WIT Life #135: Marathon mania
Events, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers 
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
We are in the heart of marathon season, a favorite time of year for runners such as myself. I have to admit that I love the sport enough to attempt to do two marathons in a row, the Marine Corps Marathon in DC last weekend and the NYC Marathon this weekend. It will be a first but hopefully my body is up to the challenge!
The running culture has always been huge in Japan, and with the establishment of the Tokyo Marathon in 2007 the number of runners further swelled. Although I have gotten into the marathon every year since its start (and run all but one), most of my Japanese friends have not had as much luck. Some have been rejected in the lottery every year, so they must have a special slot for foreigners in the hopes that we provide a nice stimulus to the economy. Still, I think it would be beneficial and more fair to dedicated runners to develop a system similar to the New York Road Runners’ one, where if you run 9 races and volunteer at one in a certain year you are guaranteed automatic entry to the following year’s marathon.
At any rate, t
here is some exciting Japanese talent in this year’s marathon hoping for a win. Arata Fujiwara, 29, the second fastest active Japanese runner, is tackling the course for the first time. He ran to victory in this year’s Ottowa Marathon with a time of 2:09:34, and hopes to repeat the performance. Fujiwara was interviewed on the news this morning, and spoke of the difficulty of the course’s ups and downs due to the five bridges. In regard to his carb loading strategy, he said that usually he fuels with bread but that since he is in NY he plans to eat 5 or 6 bagels!
Speaking of records, the last American woman to win the NYC Marathon was actually the Japan born Miki Gorman who took the title in 1976 with a time of 2:39:11. Currently 75 and living in Canada, Gorman no longer races but has fond memories of her running days. She attributes her dedication to growing up after WWII in a time of deprivation. Her family taught her to make do with less and the value of gaman, which helped her in her running career. Of course Gorman is proud of her record, but more so the fact that, “I left Japan with $10 in my pocket. I still have the passport. And now I can live comfortably.”
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