6th Obuse MiNi Marathon – REPORT

After two years of relative respite from the heat, it was business as usual at a hot Obuse, Nagano Prefecture. The increasingly popular Half Marathon took place on Sunday July 20. It was overcast but warm when the race started at 7:20am. By 9:00am, as the bulk of competitors were crossing the finish line, most of the clouds had burnt off and temperatures must have been near 30C. This year over 6,000 runners took part and other than long queues for toilets, the organisers seemed to cope quite well with the numbers. 22 Nambanners and friends of the club participated this year.