There was a rare sight of a pacemaker running through a full marathon to the finish. Yuki Kawauchi (33 = Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Co., Ltd.), who set the pace for the leading group, also secretly completed 42.195 kilometers. Records remain.

It was planned to weigh up to 40 kg. However, Mao Ichiyama (23 = Wacoal) kept taking the lead in order to set a good time. After all, I pulled off a mountain and helped the last squirt until just before entering the goal, Yanmar Stadium Nagai. There was nothing wrong with the rules, even if he took the lead beyond the planned distance, and it was a unique scene in a record-seeking race. Then when he entered the goal stadium, he braked and left the mountain.

Of course, the main role was Ichiyama, who ran with a tournament record of 2 hours 21 minutes 11 seconds. After that, maybe Kawauchi noticed that he would not appear on television as much as possible, he ran off the track and crossed the finish line so he would not stand out. 45 seconds passed after Ichiyama scored the goal.

Kawauchi has completed 107 full marathons in the past. It was the first time that such an experienced man had run a full marathon as a pacemaker.

In the race, as a pacemaker, he did laps exactly like a machine until the intermediate stage, helping Ichiyama who was aspiring to achieve a Japanese record. When the pace of the mountain slowed, he stepped down from the set time and responded flexibly. He kept saying “I can go” and “Do your best” and encouraged me.

Generally, pacemakers reach 30 kilometers or midpoints, where they finish running. A tournament official said: “It is unusual for a pacemaker to finish the race, but I imagine I thought I was going to run to the end because I ran so far.”

In order to prevent the infection of the new coronavirus, this tournament was changed to a course that circles Nagai Park in Osaka city for about 15 laps and ends at Yanmar Stadium Nagai. Conventionally, the starting and ending point is Yanmar Stadium Nagai, which is a field that goes around the city. However, to prevent the roadside from becoming dense and to reduce the number of volunteers, the event was held only in the park.