Race Day!

So many strange and unexpected feelings for the day!  I had been hoping for weeks that Adam and Aaron would be glad they had signed up for the race once it was all over.

The day began with a small breakfast (banana and cereal).  Eddie and Yoko were so wonderful helping get us organized.  Eddie brought a hard suitcase for us to put our soft bags and clothes in since it was raining so much.  We got to the race 2 1/2 hours early because they have us on the stage giving short speeches and a couple of interviews with the newspaper and television.  After that, we just relaxed and got ready.  Aaron filmed the calisthenics that the entire group does (see video).  Everybody was so kind to us helping us get what we needed and helping us know where to be.

Iain's Experience
I felt good with the warmup, but didn't really know what to expect since the St George Marathon was only 5 weeks ago.  The race started and I felt good.  The pace felt easy and I went out with the leaders.  After the first mile a couple of guys went out ahead.  I let them go because you have to be patient in a marathon.  So many people are not patient and come back to me after going out too hard.  As we went up the canyon, people running with me gradually faded away.  While running alone, I noticed the beauty of the canyon in the rain with low clouds and colorful trees.  At about 11 miles, I caught up to second place and he faded back quickly.  First place was too far ahead to see.  At the half marathon mark, I was told first place was 60 seconds ahead.  Shortly after, I saw him run around a corner.  I timed how long it took me to get to that spot and he was 45 seconds ahead, then 30, then 10.  When I caught him, I gave him words of encouragement, but he didn't understand me.  Maybe he thought I was trash talking him.  He also faded away quickly.  On the way down the canyon, I still felt good through mile 21.  Then, I caught up to the half marathoners and had to weave my way though dodging right and left.  When they started to thin out, I realized I was getting a bit tired in my legs and my abdomen was getting a side ache.  At mile 22, I was in trouble.  I was slowing down so much with pain and fatigue that I realized I would be caught soon.  I ended up walking while drinking and eating at one aid station after moving to 5th place.  I ran some more and walked again.  With 1.5 miles to go, I managed to run slowly the rest of the way in with many Japanese runners encouraging me.  So, in the final 4 miles I went from 1st to 19th and finished in 2:47.  I was not too disappointed though since I just wanted to try the marathon realizing ahead that I might not be ready for it.  So, I was prepared for anything that came my way (good or bad).  In the end, it was a good experience to learn from.  The main disappointment is that I thought I might win with how I felt 20 miles into it and would have won 60 kg of rice for my host family.  One of the best parts of the race was the elementary school children that would cheer on the side and wanted to slap our hands as we went by.  I did that all the time and felt a little energized as I left their cheering.  Now, I will recover and figure out the next thing that will excite me.

Aaron's Experience

While I know that I'll never even hold a candle to Iain's running ability, it sure was exciting getting to hang out with him and feel like I was one of the top athletes.  The Ibigawa delegation treated us like rock stars.  Eddy and Yoko were there looking out for our every needs.  When it was our turn to run the half marathon it was so exciting being at the head of five thousand runners.  The starting gun went off and our adventure up into the canyon started.  Adam and I loved the encouraging crowd.  All the kids and many of the adults had their hands out for high fives.  Their attention and excitement kept me from thinking about my aching, under-trained body.  The mountain path was beautiful and the rain didn't dampen our spirits.  Although my body is upset with me now, I'm glad that I had such a great opportunity to run in Ibigawa with my brothers.  What a great experience.

Adam's Experience

Such a tremendous experience to be in such a beautiful place with extremely caring host family and Ibigawa helpers. I got to run in Japan! The energy and excitement and joy evident with all the spectators and participants made for an emotional experience. I was encouraged at each intersection by children, teachers, parents, and grandparents braving the rain to cheer the runners on. Even the runners would look out for us. I've never run as long as a half marathon and I am glad to have done it so that I could be sore and feel good about accomplishing something difficult. I cannot say enough good about the care our host family did for us. They watched over all of our needs from taking our jackets from us at the starting line just before the race, to making sure we had food, to cheering us, joking with us to calm our nerves, and just being with us continually....we weren't alone. I count this experience as a blessing from Heavenly Father to know that all people on the earth are brothers and sisters. Thank you Iain and Adrienne for the opportunity to be here.