Sunday 29 July 2018

History of the Kanto 10 Mile Road Race


After completing the Kanto 10 Mile Road Race in December last year, I asked the race organizers to share with me information about the history of this race. I had heard that it was the oldest 10-mile road race in the world, though there are few details available about the race and its history, particularly in the English language. Below, I have summarized the history of the race posted photographs of the letter I received from the race organizers.

The Kanto 10 Mile Road Race was first held on 28th March 1937. The race was held twice a year, in March and December until the 103rd convention in 1989, since which time it has been held once a year in late December. The race was not held from 1942 to 1945 due to the second world war, before resuming on 8th December 1946. Keizo Yamada, winner of the Boston Marathon in 1953 is a former participant in the race, as is Yuko Arimori, who won silver and bronze medals at the Olympics for the marathon in 1992 and 1996 respectively. A 10KM race was added to the event schedule in 1961.

The current records for the 10-mile race are 47:20 (male) and 54:05 (female).


 



 





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