Latvian Ambassador Peteris Vaivars, 48, has been an avid marathon runner since he was posted to Japan five years ago. He has participated in the Tokyo Marathon for four consecutive years since the inaugural event in 2007 and is preparing for the fifth marathon to be held Sunday.
Vaivars is also helping promote Japanese participation in the 21st Riga Marathon, which takes place in the capital of his home country in May.
Members of International Artists Center, a nonprofit organization that sets up international exchange programs, heard about the Vaivars' entries in the Tokyo Marathon and came to know through the envoy about the Riga Marathon, in which about 10,000 people from 45 countries participate each year.