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Ushiyama and Fujisawa Win Kanazawa Marathon as 9.843 Run Japan's First Full-Size Mass Participation Marathon Since Feb. 2020


After being canceled last year, the Kanazawa Marathon returned Oct. 31 for its seventh edition, with 9.843 participants from across the country running down the autumn streets of Kanazawa. It was Japan's first full-size mass-participation marathon since February, 2020. Nagano's Junichi Ushiyama won the men's race in 2:17:03 after frontrunning most of the race, with Mai Fujisawa of Hokkaido scoring a commanding win by almost ten minutes in the women's race in 2:35:52.

As part of the event's coronavirus strategy the start was divided into two waves of about 5,000 people each, the first wave starting at 8:35 from a start in front of Ishikawa Geihinkan and the second at 8:45 from in front of City Hall. Runners passed many of the city's historic temples and gardens en route to finishing at Seibu Ryokuchi Park Stadium. The Kanazawa Marathon is a joint project of the city and prefectural governments, and the Hokukoku Newspaper.

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translated and edited by Brett Larner

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