On Friday, I landed in Japan (from the UK), met two friends, and travelled to Hakone to a hotel near Lake Ashi (芦ノ湖). Saturday (yesterday), we all took part in the Hakone running festival. I chose the half marathon, which was a hilly out-and-back course. I knew I would be sub-par from the travel, so my plan was to take it steady, and I achieved that.
The course is all tarmac but very hilly. The first 4km is completely uphill, with a total climb of 248 metres (about 814 feet), and across the whole race, the total climb was 630 metres (about 2067 feet). The uphill start and the out-and-back course meant the last 4km was downhill, albeit with tired legs and warm feet.
Another challenge for me was that the temperature in Hakone was 21C and it was sunny – compared to the wet and miserable 10C I am used to in the UK. I wore sun cream for the first time this year.
The hills were not the only thing that made this race unusual. It had most of the normal trappings of a well-organised race: an online entry system, a running village with food stalls, lots of marshals shouting encouragement, and roads closed for the exclusive use of the race. But there were two ingredients that were different. Firstly, they did not record our time. We were welcome to record our own time, but they did not – other than warn people there was a three-hour cut-off. Secondly, our bibs did not have numbers, they had no idea, and we had no idea, of where in the field we came. This was, in effect, a really well-organised social run. For an extra 33% in the race fee, I could have taken part in the ‘ranked race’. This still does not give you a time but gives you a ranking amongst the 10% who took part in the ranked race.
Another very local touch was that the finishers did not get a medal or a T-shirt, but they did get a 500-yen voucher to spend at the food stalls and a black, hard-boiled egg. The eggs are black because they are cooked in a volcanic spring that is 80 Celsius and full of sulphur and iron. This discolours the shell of the egg but has no impact on the egg within. These eggs are special to this area.
For the record, my time was (according to my Garmin watch) 2 hours, 13 minutes, and 22 seconds. My slowest half marathon in years, but I was happy enough with that time under the conditions and given the route.
I went up the hills at a very steady pace and then pushed on the way down – there were almost no flat sections. On the final downhill section, I completed the 4km in 18 minutes 11 seconds – much better than the 32 minutes 21 seconds it took me to run up them.
I ran the race ‘inside myself’ (staying away from the red zone, able to take pictures and enjoy the views). Afterwards, I was able to spend a nice afternoon, with my friends and two new friends, sightseeing. The sightseeing included taking the cable car up a mountain to the site of volcanic activity, near to where they make the black eggs.
It was a very rewarding day. Here are some photos from yesterday.
