Midsummer Hokkaido Marathon: "Why I was able to improve my personal best in such harsh conditions"

Text: Shun Sato

RETO RUNNING CLUB 6th Course (August 2023 - October 2023). One of the big topics for the team was the Hokkaido Marathon, in which approximately 30 members took part, the highest number of participants in the club's single event to date.

This year's race was held in extremely harsh weather conditions, with temperatures at 29°C and humidity at 78% at the start. Temperatures reached over 30°C during the race. The winning time for the men was over 2 hours and 20 minutes, the slowest since the first race, and the women's time was the slowest since 1989. The completion rate was also extremely low for a full marathon, at 81.1%. At the Hokkaido Marathon 2023, some RETO RUNNING CLUB members achieved new personal bests.

In this interview, we asked him how he was able to improve his personal best despite the harsh conditions, and about his impressions of participating in the Hokkaido Marathon as a team.

"My PB was the result of a fast jog" - Kazuma Koreeda

Result: 3 hours 15 minutes 48 seconds / Pre-race PB: 3 hours 23 minutes 16 seconds (Osaka Marathon 2023)

In order to achieve a sub-3 time in the autumn/winter marathon, the Hokkaido Marathon was set at a pace of 4 minutes 15 seconds up to 30 kilometers. After that, it was okay to slow down, and the race was positioned as a test to see how far I could go at my current level.

Before the start, E (Katayama) was next to me, so the atmosphere was just like a practice session, and I felt much more at ease, or rather, I was able to keep my composure. There were a lot of people for the first 5km or so, so I was forcing my way past them, which was wasting my energy and made me feel uneasy, but around 10km I was able to get back to a good pace. It was hot, so I was taking about four cups of water at a time, drinking it and pouring it over my head. Even so, I wasn't struggling until 20km, and I was able to run comfortably, running at about the same pace as E.

However, after 20km it gradually became tougher... I felt like I was running as hard as I could, but when I looked at the clock I saw that my pace wasn't increasing. After 30km I was feeling pretty damaged, and I couldn't push myself any further than 4 minutes 15 seconds. If I kept going like this I might be able to set a personal best, but I couldn't see a finish line, so it was really tough mentally as well.

However, I think the fact that I was able to keep up my pace from that point onwards was the result of the training I'd been doing up until then. I think my normal jogging pace is probably faster than everyone else's. I run at around 4 minutes 40 seconds, and at that pace I feel like I can run forever. Thanks to that jog, I was able to maintain my normal running level even in the tough parts of the second half.

I was able to improve my personal best this time, but I think I would have gained confidence if I had been able to run 30km in 4 minutes 15 seconds. However, I wasn't able to get that far, so I didn't gain any confidence to carry over to the next race. Compared to the others, I wasn't that tired, so I think I can be commended for being able to run in a summer race, but looking at this result alone, I'm worried about how well I'll be able to go in the autumn and winter races. Maybe I set my goals too high, or maybe I wanted to focus a little more on what I needed to do and gain some confidence.

But this year's Michi Marathon was truly amazing. Last year, I arrived alone and didn't know where to eat, so I just ate wherever I could and went to bed early to prepare for the next day. The next day, all I did was have breakfast, warm up by myself, and run back, so to be honest, it wasn't much fun. But this time, we all ate dinner together the night before, warmed up together in the morning, and when I got to the starting line, E-san was there, and when I finished, Seiya-san was there. The combination of the training session and the festival atmosphere of the marathon made it really fun.

"The first half was fun, the second half was hell. But I had fun." - Yamamoto Asuka

Result: 3 hours 28 minutes 43 seconds / Pre-race PB: 3 hours 37 minutes 27 seconds (Kyoto Marathon 2023)

Before the race, I wasn't nervous at all and just felt like, "Let's just have fun." Since it was Hokkaido, I was excited because it felt like a trip, and the excitement outweighed the pain of the marathon. My target time was under 3 hours and 20 minutes. At a training session before the Hokkaido Marathon, Seiya told me, "You have the ability to go under 3 hours and 20 minutes, so try to go for 4 minutes 40 seconds to 4 minutes 45 seconds," and that was all I was thinking about.

