how are the three Hui-Nam runners doing? We were waiting for them around 37 km at the end of the race, and the first one to arrive was Yamamoto-san!
The headwind is nothing to worry about. Mr. Yamamoto runs along the seaside road with a nimble step. It is hard to believe that he has run 37 kilometers so far.
After the final turnaround, we are almost at the finish line.
Next came Mr. Makino!
This time, instead of aiming for a personal best, Makino-san, a sub-3 runner himself, was calm and relaxed as he was committed to supporting his seniors who were aiming for a sub-4 finish. He was waving to us as we cheered him on.
And Yamamoto-san and Makino-san , finish!
The times were 3 hours, 44 minutes, and 14 seconds for Mr. Yamamoto and 4 hours, 3 minutes, and 33 seconds for Mr. Makino. Although they were not aiming to break their own personal bests, they were both quite good.
. only Mr. Kuroyanagi is left. . but he has not shown up at ....... No matter how long we waited, he never showed up. There is no way he could not have reached this place at this time of night. Did we miss him? Or maybe he was in some kind of trouble . I sent him a message, but he replied a short time later that he had abandoned the race after 32 kilometers due to poor health.
Mr. Kuroyanagi, a former track and field athlete with a high level of running ability, quit the race on his own in the middle of the road, an unexpected end. A full marathon is a grueling event, and one never knows where things will go wrong. The staff was relieved to hear that Mr. Kuroyanagi had recovered from the accident.
