The Ehime Marathon

A very popular citizen’s marathon in Matsuyama

Anonymous Feb 15, 2013 - 1 min read

The Ehime Marathon starts in front of the prefectural hall, with the Botchan Steam Train blowing its whistle.

Big Wabbit is there, waving and waving and waving

Runner No. 7281 looks pooped about 2 km into the run, but the support vehicles maintain perfect discipline.

Superman is making pretty good time, despite his less than ideal attire.

Running a marathon is not an easy thing.

Citizen volunteers provide refreshment and encouragement for hours on end.

Some run, some walk, some listen to music, some smile, some grimace.

The race ends at Matsuyama's lovely castle park. These people are hobbling around the moat towards the finish.

Olympic champion Naoko Takahashi does the marathon and then greets the runners at the end with high fives.

Tired runners bathe their feet in hot water at the castle park.

Ehime's motorcycle police looked their best.

The Ehime Marathon is held every year in early February. Eight thousand people register in a matter of hours to run the course through central Matsuyama and its suburbs, ending in the pleasant grounds of Matsuyama Castle. Celebrity runners take part, including Japan’s Olympic marathon medalists, and many people run in fancy dress. The event has a very festive atmosphere.

Anonymous @rod.walters__archived

I was born in Bristol, England, and I came to Japan in 1991 … which means I’ve lived half my life in this island nation on the other side of the world. The theme of my career in Japan has been communication. I started as an English teacher, and moved into translation as I learned Japanese....