Nagoya Women’s Marathon

Wow where to begin…this was my first oversea full marathon race and it definitely met and exceeded my expectations in many ways. The coveted Tiffany necklace (instead of a medal) was certainly a big draw for most ladies, including myself. The main sponsor changed this year from Nike to New Balance. This race is lottery based so you have to enter the draw around the last week of September and get notified two weeks later whether you make it in or not. If not, there’s a second chance draw for the people who forfeit their entry in the first round so in general I don’t think it’s too hard to get in unlike the Tokyo Marathon.

Expo: Occurred for two full days before the race. I went in the morning of the second day and by the time I got there most race shirts in my size (Japanese large, aka small/medium in the states) were already sold out; I was fortunate to grab one of the last few in the style I like, so I suggest you to get to the expo on the first day if you want to purchase any race apparel. There was a booth where they showcased the Tiffany necklaces from prior years which was nice. Japanese runners got their bibs at Nagoya Dome whereas oversea runners got theirs at the building next door (Higashi Sports Center). The timing chip attached to the bib was bulkier than I thought but nothing too outrageous. Apparently you have to return it at the baggage pickup area after finishing the race.

Race Start: Process was rather seamless as there were signs everywhere at the train station to direct runners to the baggage drop area and starting line. They even had dressing rooms for people who want to change on the spot. The queue for portable toilets was horrendous but moved pretty quickly. The race invited Mai Kuraki (a famous Japanese female singer-songwriter) to sing the national anthem at the opening ceremony which was a pleasant surprise. She also co-wrote the main theme for this race called “Do It” which was played at the race start.

Course: Less than 50 ft in elevation which made this course extremely flat. Scenery was lackluster as you run through the city of Nagoya. At the 27th-28th km you can see the Nagoya Castle from afar. Personally I thought we would be running next to it for a more scenic route so this was a disappointment. There were little to zero litter on the course as runners were extremely civil and the volunteers encouraged you to use the trash cans at the aid stations. There were barely any runners stopping for walk breaks so there was motivation to keep on running the entire time. The best part about this course was concluding the race at the Dome while they played “Dancing Queen” as you raced through the finish line. Atmosphere was terrific and the best race finish I have ever experienced thus far.

Aid Stations: Water at every station and sports drink at most. Their sports drink (brand name is Aquarius if I recall correctly) was quite tasty, much better than Gatorade in my opinion. After the half way mark there was food at every other station, including but not limited to: bananas, bread, rice crackers, dried lotus roots, mochi, and other local Nagoya sweets/snacks. There were also red bull and coke at one point but I didn’t opt for those. Holding back on all those food was the tricky part as I certainly overate a little bit which probably had a slight negative impact on my performance. However, trying different types of local snacks was a fun experience, so time wasn’t a major concern for me at this race.

Crowd Support: Never underestimate the power of the local crowd support. Throughout the entire course you see tons of spectators on the street cheering you on nonstop, something that doesn’t happen very often in the states. There was even a female senior citizen screaming from the window to cheer runners on.

Race Finish: After the finish line I was immediately greeted by guys in tux handing out the Tiffany necklace, followed by another person for the finisher t-shirt, and then another for the skincare and race branded towel, and lastly a Tiffany paper shopping bag to put all your stuff inside. Thumbs up for the efficiency and personable experience.

Final Thoughts: While I did achieve PR at this race, I didn’t perform as well as I anticipated due to cramping of my lower back at approximately the 27th km (around mile 17). Despite the lack of scenery, I highly recommend this race for any ladies looking for a lifetime race experience.