Held annually in March each year, the Nagoya Women’s Marathon, which starts and ends at the Nagoya Dome in Nagoya, Aichi Province, Japan, brings runners past several of the city’s landmarks such as the Nagoya City Museum, the Atsuta Shrine, Tsuruma Park and the Nagoya Castle.

And the running course is a fast and flat one and with its seven-hour cut-off time, this Marathon is also advertised as being beginner-friendly.

World’s Largest Full Marathon For Women Only

As well, the Nagoya Women’s Marathon is billed as the largest Women’s Only Full Marathon race in the world and the event is also well known amongst runners worldwide, for giving out limited-edition Tiffany & Co. necklaces to its finishers – one of the main draws of the race for many of its participants.

Besides the Women’s Marathon though, there is also a Nagoya City Marathon that takes place at the same time, and this event consists of two categories, a Half Marathon and a 10KM Run (Quarter Marathon) for both males and females.

However, do note that it is only the Full Marathon finishers who receive the Tiffany & Co. necklaces.

So not surprisingly, with about 3,000 spots made available for overseas runners each year in the Women’s Full Marathon, entries for the race are decided through a ballot. 

Entering The Race and Getting The Slot

For the 2019 race, the ballot had opened in September 2018. 

And together with a group of my running buddies with whom I train at Coached – a heart rate based training programme – I put my name into the lottery. Six of us successfully got the race slots.

 So in the months leading up to the event, I would say that this race had been something that I’d been looking forward to, mostly because of the Tiffany & Co. finisher necklaces and the supposedly-hot Japanese hunks dressed in tuxedos who were meant to be giving them out.

But at the same time, though, I was slightly nervous because it was still a Full Marathon race, after all, and because the Marathon distance is so long, anything can happen during such a race.

Arriving In Nagoya

Coming from hot and humid Singapore, I had arrived in Nagoya on the Thursday morning before the race – in order to give myself a few days to get accustomed to the much colder weather and also get in a couple of taper runs – to test out my race-day running gear in preparation for the Marathon. 

Though it is generally advised that runners should test out running gear for our training sessions prior to a race, this is not possible for runners who live in the tropics but are racing in cooler, temperate climates.

The weather had been quite sunny but cool from Thursday to Saturday, and based on my taper sessions, my gear was all good and I was set and ready for the race… or so I had thought.

Preparing For Wet Weather

How wrong was I.

This is because on race day… it had rained.

Apparently the weather forecasts that had been predicting rain on race day had proved to be correct, after all.

Yet, I had somehow been praying that the forecast was wrong… because I have zero experience with running in climatic conditions where it is both cold and wet at the same time.

But at least I had been armed with some wet weather running tips from my coach Ben Pulham – who is also the founder of Coached. He had travelled to Nagoya for a last-minute sharing session cum carbo loading lunch with us, which took place on the Saturday prior to the race.

And he had also accompanied us shopping for us to purchase some wet weather running gear, too. It had been really nice of him to do these small things for us girls.

Before parting ways with us, Ben also advised us to have an early night and to try and get some sleep – instead of walking around and shopping, thus tiring our bodies out in the process. This was basic advice that we had known already, but I would say it is much harder to actually practise, than it may appear.

Race Morning

Yet, on the morning of the race, it had initially seemed as though nothing was amiss – the weather was quite cold, at about 9 degrees C, but the skies still looked bright and clear as we made our way down to the Nagoya Dome at about 7am that morning.

 The race would be officially flagging off at 9.10am, so this would give us plenty of time to deposit our baggage and visit the restroom.

My toilet queue had been fairly long but thankfully this had been very organised and systematic and it moved very quickly, taking about 10 to 15 minutes in my case. It had also helped that there were plenty of toilet cubicles available for this year’s race.

Entering The Start Pen

I was in my start pen, at Block E, by about 8.20am and because it was still early, I managed to snag a good spot near the front. There, I waited out the time until my flag-off.

As I waited, I spotted several runners in costume and among them, I recognised a team of Minions from the Despicable Me franchise, as well as random fruit costumes such as bananas and pineapples.

Though the weather had been about 9 or 10 degrees C at this point, I had still been feeling comfortable, thanks to a jacket that I’d had on, as well as a cheap grey beanie that I’d bought during the last-minute shopping trip with Ben.

There had been a TV screen where the happenings at the very front of the starting line was being broadcast. As well, random groups of runners were also being televised from time to time.

It was on this screen that I saw that the wheelchair race was being flagged off at about 9am. Everyone around me immediately cheered when they burst out of the blocks. 

And then less than ten-minutes later, the first wave of Marathon runners began their race.

Flagging Off

Things had progressed quite quickly after that.

