Entering Races

Beyond some of the big marathons, such as Tokyo and Kobe, few races in Japan have application forms and entry systems in English. I’m not yet ready for another marathon, so finding some local races over distances shorter than the marathon is my immediate priority. Nothing sharpens up training better than having some races and goal times to aim for. I also like racing.

I’m used to being able to enter most races on the day in the UK. Typically, I would just turn up at a race venue HQ an hour before the start of a race, fill in a short form and hand over a couple of pounds and secure an entry. For a small number of more popular races, like The Leeds Abbey Dash, on-line applications and a debit card payment is the norm. By contrast, race entries in Japan close at least one month before race day, and often earlier. Race organisers almost never accept race day entries. Races are usually advertised on Japanese only language websites, of which there are three main sites (see bottom of this post for links). Japan is still a largely cash based society, so most race organisers allow applicants to pay the race entry fee at a local convenience store like a 7-11, using a paper application form filled out in Japanese.

I realised that I would need to ask for help if I wanted to get back into racing any time soon. Therefore, I’ve enlisted the aid of some work colleagues to research and enter some races. So far, I’ve managed to enter or get entry forms for:-

• The Kyoto Tamba 5K race on 3^rd November.
• The Kameoka Road Race 10K on 1^st January 2014
• Uji River Marathon 10K on 23^rd February 2014
• Kyoto City Half Marathon Road Race on 16^th March 2014

The Kyoto Tamba 5KM will be my first race for four months, and more importantly, my first experience of racing in Japan. Having had a disappointing year of running, with only two races under my belt, the next few months are starting to look promising.

 

http://runnet.jp/runtes/

http://www.sportsentry.ne.jp/search/top/all

http://www.tecnoplan.co.jp/tecnet/