The Kumamoto Castle Marathon, an annual event held in early spring, was held, with more than 14,000 runners running through Kumamoto City in a warm climate with a maximum temperature of 22 degrees, comparable to mid-April.
More than 14,000 runners from within and outside the prefecture took part in the event, starting one after another along Torimachi-suji in Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City around 9 a.m.
This is the 11th time the event has been held, and in addition to the full marathon, three races were held: a 30 km road race and a course of approximately 3.5 km.
The runners aimed to complete the race at their own pace while receiving cheers from the roadside.
The finish of the full marathon was Ninomaru Hiroba of Kumamoto Castle, and the men’s winner was Hiroaki Furukawa from Yatsushiro City in 2 hours 16 minutes 14 seconds, and the woman’s winner was Michiru Kato from Kumamoto City in 2 hours 48 minutes 5 seconds. was.
Furukawa, who won for the fourth time, said, “I’m happy that I was able to achieve my personal best. Having my name called out to me from the side of the road gave me strength.”
A man in his 20s who participated from Nagasaki Prefecture said, “It was warm, so I ran while sweating.I’m glad I was able to enjoy the run until the end.”
A woman in her 30s from Kumamoto City said, “The amount of support along the way has returned to what it was before the coronavirus pandemic, so I was able to run comfortably.”
On the 18th, the maximum temperature in Kumamoto City rose to 22 degrees, which was as warm as mid-April.
According to the event’s executive committee, 11,829 of the 13,112 people who took part in the full marathon completed the marathon.
In addition, 19 participants and three people who were cheering along the roadside complained of symptoms of heatstroke and were taken to the hospital, but all were conscious and their injuries were not life-threatening.