Trekking Barris: Kyoto Marathon - President's Day Weekend

I got into the lotteries for both Kyoto (odds 5:1) marathon and Tokyo (12:1) and the races were back to back weekends. I had applied last year for both and didn't get it, but then was very lucky this year. Though I wouldn't want to run two races so close together, it was a fun challenge to see if I could ever run an ultra... and I think the answer is no! ;-)

Kyoto was a quick trip. We flew Friday after work into Kensai airport which I didn't know existed as I thought we were flying into Osaka. We ended up being about an hour further from Kyoto. Saturday was cold and rainy, so we laid low. We walked to the registration area passing by a few huge temple complexes. It's hard to go anywhere in Kyoto without passing amazing UNESCO or World Heritage sites.

Sunday was the race and it was cold. Jeff and the girls stayed with me as long as possible so I could continue to wear my down jacket. It was literally freezing and at points snowed on the course. The course was a little more hilly than expected - not flat - with a slight uphill end. I started out fast and the 2nd half was a little slower - actually on purpose as I didn't want to push too hard with Tokyo the next weekend. I ran a 3:37.

Just before the race, I found a tall European kid and was chatting with him. I typically try to find people I can follow or have a similar finish time so I can pace myself. I'm one of the few it seems that doesn't wear a smart or pacing watch so I really have no idea how fast or slow I'm going. I like that freedom to run totally according to how my body feels. This guy was working in Hong Kong and said he wanted to run a 2:48. I thought it was joking since that is super fast and he was in my starting block. We chatted a little and then the race started and he took off.

I did have another friend from San Diego running the race and at the end we met up for a beer. Ironically as we were leaving Monday morning, after hitting the Daiso (100 Yen store) in Kyoto and sprinting to make a earlier train to the airport I saw the kid from Hong Kong. It seemed like a wild coincidence and he had a great run finishing at 2:51. He commented on the uphill finish.

Jeff and the girls tried to find me on the course, but it was hard with all the road closures. Kyoto is services primarily by bus. I did run by a few sites I recognized including the Air B&B we stayed with my parents at in Thanksgiving. We also ran by a few old people homes and there were ladies lined up in wheelchairs covered in blankets with huge smiles as we ran by.