Tanegashima Rocket Marathon

One of the main reasons for visiting Tanegashima was actually to take part in the 21st Annual Rocket Marathon. I ran the ½ marathon course and despite the horrible weather conditions on race day, I still had a great run. Besides, the scenery alone was enough to make it a remarkable experience! Nevertheless, during the entire race the wind and rain were pounding down on me so hard that at times even though I was running forward at full speed I was somehow still being pushed backwards. I didn’t let this get me down, however, as I was able keep both my cool and my focus thanks to the sweet jams that were playing on my i-pod shuffle.

And now for a little trivia. . .The start of the race was unique in that men dressed in traditional costumes fired 15th Century arquebus guns. This was to commemorate the island's history for it was through the seaports of Tanegashima where guns were first brought into Japan by Portuguese explorers.

Finally, the best part about the race was that the location of the goal. The marathon ended at the JAXA Space Center. Running past gigantic space rockets to the finish line was absolutely invigorating. I came in 17th place with a time of 1 hour 49 minutes and 44 seconds. I’m already looking forward to next year where I’d like to try my take at the full marathon.