Each subsequent pen was rapidly ushered to the start line in intervals of what had felt like one or two minutes, or so. And at about 9.15am, I found myself at the start line, and then that was when my run began.

Bearing in mind that a Marathon is a very long race, I told myself not to start too fast.

So when I took off from the blocks, I maintained my heart rate in the Easy Zone, planning to run in this Zone for at least the first 21KM of the run and then I would take it from there.

At this point, the temperature had felt like about 10 degrees C. There was no rain. As originally planned, I had on a jacket that I was planning to toss aside when my body had heated up considerably.

Due to the cold weather, it was also much easier to maintain a sub 7-minute/kilometre pace in my Easy heart rate Zone and as a result, I felt very comfortable as I ran.

However soon after I had started running, the beanie, which had initially kept me comfortable, began to feel very hot. So after a couple of kilometres, I took it off and gave it away, to a random race volunteer on the pavement.

Spectators And Bands Line The Route

Along the way, the streets were lined with spectators who were cheering us on as we ran. Moreover, some of them had been dressed in rather elaborate costumes and I had easily recognised characters such as DC Comics’ Batman, Pikachu from the Pokemon franchise as well as Nemo from Finding Nemo, amongst them.

As well, there were also bands playing catchy and upbeat music to boost the mood of the runners, too, and amongst these, I recognised iconic songs from ABBA and QUEEN. And they had made me almost want to sing along to them during my run.

I would say that it had been quite amazing to see so many of the locals out and about, supporting the Marathon and keeping the spirits of the runners high – definitely not something that you would see back home in Singapore.

At about four kilometres into the run, my body had generated enough heat and I felt comfortable and warm enough to throw my jacket away.

Or so I had thought.

Rain Comes

But about five to six kilometres into the Marathon, the rain had started. At first it was just a light drizzle but soon after that, it got slightly heavier, so it could probably be described as more of a shower, instead.

Dressed in just a t-shirt and arm sleeves at this point, I began to regret having tossed my jacket away.

Still though, I had no choice. I had to keep on running. I thought to myself that perhaps I should have brought along a poncho for the run. Unfortunately I didn’t have one, though, because I usually don’t like to carry along too much extra gear when I am running.

Cut-Off Points

The first official cut-off point had been at about 6KM in the race and I passed this easily with lots of time to spare, knowing that as long as I did not slow down my pace too dramatically or stop to take too many pictures, I would definitely be able to get my hands on the exclusive Tiffany & Co. finisher pendant.

Altogether, there had been eight cut-off points spread at varying intervals throughout the course, and as I ran, I made sure I had these timings and distances somewhere at the back of my mind. 

This was because the last thing I had wanted was to stop too many times to take photos along the way, and end up being amongst those to get cut-off as a result of that. After all, I had come to Nagoya for the Tiffany & Co. necklace, and by hook or by crook, I told myself that I would finish the race to get my hands on it.

Giving Spectators High-Fives 

Despite the continuous rain, I thought it had been very heartening to see that the spectator crowd was still going strong. The Nagoya locals continued to cheer us on and support us, braving the rain and the cold in the process.

A lot of spectators were holding boards and banners, too. While some of these boards had runners’ names written on them, many of them were generic signages with motivational messages on them, such as, ‘Gambatte’ and ‘Tap For Power.’

When I had passed many of these spectators, I gave high fives to their outstretched palms. And I had noticed that when I returned the high five to the local children who were watching, their faces lit up in big smiles, they were so happy. And this made me feel good as I ran along.

My coach, Ben, had been amongst the spectators, too, and I was looking out for him as I ran but unfortunately I failed to spot him, during my run. I admit that it would have been nice to have seen a familiar face in the crowds, though.

Besides the cheering though, many of the spectators had also brought food items ranging from strawberries and grapes, to chocolates, sweets, KitKat and gummy candies, to help us runners replenish our energy levels during the long run.

I appreciated these, and took a few types of foods from random people, including the strawberries and the KitKat, because I had wanted the sugar kick.

This is despite the fact that we are, ironically, taught as children, to never accept food from strangers, I think that this time, it has got to be an exception!

At this point in time, I was thoroughly enjoying running in this Marathon.

First Half Passes Quickly

And because of all this, the first 21KM of the Marathon passed by all too quickly – despite the fact that I was quite wet by this point. Thankfully I was not feeling cold anymore though because my body was generating a lot of heat from my running.

So before I knew it, I was seeing the Nagoya Dome – the finish line of the Half Marathon coincided with the 21KM point of the Full Marathon and due to the difference in the flag-off timings, I got to see some of the fast Half Marathon runners finish their race. 

