WB059: Watching a marathon in real life for the first time
Tokyo recently hosted the 2025 World Athletics Championships (Sept 14th - Sept 21st) at the Kengo Kuma-designed Japan National Stadium.
The stadium was purpose-built for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that eventually took place in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sadly, spectators were not allowed into the stadium during the Olympics due to social distancing measures.
The 2025 World Athletics Championships was therefore the stadium's first time playing host to a large-scale, international event. As a result there was a lot of hype and excitement leading up to the Championships.
Tickets for the non-premium seats were sold out on the evenings we planned to go, so we decided to spectate the men's marathon. This event took place at 730AM on Monday, Sep 15th, which happened to be a public holiday (Respect for the Aged Day).
The marathon start & finish line was at the Japan National Stadium, with the race route taking runners through famous areas in Tokyo like Nihonbashi (Japanese: 日本橋) and Ginza (Japanese: 銀座). Spectators were permitted to watch the race from the road side (for free).
We left our home bright and early and reached Nihonbashi at about 745AM. Upon arriving, we were quite surprised to see many spectators already patiently waiting. Some came well prepared with portable chairs, food and drink - clearly not their first time spectating this type of event.
(R) Seiko was the official timekeeper of the Championships. The car led the runners from start to finish
It was my first time spectating a marathon in real life and there are noticeable differences to watching it on television.
Firstly, you can really feel the palpable atmosphere of anticipation and excitement generated by the spectators. Secondly, you get a much better sense of the consistently fast speed at which professional marathon runners run.
And finally, there's nothing more uplifting than hearing spectators cheering on all the runners, regardless of their race position. In a blink of an eye, the runners came and went, leaving behind the roars of encouragement from the many spectators lining the roads. As the marathon runners did two loops of the area we spectated from, we got to see them more than once.
More often than not, we like to watch sports events from the comforts of home. No crowds or lines to contend with. Easy access to food and drinks.
But after spectating this year's marathon, I came home with a newfound appreciation of how skilled these athletes are. And though there can only be three medal winners in each event, participating at this level is itself a significant achievement.
--Ends
