Fukuoka Here’s to You

https://www.worldathletics.org/news/news/a-history-of-the-fukuoka-international-marath

Bye Bye the once Mighty, Once Great, Fukuoka Marathon and the rest of that Elite Circuit of Japan a Great Marathon Running Nation that Celebrated Excellence with Unparalleled High Standards for Entry and Overall Enthusiasm and Respect for the Athletes and Tradition that have Now Been Displaced by the Masses.

The marathoning world had “turned it’s lonely eyes to you” in keeping marathon racing at the forefront and letting the masses of recreational runners have theirs on some other day and that was important to distinguish.

I mean two Fukuoka’s? for a time there was, can there be two Christmas’s? I do understand $200 entry fee x 20,000 or more runners and don’t get me started on the virtual thing where you run a prescribed distance and buy yourself a medal to note it.

Marathon running needs its Wimbledon and its Masters Championships and now we got nothing but huge events that do not seem even prudent more so in this Covid times.

Okay so you are correct maybe I do not know all there is to know regarding the demise of this event but I’m gonna shoot my mouth off anyway and just get it out of my system.

For me it is simple. Athletics for excellence and high standards and I don’t believe this discourages anyone only makes them raise their game if they want to run in the big shows like formerly Fukuoka where there was a limit of four hundred athletes.

I also believe in separate races for men and women without pacers and definitely without male pacers for the women.

This way showcases the top athletes puts them on top of the world where they belong. I personally do not care about the back of the packers in a massive race and I do not equate them to the best athletes though I respect that they have their own struggles and are achieving something that they feel is significant for them.

It just doesn’t interest me.

Fukuoka for 75 years and poof well I suppose you can always start a new tradition. I mean no Boston Marathon last year though they might have done something similar to what London did keep the tradition going maybe even return for a year to the races original mission, racing.

Okay enough finis and adios

Soundtrack:

Photo 1982 Fukuoka