It had been quite interesting to see the various changes in these runners’ facial expressions as they ran the final hundred metes as hard as they could. I have to say that some looked quite comical, and so this had kept my mind busy for a short while.

Official Aid Stations

The first food station of the race was between the 22KM and 23KM mark of the race. I had been reading the race programme earlier, so I knew to expect one at this point during the run.

Prior to this station, the earlier aid stations had served us Aquarius isotonic drinks and water and I stopped at every one of them to take a swig of isotonic drink.

The first drink station was at the 5KM mark but from that point on, though, the rest had been located approximately every 2.5KM to 5KM apart, which is quite regular.

I did notice, however, that the amount of beverages that had been served to us at the aid stations had been about one-third of a cup, rather than a full cup.

I suppose that the race organiser’s reason for doing so, was probably to reduce wastage because runners generally sip their hydration rather than drinking the whole cup.

But to their organiser’s credit, though, there had been plenty of tables for hydration and these were clearly labeled with wordings that said, for example, “1 of 8” or “1 of 2.” 

So in this way, runners would know exactly how many drink tables there were, and whether each table was serving water or isotonic drink. It made it easy to plan my race strategy rather than simply cluster around the first few tables. And I think that this is much more systematic than many of the races in Singapore that I have taken part in.

And right from the first food table situated at the 22KM point, this was also clearly labelled so, as well.

The type of food being served at the official stations was also written down, but unfortunately, unlike the earlier signages, this one seemed to have been in Japanese only, and had no English translations. 

So this meant I had to stop, see and walk down the table – in order to see what types of foods were available.

The lack of English signages had been the case throughout the food tables along the whole route, with the others being approximately around the 27KM, 32KM and 35KM points respectively. It was a small problem, though, because all of the other signages had English translations. 

But the amount and variety of items being given out at the food points were quite generous. There were bananas, as well as lotus chips, chocolates, bread, mochi, rice crackers and sweets.

I noted that the bananas were sliced into small pieces, thus making it easy for runners to grab and gobble them down without losing time or having to peel these.

Overwhelmed by the variety available, I stopped at all these food tables in order to try most of the items, before then continuing with my run. And I must say that everything was quite delicious!

Toilet And Muscle Spray Points

Along the course, there had also been designated toilet points as well as points for muscle spray.

And these were not only clearly marked with large wordings in both English and Japanese, but it was also well indicated too, when the next toilet/muscle spray point was, so that we could plan our race strategy accordingly. 

I thought that the arrangement and organisation of these points had been very systematic, with all of the guesswork taken out for the runners.

Do note that these, however, had been located slightly off-course, though, by about 10 to 20 metres or so, unlike the food and drink stations.

Must Keep Pushing

As the distance wore me down and the rain refused to let up, I focused my thoughts on external factors – such as the distance to go in order to reach the next food station – to keep myself going.

I also tried to look at the sights and sounds around me to distract myself. We passed the Nagoya Castle somewhere around the 25KM to 26KM mark and I took the chance to admire this landmark of the city before then continuing on with my run.

At the same time, though, I made sure that I kept my pace as constant as I could manage to, even though meeting my personal best was, by now, out of reach.

But I was quite impressed with the spectators, as they were still continuing to cheer us on even in the later stages of the Marathon, despite the rain. 

Many of them were wearing ponchos and possibly freezing considering the weather conditions, but their desire to keep up the spirits of the Marathon runners was amazing and I found it very motivating, too.

Legs Getting Heavy

My legs began to get progressively heavier as I passed the 25KM marker and at this stage, I felt as though my pace was gradually slowing down. 

But I told myself to forget about any thoughts of running a personal best and just focus on maintaining my pace below 7 minutes/kilometre, in order to finish in a decent time. 

This had meant speeding up when I could – so that I would be able to afford taking the time to have some breaks at the food stations en route.

I think that I may have cramped up a little bit somewhere around 30KM to 32KM and from this point onwards, I grit my teeth and told myself to maintain my focus and complete what I had come to Nagoya for – which had been to finish the Marathon and thus earn my Tiffany & Co. necklace.

My heart rate, though, was still relatively low in the latter stage of the race and through the race, I think I never went above my Easy Heart Rate Zone ceiling. 

So I realised that the weather definitely plays a huge part in terms of running effort. Thus, if my legs had not been heavy and aching, I think that I should actually have been able to run a lot faster whilst maintaining my Heart Rate.

When my spirits were low and down, the constant shouts of “Gambatte!” from the spectators did lift my mood though, and they helped to give me enough energy to keep moving my wet and cold body. 

Additionally, they were also great in terms of taking my mind off the cramps and the pain that I had been experiencing at this point.

