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Yokohama Marathon Course Found to Be Short

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20150407/k10010040411000.html

translated by Brett Larner

It has come to light that the new mass participation Yokohama Marathon held for the first time last month in Yokohama did not receive certification from the JAAF because its course did not cover the complete full marathon distance.  Held on March 15th, the first running of the Yokohama Marathon featured 23,000 runners making it the third-largest in the country behind Tokyo and Osaka.  The scenic course passed many of Yokohama's most famous landmarks such as Chinatown and Yamashita Park, but it has become apparent that its length was less than the full marathon's standard 42.195 km.

According to the organizing committee, on the day of the race they received notification from the JAAF that the official course measurement they had requested indicated that the course was shorter than the full marathon distance by at least several tens of meters, and that the event would be denied certification as a result.  The organizers said the problem arose because they could not divert traffic on the Metropolitan Highway section of the course prior to race day, meaning that that part of the course could not be measured exactly in advance.  An organizing committee spokesperson commented, "We had calculated the distance of the Metropolitan Highway section from maps, but this turned out to be insufficient.  We will make the necessary adjustments to the course in time for next year."

Comments

Anonymous said…
So I'm still to have completed my first marathon? Bugger. And I was so proud of my sub four hour time.
Brett Larner said…
I read elsewhere that it was 186 m short.
Anonymous said…
An official announcement is at http://www.yokohamamarathon.jp/2015/news/20150407.html
The 10 km was 94.1 m short
TokyoRacer said…
Hey, this is Japan. Things like this are not supposed to happen. (Outside of the nuclear industry.)
Anonymous said…
I don't understand why they are so adamant about including the highway section. That whole section is tilted, harsh on the legs, and blocked off to spectators. I am hoping they will eliminate that section and use regular roads in the future.

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