Some 2,000 runners will pound the pavement Monday in Tokyo in Japan's only urban marathon open to both fast and slow alike.
Traffic won't stop for the Tokyo Yumemai Marathon, however. The nonprofit group organizing the race has yet to receive endorsement by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government or any other sponsor willing to shoulder the advertising and other costs involved in rerouting traffic for the race.
That's despite the Tokyo Yumemai Marathon's strong following, which has jumped up from 77 runners from its start in 2001 to at least 2,000 in what will be its sixth year (it was held twice in one year). The runners will be staggered in groups of 40.
Unlike the New York and Berlin marathons, which are open to all kinds of runners from world-class athletes to those who use walkers and wheelchairs, Japan's urban marathons are closed to all but the best.
In the Tokyo Men's International Marathon, for instance, participants need to be able to finish in about 2 1/2 hours, while the cutoff time is roughly 3 1/2 hours for women's marathons.
"This marathon is the only chance for all runners -- no matter how slow -- to run a full marathon with a large group of fellow runners in a supportive atmosphere," said Ikuo Tsutsumi, a longtime Yumemai Marathon participant in charge of publicity.
for the event. The Tokyo half marathon was scrapped by the city in 2000 due to budgetary constraints.
This year's 42.195-km Yumemai Marathon will wind past Roppongi Hills, Tokyo Tower and Asakusa Kaminarimon. It will not be a timed, as runners will have to stop for traffic.
Last-minute participants will be able to sign up for the race until 8:30 a.m. Monday by calling (03) 3505-5808 or signing up at the Kenko-Hiroba in Hibiya Park. The fee is 2,500 yen per person. For information, visit www.tokyomarathon.jp/