japan running news

It's one year until the women's marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. For the second year in a row I went out to run about 31 km of the course at the exact time that the women will be racing it. As with last year , I started outside the Olympic Stadium in Sendagaya, ran up to the 15 km turnaround in Asakusa and back to the 20 km point near Nihonbashi, then cut out the out-and-back sections to 24.5 km and 33 km and instead headed back the 10 km or so to the stadium. Starting at 6:00 a.m. sharp, I ran a steady pace just under 5:00/km and made it back to the stadium a little after 9:15 a.m. with about 45 minutes of time lost to red lights, shooting video and live Tweeting, buying drinks and the odd pit stop. Every half hour I stopped to take temperature and humidity readings to get an idea of what kind of conditions the women will probably be facing a year from now. It's been a relatively cool summer so far in Tokyo with an extended rainy season that kept things fro...

In a Summer Marathon, Even World-Class Athletes' Lives Are at Risk from Heat Stroke In order to prevent incidences of heat stroke among athletes and spectators alike at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, work is progressing at a fevered pitch to develop countermeasures against the heat in the stadium environs and along the marathon course. Local municipal governments are focusing their efforts on increasing the number of large trees along the course to improve shade, and on implementing road surface materials with heat shielding properties. In past Olympics and World Championships there have been cases of athletes suffering from dehydration and heat stroke, and the issue represents a major challenge for the Tokyo Games. Late July on Sotobori Avenue in Tokyo's Kanda neighborhood. Under the peak strength of the summer sun helmeted workers hoisted by cranes cut back the branches and leaves of trees lining the street by hand. It looks like ordinary pruning work, but...