3:55 finish. Fairly large race in and around Nagano, a small city about 100 miles northwest of Tokyo made famous by hosting the 1998 Olympics. The marathon has been run every year since, passing several of the Olympic sites and finishing inside one of the stadiums. The course itself isn’t too scenic in the first half, with many miles through industrial and commercial areas, but improves in the second half with more mountain views and the stadium finish. There are only a handful of international runners and minimal English is spoken, but it is friendly and well organized with good spectator support. Weather was nice and cool early, but warm later, which slowed me down more than usual. Jet lag was also more than I’m used to, which probably didn’t help. Slowest time in awhile, but still under four hours (10th consecutive sub-4 in nine months, longest sub-4 streak ever).
Welcome! This blog gives a summary of each marathon with finish time/place, course info, conditions, and links to performance data and travel photos. There are also separate pages listing marathons in different countries/continents, states, and Canadian provinces as well as general info about my running background, frequently asked questions, and advice for anyone looking to start running or exercising more. This blog is linked on my Facebook page, but I'm very rarely on social media otherwise.