Finishing The Run

But still, the last few kilometres of the run had felt like forever, and there had been a time when I felt as though I would never reach the Nagoya Dome. 

But at long last, the Nagoya Dome eventually did appear within my line of vision, together with the 42KM marker.

This marker had meant that there were only 195 metres left to run, into the Nagoya Dome. And I admit that I was looking very forward to finishing.

End Point At Nagoya Dome

Though I think that my pace had slowed down somewhat during the course of the run, I am happy that I had somehow managed to push myself in order to make up enough ground in the final 5KM of the Marathon – and make it to the finish line in under five hours.  

My Garmin had measured 42.7KM at the end of my Run, so I think that the running course had been rather accurate.

This was not a personal best timing for me, the main thing, though, was that I had managed to get to the finish line without any injuries and in one piece, despite the weather feeling as though it had been about 10 degrees C or less, throughout the entire course.

The finish line had been inside the Nagoya Dome and when I ran through it, I admit that I had been feeling more of relief, rather than anything else. 

With the cold and rain having lasted for approximately about 37KM of my run, it had definitely not been the best conditions to race a Full Marathon but despite that, at least I could call myself a Finisher of the Nagoya Women’s Marathon 2019.

Picking Up My Tiffany & Co. Necklace

Upon making my way through the finishing arch, I took a few pictures of myself at the finish line and then headed over to pick up my Tiffany & Co. necklace from the tuxedo guys. 

But to be honest, I must say that I had been quite disappointed that this year’s tuxedo guys were not as handsome as compared to the previous time when I had run this Marathon, in 2018. 

This is because instead of attractive Japanese hunks with six-packs, most of the guys this year had seemed to be very average and ordinary in appearance.

Nonetheless, I randomly picked a lane and collected my Tiffany & Co. necklace, and in the process, grabbing a quick photo with the guy who had given it to me too.

Other Finisher’s Entitlements 

Besides the necklace, the finishers of the Nagoya Women’s Marathon 2019 were also entitled to a finisher t-shirt from the race sponsors, New Balance. 

This year, the t-shirt took on a feminine Sakura-pink colour. Additionally too, there was also a finisher towel in the same pink tones that was being given out to those who had completed the race within the cut-off timing.

We were given a Tiffany-green coloured paper bag to put all our finisher items inside, which had definitely made it easier to carry everything that we had just collected.

Inside the Nagoya Dome, however, it was not as warm as I had initially thought that it would be. 

This is because once that I had finished running, I admit that I was beginning to feel the cold biting into me by this stage. So I knew that I needed to get my jacket quickly – so that I would not succumb to the cold and fall sick as a result.

Before collecting the bag that I had deposited, though, I made my way over to the designated photo booths to take a posed picture together with the tuxedo guys, just for memory’s sake. 

The queue for these photos had been rather long but fortunately for me, it was very orderly and it had moved pretty fast, though.

After that, I went to pick up my bag and quickly put on my jacket before then heading out of the Nagoya Dome where I then collected a bottle of Aquarius isotonic drink, a bottle of water, a banana, a bread roll and a packet of supplements.

Outside, there had been a photo booth by one of the event sponsors, Seiko, too, where the runners could check up and pose with their race finish times – but because I had been feeling quite wet and cold, I decided not to queue up and get a picture. It also didn’t help, too, that the rain had still not yet stopped.

Post-Race Expo

Once we had collected our food and drink items, we were then instructed to follow the crowds in an orderly fashion and head back towards the Nagoya Dome, which I did.

There, I had a quick look around at the post-race expo, which had consisted of food and drinks for sale that had included bento sets, Western burgers, donburi bowls, soft-serve ice cream and fried chicken cutlets. It had been quite a wide variety of snack foods.

But despite that, I decided not to buy anything, instead preferring to munch on some of the bread that I’d already had – to replenish my energy. This was because I had just felt like nibbling rather than eating something more substantial.

As well, a small souvenir booth was also on-site too, selling items that had ranged from drawstring bags to sweat bands and packaged biscuits, amongst others, but I did not really feel the need to make any purchases – my Tiffany & Co. necklace and finisher t-shirt had been good enough for me, in terms of race souvenirs.

Catching Up With Friends 

Shortly after that, I met up with my Coached running buddies, most of whom had also completed their run by this point. 

We got changed out of our wet clothes and then hung around the Nagoya Dome for a while, chatting about how our respective runs had been, before subsequently heading to the nearby shopping mall for a hearty dinner and dessert at a Japanese restaurant there, as we were all beginning to get quite hungry by this point in time.

And after having just completed a rather challenging Marathon in less than ideal weather conditions, I would say that we all definitely deserved to enjoy the indulgence.