The starting point for the Aomori Sakura Marathon is Nogiwa Park、located in the western part of Aomori-shi, and the finishing point is Aomori Waterfront, next to Aomori Prefecture Tourism Center (ASPM).The course is mostly flat, but the “Aomori Bay Bridge,” with a height difference of 20 meters, is a unique …
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The starting point for the Aomori Sakura Marathon is Nogiwa Park、located in the western part of Aomori-shi, and the finishing point is Aomori Waterfront, next to Aomori Prefecture Tourism Center (ASPM).The course is mostly flat, but the “Aomori Bay Bridge,” with a height difference of 20 meters, is a unique and challenging feature of this course.The course as a whole is flat, making it a good choice for runners aiming for a good record.Also, the participants can enjoy a view of the majestic Mutsu Bay from the Aomori Bay Bridge.
Sightseeing spots in the area
The starting point, Nogiwa Park and ‘Gappo Park’ beyond the Aomori Bay Bridge are famous cherry blossom spots in Aomori City.As the marathon is held around the time when cherry blossoms bloom in Aomori City, enjoy the cherry blossoms while running.Additionally, the finish point, ‘Aoiumi Park,’ is located on the waterfront near Aomori Station. In the vicinity, you can experience the history and atmosphere of the Nebuta Festival year-round at ‘Nebuta no Ie Wa Rasse.’ Not only can you purchase unique souvenirs distinctive to Aomori, but you’ll also find ‘A-FACTORY,’ a collection of shops and restaurants dedicated to Aomori’s locally sourced ingredients, and the famous ‘Aomori gyo-sai Center‘ known for its fresh seafood rice bowls.
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Windy race
Back in Japan for yet another marathon - this time in Aomori just in time to see cherry blossoms in full bloom. I've always wanted to come back to Japan … MORE
Back in Japan for yet another marathon – this time in Aomori just in time to see cherry blossoms in full bloom. I’ve always wanted to come back to Japan for another race since my last one (Nagoya in 2018) was so memorable. This race, while pale in comparison to the aforementioned race since production was much smaller, was a decent local alternative and very affordable (only 7,000 JPY).
Expo: Non-existent since only a tent was set up for packet pickup specifically dedicated to oversea runners (locals had their bibs mailed to their Japanese addresses), however the location was easily accessible since it was located just behind the downtown Aomori Prefecture Tourism Center (pyramid building). Packet included shuttle instructions, a gear check bag, bib (front and back – apparently we were supposed to wear a bib on our backs also), and a Mizuno tech shirt with cherry blossom design.
Weather: Started at high 40s and slowly warmed up to high 50s, although during the first hour of the race it was extremely windy (mostly headwind) as the first half of the course was an open field.
Race Start: Coach buses picked up runners from the Aomori and Shin-Aomori JR stations to get to the starting point (Nogiwa Park). I got on at the former station and the whole ride lasted about 10-15 min. Nogiwa Park had some cherry blossom trees but not as many as I thought. 10 min before race start I went to the gear check area and apparently my designated gear truck already left (!?) so I had to deposit my bag in another truck. Slight hiccup but I was able to locate my bag at race finish fairly quickly. Ponchos were also handed out at the start in case runners checked in their gear already to keep them warm since it was still quite chilly in Aomori during April.
Course: Flat except the slight uphill/downhill at the bridges. The course was subpar because it was basically two out-and-back loops making it somewhat tedious and demoralizing when you see others running on the other side while you still have a long way to go to finish the loop.
Scenery: First half was an open field with an occasion view of snow capped mountains. Second half of the race ran through Gappo Park, where you could see tons of cherry blossoms (that was nice). Other than that the scenery was basically suburban streets with nothing particularly notable.
Aid Stations: After the disastrous porta-potties situation in Berlin (see my Berlin review), I am happy to report that I’ve found the cleanest porta-potty ever in all the races I’ve ran so far. Not only was it NOT used (probably because of small race, but I must have been lucky to have picked that stall heh), but there were three rolls of toilet paper (er hem Berlin). Got to hand it to Japan in this area. All aid stations had water, and occasionally my favorite sports drink (Aquarius, I still remembered it from my Nagoya race, it was THAT good), salt tablets, apple flavored chocolate (as apples are Aomori’s specialty), apple flavored candies, dried apple slices, bite-sized cakes, etc. Whenever I ran in Japan I felt like I was in for a treat, especially given the low race fees. Some of the races I ran in the US only offered water and gatorade and charged closed to $200 USD, it’s a shame really.
Crowd Support: Tons of locals and volunteers cheered us on (in fact when a couple of runners and I were speed walking on an uphill towards the center of the bridge, a local senior citizen even shouted in Japanese (and I’m paraphrasing) “don’t push yourself too hard, run at your own pace, do your best!” It was heartwarming – loved the vibe.
Post-Race Refreshment: small packaged bread, a can of apple juice, and a bottle of sports drink (Aquarius).
Swag: As mentioned above, packet pickup included a race t-shirt. However this race was unique in that finishers didn’t get a medal, but a towel instead (I believe they handed the same towel to half marathoners and 10k finishers as well). I signed up knowing they didn’t have the bling so that wasn’t much of a surprise, but I still wish they had one.
Final Thoughts: The course limit was 5 hours and 30 minutes, I saw the shame bus picking up folks as I was running the second half of the out-and-back loop so that gave me the extra push I needed at the end. I didn’t realize this race had pacers but towards the end I was running with the 5:30 pacers and that group also sped up to finish around the time I did. It was funny because everybody was trying to avoid the shame bus (myself included). All in all this was a good local race if you are in the area for cherry blossoms, but don’t expect grand productions like Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and the like.