46th Tsukuba Marathon

“I achieved the result safely, although only just.”

The 2025 first-time full marathon runner focused on running training instead of cycling to chase a sub-3 finish. The night before traveling to the race, they slept only about two hours because of noise at the capsule hotel, and although they struggled to hold their pace in the later stages, they narrowly reached their goal.

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“At the event where I set a personal best last year, I set a new personal best again this year.”

At the runner's sixth full marathon, they ran through the University of Tsukuba campus and along roads lined with autumn leaves. The runner maintained their target pace through 20 km, but slowed down afterward when their thighs began to feel as though they might cramp. With a net time of 4:34:14, the runner set a new personal best, and the baggage check and post-race exit flow felt smooth.

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“I managed to finish somehow. My time was 2 hours 54 minutes 56 seconds.”

Early on, the runner saved energy by following the pace group at around 4 minutes 10 seconds per kilometer. After 20 km, their hips and legs felt heavy, and they ran carefully from 35 km onward because of the risk of calf cramps, but finished in 2 hours 54 minutes 56 seconds with support from their fellow runners.

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“My time was in the 3 hours 35 minutes range, and it was a satisfying race after a long time!”

For their first participation in 2024, the participant missed their wave start while waiting for the toilet and started from a different block, so their official result was disqualified. The reference net time provided by the race office was in the 3 hours 35 minutes range, and they reported maintaining 5 minutes pace through 36 km.

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“I shouted loudly when finish.”

Zeroshiki0930, a 2024 participant, took a shuttle bus from Kenkyu Gakuen Station to the event venue, with a starting loss of 8 seconds. After 28K their legs grew heavy and they felt nauseated over the final 10K, but they held on and came in at 2:47:57, within 2 hours 50 minutes.

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“I took part in the 43rd Tsukuba Marathon, held on 26 November 2023.”

In 2023, the full marathon participant ran in rainy, cold weather and struggled to maintain pace on the uphill section of the course near 35 km and in the final university campus section. They achieved a sub-3.5 for the first time in 4 years, with an official finish time of 3 hours 28 minutes 10 seconds.

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“The race organiser changed the course this year.”

A Tsukuba participant assessed the changed course, autumn foliage, running direction, and road surface based on their own experience.

“Managing my pace well helped my legs hold up all the way to the end.”

The runner set a heart-rate cap and ran the climbs without pushing too hard. The wave start reduced the early congestion, and the runner picked up the pace in the second half to finish with a negative split.

Quoted from the original · translated