65th Lake Fujiwara Marathon & Fujiwara Matsuri

There has been a lakeside run every year around our local lake, which was organised to coincide with the local festival, and they had an absolutely fantastic fireworks display. However, it was cancelled during the COVID era, and while we knew the run was coming back this year, the neighbours had told us that the fireworks and local festival were cancelled for good, which we considered to be a great shame. It was always a great place to meet up with neighbours from nearby villages, and tons of people came up from the town too.

Anyway, we found out just a few days prior that it was all back on again and it turned out to be a brilliant night.

Here is a video of a couple of the local kids singing and dancing to the "Minakami Song". I don't know what else to call it, it just seems to be a song about the local town.

Prior to this we had the fireworks display, and fortunately my friend Aki Harris, from Canyons down the road, took a fantastic video of the finale to that, and kindly allowed me to use it here. I suggest you expand this one to full screen if you can!

OK. So how did I get involved in the maraton side of it? Well, 4 years ago Jules and I had gone over to the finish line to see what all the fuss was about, and encountered a mob of lively young ladies all fancy dressed up. They may have been a factor:

But seriously folks, obviously, as usual, it started in a pub, when my friend Isobel suggested I enter the 5km run that was part of this event. And I said OK. I have no idea why. I haven't so much as run for a bus for about 24 years so I had to figure out what to do. Isn't technology Great? 2 minutes later I have an app that will train me from lethargic knob to 5km running superstar in 8 weeks.

It worked!! Kind of...

I actually really enjoyed the training, which was three sessions a week, for 8 weeks. I did the first 23 (of the 24) with not a single issue (apart from being knackered).

Then on Friday, two days before the run proper, I decided to go up to Naramata dam to do the final session, which was a 35 minute run, as it was a bit flatter up there than around by me, and I thought I would have a crack and see if I could do an actual 5km in that time. 10 minutes in I felt my right calf tighten up, and probably should have stopped then, but I finished the session. Later that night I could barely walk so I thought I wouldn't be able to do the bloody actual run. Saturday it seemed a bit better so my plan was to at the very least just walk around. Here are a few snaps from before the run starts:

View of the lake as we walk over to the registration area.

Me and my neighbour Kazumi who also entered the run.

Me, Kazumi, Nobi Tanaka, a minakami mate, and Ian Dreyer, visiting from Australia and running using Nobi's wife Isobel's entry as she was injured (expect transgender complaints later!!!).

In the end I was able to jog reasonably well, and speed walk the uphill bits (and to be honest I was planning to not run the steep bits in any case - exhausting). It was all going to plan when my calf blew out with about 500m to go, so in the finish video I am limping over the line. The injury cost me my anticipated 30 minute time as I had planned to do that last 500m as a sprint finish in minus 3 minutes. Ha harrr.

Here is a video of me limping across the finish line, and a picture of the certificate that they gave me at the end with the time and position on! Wasn't expecting that!!!

That basically says that I did a time of 36 minutes 18 seconds, came 67th in the mens over 15 group for 5 km, and 114th overall in the over 15s 5k. No idea how many in it. 68 blokes and 46 women I imagine. I may be able to update this later with a link to the posted results.

It claims that temperature was 23.3 (bollocks was it, it was about 30!!) humidity 91.3% and wind speed 1.6m. 1.6 m what? an hour, a day, a second?

Here is that update! Seems in the bloke section I was 67th out of 109 "runners".

For nerdy types, like me, here is a link to the strava record of it that does a really good little 3D fly-by of the route. The reason it appears we are running in the lake is that the lake is lowered by about 10 m in the summer, and that whole bank becomes a field.

I am not sure if you will be able to see the 3D fly-by unless you are a strava user, but take a look.

https://strava.app.link/VrC9WmVHcMb

And finally, so you can all have a good laugh, here is me "feeling the pain" limping over the finish line.