Sun, Run and Loads of Fun — the Namban Fall Race &  BBQ

The club’s annual 10K and Half Marathon, followed by a barbecue, was held on Sunday, October 26th along the banks of the Tama river. Indian summer came to Japan, with the temperature climbing to 26C/79F, so it was pretty warm for racing (they were dropping like flies at the Osaka Marathon), but better than cold rain! We had a great turnout of about 80 people, who enjoyed running, cheering, watching the kids’ race and eating, eating, eating. Alistair Bibby and his team prepared massive amounts of food for an American (hamburgers and hot dogs) and Australian (beef and shrimp on the barbie) BBQ, along with plenty of beer and wine. Winners were Joe Siegel and Rie Onodera in the Half (1:23:43 and 1:38:42) and Chris Winter and Jenene Marks in the 10K (36:28 and 43:13), plus Nicholas Whiteoak, who blazed the kids’ course.