It started to get tough already after 10km from the start. It wasn't so much the heat that affected me, but rather that my pace was a bit tough. I realized I wouldn't last 42km if I continued at this pace, so I slowed down, which turned out to be a good thing, as my body felt a bit more comfortable. At this point, I decided that if I couldn't get under 20 minutes, I wanted to at least get a sub-3.5 time, so I changed my goal without thinking too much about it.

During the race, I saw Seiya and thought the men from Team A would be coming soon, so I was desperately looking for them and ran without looking at my watch, but my lap times were the best between 25km and 30km. My lap times were improving naturally, so I realized once again how important it is to enjoy running.

But after the 30km mark, I was in hell. I don't know if it was because I couldn't see everyone and my mind suddenly died, but my breathing became shallow. My legs and upper body were out of sync, I lost all rhythm and it became difficult... I kept walking, stopping for water, taking deep breaths, catching my breath, and running again, repeating this cycle. Along the way, Riku (Imagawa) gave me some ice, and at the 35km mark, Miwa (Obuchi) gave me some oral water jelly, but I was having trouble breathing and couldn't put it in my mouth, so I just held it in my hand and ran.

The hardest part was the last 1-2 kilometers. There was a sign saying how many meters left to the finish line, but I couldn't see it at all. I was running, looking around, thinking, "Where? Where?", when, in the last kilometer, Cherry (Tetsuya Sakurai) called out to me from behind, "Follow me!" I was surprised because I thought he would be further ahead. I tried to keep up with him, but he was just too fast. I pushed hard and when I reached the finish line, the electronic scoreboard showed 3 hours 30 minutes 53 seconds, and I was disappointed that I couldn't go sub-3.5 gross. I thought it was because I had stopped for water and other things, so it was a shame, I could have done a little better.

After finishing this time, I felt like I'd grown. This was my second full marathon, and the first time, walking afterwards was really tough. But this time, I didn't feel tired at all, and I was able to go for a jog the next morning, so I really felt like I had gained a lot of stamina. The post-race party was fun, and the next day we went to Triton (a conveyor belt sushi restaurant) and Escon Field, so I really enjoyed Hokkaido. It was a shame I didn't get a beer mug, but I think I enjoyed Ichiban Do Mara all the same. I'd like to run again next year (lol).

"I also wanted to shorten it by three minutes," says Eriko Matsuzawa.

Result: 3 hours 43 minutes 56 seconds / Pre-race PB: 3 hours 45 minutes 29 seconds (Nagoya Women's Marathon 2023)

At the end of the training session before the Hokkaido Marathon, I asked Kamino-san if he could give me some words of encouragement. He replied, "Matsuzawa-san, you finished in 3 hours and 40 minutes." I thought, no, that's impossible, but in the end, my time was 3 hours and 43 minutes, so I wonder if I would have felt a much different sense of accomplishment if I had just tried for another 3 minutes (laughs).

After the start, it was hot, so I licked salted candy (one every 5km), drank plenty of water at the aid stations, and poured water over my head. This took up a lot of time, so I picked up the pace a little and took my time at the water stations. Up until about the 25km mark, I found other RETO members and called out to them, which was so much fun that it didn't feel hard at all. I was able to run comfortably, and it felt like the usual 10km run alone was harder.

After I turned around, I couldn't find many RETO members, so I aimed for Riku (Imagawa) at the 31km mark, and then I ran, determined to find Miwa (Obuchi) and Macky (Osanai Maki), who I hadn't seen in the first half. Riku's ice was in the net, and I was so impressed and energized.

I met Kei (Niinuma) towards the end, and he was walking normally. I wondered if he was okay, but after passing him I ran alone for a while, and then in the last kilometer or so Kei caught up with me and told me, "Let's go for the last one." On the straightaway my Garmin showed my pace at about 4 minutes, but I managed to keep up and reach the finish line. Looking at my lap times I hadn't slowed down much after 30 kilometers, so I was surprised, even myself.

