Ultramarathon in Kanagawa (Japan) for MSF (Oct 9)

UPDATE - The run is over! I started running on October 9th at 9pm and arrived at Miura Beach at just after 7am on October 10th.  I left the original post details below but I'm going to give a full update here. 

The ultra was a really great experience from start to finish. This course was a bit of an experiment for the event organizer so there were a few adjustments compared with the original program (especially with the positioning of the aid stations). Below is a picture of the planned course and the pictures uploaded to my Strava. 


Please check my Strava page if you want to zoom in on the map.  https://strava.app.link/Uu1m9Tsigkb 

A collage of photos from the race can be seen below: 


Running this race was really hard. It was strange because I didn't feel too exhausted through the whole thing but my legs started hurting from right around the first aid station and that gradually got worse through the whole event. Thankfully I managed to complete the race and the main thing that is bothering me the day after the event is some muscle soreness but that's about it. 

What I will say is that this is one of the most worthwhile experiences I've ever had. There were times when we were running where there was absolutely no light other than our head lamps. It was quite a clear evening and I've never seen so many stars in the sky before. A mixture of that and the runners high made it a magical experience. On top of that this was quite a different experience than the marathon I ran earlier in the year. During the marathon it was very much an individual battle. This event however was a really great chance to meet people and bond in a way I've never been able to do so before. A marathon is very much first to the finish but in this event I ran with a group of people I met on that day and we encouraged each other to run through the pain. Right at the end of the race we got to the clock together and took a group picture so all of our finish times were the same: 



Although I look like I'm having fun on most of these pictures, I can assure you that this race really was hard. One picture a running mate took really managed to capture my suffering. 


I'm really glad I managed to take part in this event (and survive). I'm also really happy to have the chance to raise some money for MSF because they really are a charity I believe does great work. I'm not sure if I'll hit the goal with this event but regardless, the kindness and generosity of my friends and coworkers means my current funding has greatly exceeded the fundraiser I did for MSF earlier this year with my first marathon. 

Thank you all very much for your support.

OSU! 

Anthony

Original post: 

Hi there. My name is Anthony Swain. I'm originally from the UK and I've been living in Japan since 2006. I have a PhD in medicine from Fukuoka University (Japan) and I'm currently working as a project manager and medical science liaison for a scientific solutions company called Edanz ( https://www.edanz.com/ ). My main job at this company is to manage manuscript development projects in order to communicate medical research to the wider public. I feel very fortunate to be able to work on advancing scientific knowledge around the world but my job has me very much tied to a desk and doing a lot of my global work from my own home.

I have a history of asthma so when the COVID-19 pandemic started up I knew that I needed to make sure that I stayed fit and healthy just in case I got infected with the virus. I was just working out at home at first but in August 2020 I started running and I pretty much haven't stopped since. I ran slowly at first (I was never a good runner) but from December 2020 I've been running 300 km a month, every month without fail (follow me on Strava at https://www.strava.com/athletes/2815942).


In April 2021 I ran my first marathon in Yokohama in 3 hours 37 minutes and 8 seconds (that was the official time. The Strava link is here: https://www.strava.com/activities/5211006682?share_sig=0EE337061619688676&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ios_share ). With this run I called on my Facebook friends and managed to raise some money (21,221 yen or approximately 140 GBP) for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) using an app on Facebook. I have a PhD and I work internationally (that makes me sort of a doctor without a border) but more than that MSF is a charity that resonates with me and I'd like to use my running habit to try to support them more (especially during the pandemic where their work is more important than ever).

On the evening of October 9th (previously August 21st), 2021 I will be running my first ultramarathon from Yokosuka Station (Kanagawa Prefecture) and run a 70km route around the Miura Peninsula. The event is being organized by the Michikusa Ultra event planner (Website in Japanese http://michikusa-ultra.com/event/miura_midnight.html ). If the weather is ok i.e. not a typhoon, I'll be running from around 9pm on the 9th and arriving at the goal on the morning of the 10th.

(A more detailed map is available here: https://www.google.co.jp/maps/d/viewer?mid=1dq1FA07py1qUI838V5M8p1ov_7O97HTg&ll=35.20888558731074%2C139.67529999999996&z=12)

If for any reason I'm unable to attend this ultramarathon I will run my own version of an ultramarathon by doing my regular 5km running course 10 times in one day and recording it on Strava. (The initial date of this ultramarathon was August 21st but has been moved to October 9th due to COVID restrictions).

The marathon in April was my first ever marathon. This is my first ever ultra. My attitude towards these kind of events are that if I can raise even a single penny for a worthy cause then it was worth the effort. I didn't have a monetary goal last time and I only relied on my Facebook friends. This time I am using a more open platform and I hope it can reach a bit further so I have set a goal of 1000 GBP.

Thank you very much in advance for your support no matter how you choose to support it. If you can make a donation, excellent. If you can't make a donation, just sharing or commenting on this to spread awareness would also be very much appreciated.

頑張ります！(Ganbarimasu! : I'll do my best)

Anthony

(More information about Médecins Sans Frontières UK: Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is an independent emergency medical aid organisation. MSF provides relief to the victims of war, natural disasters and epidemics irrespective of gender, race, creed, religion or political convictions in more than 70 countries across the globe. MSF was awarded the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize. Money donated through PayPal Giving will go into MSF General Funds and is not restricted by country.)