One of the reasons I was able to improve my personal best this time was that I managed to run 200 kilometers in a month. In February, before the Nagoya Women's Marathon, I was feeling unwell and only managed 96 kilometers. Seiya told me to run 200 kilometers, but I couldn't quite make it until July, when I finally surpassed it. This was mainly due to my commute, which allowed me to run 8 to 10 kilometers each way from home to work, so I tried to run as much as possible before and after work. Another factor was my weight. During the Fujimi training camp in May, the final forest road course was extremely tough, and I felt sluggish. On the way back from the Fujimi training camp, we talked about how losing 1 kilogram would improve my time by 2 or 3 minutes, so I lost 3 kilograms before the Hokkaido Marathon. Also, I'd been running short distances in the 4-minute range during my RETO training, so I felt comfortable running this 5:15 pace.

Of course, I have some regrets. This was the first time I wore Nike Vapors, but halfway through the race, my ankles felt unstable and my calves started to hurt. Before the race, I had only worn them for about 15 kilometers at most, and I don't have enough muscle strength, so next time I'd like to find a way to properly adjust my feet to the shoes.

This year's Road Marathon was the most fun I've ever had. There were a lot of participants, and the atmosphere from the training session onwards was one of determination to work hard for the Road Marathon. It felt like the race was an extension of the training camp, so I really enjoyed it, including the day after.

"It's a personal best, but I'm still frustrated. I want to get results this season." - Yohei Nariai

Result: 4 hours 11 minutes 22 seconds / Pre-race PB: 4 hours 28 minutes 33 seconds (Kasumigaura Marathon 2023)

I was feeling good and prepared for the race. On the morning of the race, I went to Sukiya with Cherry (Tetsuya Sakurai) and had a breakfast set of natto and egg on rice, which left me feeling very satisfied. My target time was 3 hours and 45 minutes, with a sub-4 time being the minimum.

But it ended in the first half. The heat was making me feel like I was getting heatstroke, and I had to go to the bathroom just after passing the tunnel, completely worn out... I kept running, comforted by the knowledge that Miwa (Obuchi) and Maki (Osanai Maki) were waiting for me. It started to rain on Shinkawa Street, but it cooled down a bit, and I felt like I could finally run. I followed the fast runners like Seiya (Takagi) as they slid past, and gradually I was able to get a grip on the pace. From the halfway point, I saw Sayaka (Matsumoto) and Sally (Nishio Saria) a little ahead of me, so I wondered if I could catch up, and I was looking forward to meeting people and stopping at the aid stations.

After passing the 35km mark, I met Maki and Miwa, and as they were squatting down to work, I called out to them, and that short chat really helped me recover. After the rain stopped, it was incredibly hot and humid, so I ran at a 5 minute 20 second pace, stopping frequently at aid stations to get water. That kept my legs strong, but in the end, stopping meant I lost time, and I was really disappointed that I couldn't even reach sub-4.

However, I did gain some things. One thing was that Akimoto (Shingo)'s lectures were extremely influential. Before, I was so focused on stride length that I would run with my chin raised, which would make it difficult quickly, but I started to pay attention to my form during the RETO training sessions. Thanks to that, I was able to run more easily, and I could feel the results in the Hokkaido Marathon. Also, this time I stayed at Cherry House, and since it was full of people from the A team, I learned a lot about how to approach a match, gels, and food. I want to catch up to their level as soon as possible and be able to give similar talks.

Also, I've been with the group since the 5th generation, but the members of the 1st to 4th generations have accumulated a lot of time together, so they know each other well and get along well. That's why I really value not just practicing, but also showing up in different places and talking to different people. This time, spending time with the team at Cherry House and being able to talk to different people at the after-party was a very meaningful time for me.

I improved my personal best in the race, but I'm still feeling a bit down. My first race was the Legacy Half Marathon last year, and the Hokkaido Marathon was the first race I'd done after serious training. With that weather, people were saying things like, "People who could run sub-3.5 ran sub-4 levels," or, "Sub-3 levels are sub-3.5, so it can't be helped," but Asuka (Yamamoto) and Eri (Matsuzawa Eriko) were setting good times and personal bests. Seeing them perform well under the same conditions made me realize how weak I was. I'm someone who runs races because I enjoy running, not just for the time, but I had high expectations of myself, so my Hokkaido Marathon result was frustrating and disappointing.