Osaka Marathon 2024 HOPE Charity Runner report: Simon Yates

Have you ever run a marathon? Whether the answer is yes or no, would you be interested in running one for charity? What does it involve? What do you need to you? Is it worth it?!

Read on and find out!

In October 2023, after many years of inquiry and negotiation, HOPE International Development Agency heard the wonderful news that it had been selected as a charity partner for the 2024 Osaka Marathon. And so the race (ahem) was on to find people willing to act as charity runners before the application deadline in November!

In all, HOPE managed to find 11 volunteers at very short notice - if we do this again, we have room to add more runners! - and it was an all-male team - something I’m sure they'll want to change for next year! The team varied in experience from guys who could run semi-pro sub-3 hours 30 times, to others (like me) who could hobble in at the 5-6 hour mark, and a couple of first-time challengers, including the irrepressible Lowell Sheppard who was, in typical Lowell fashion, attempting his first marathon at the age of 69.

As most of the application process was in Japanese, HOPE supported the sign up for those who needed it. And from there, it was time for everyone to start their 12 weeks or so of individual training.

The Feb 25th date for the Osaka marathon meant training during the coldest months, frequently barely above zero, and there were more than a few days of freezing rain to contend with. As someone who usually ran the Kobe Marathon in November after training in the Summer and Fall, this was a shock to the system, but my spirits were buoyed by the torrent of support on social media and the steady stream of donations coming in from friends and family!

In the weeks leading up to the marathon, the team (which was spread across Tokyo, Nagoya Osaka and Kobe) had a couple of Zoom calls, an early one to discuss fundraising strategy and a later one figuring out the logistics of the marathon registration and race day and bringing the first timers up to speed on what to expect.

I headed to the Marathon Expo to register on the Friday evening before the race. The first of many nice surprises was that charity runners had their own separate entrance and registration spot – no waiting in the two-hour queue!

A HOPE runners team dinner was organized on Saturday night (pasta, of course, for fuel), and though I couldn’t stay for this, it was good to pop in and meet the team and take some photos ahead of time.

The forecast was for heavy rain and low temperatures. Fortunately, the heaviest rain was overnight and the race was mostly run in a steady but light drizzle, and temperatures got up to 7 or 8 degrees by the afternoon (10 degrees is considered optimal for hardcore runners, though they will have finished the race before lunchtime…).

Changing facilities for ordinary runners were very limited, just a couple of tents, and the rain had forced people to find any shelter they could while they sorted their bags and equipment:

Hundreds of runners were getting changed along the platform and in the concourse of the train station and under the eaves of the cafes that lined the way to Osaka Castle Hall.

And so here was the second highly welcome surprise for the Charity Runners: We had our own designated locker space, changing room and exclusive lounge inside Osaka Castle Hall! We got changed in the warm and dry, and the lounge laid on a range of complimentary food and drinks. It was quite the VIP-treatment.

The lounge even had its own set of real toilets - this might seem like an odd thing to mention, but one of the most unpleasant element leading up to a marathon's race time are the enormous waiting lines for the rows of grimy plastic Portaloos and the fear of missing the starting gun.

Next, it was time to line up with the heaving masses in our starting blocks and await the gun on the three staggered starting waves, and then we were off.

Most of the race is run on spacious four-lane roads. There were toilets every 2km or so, and the course is well-marked and well-stewarded. The food and drink stations were ample and varied, including Osaka delicacies in the final 10km. And there were plenty of sights to take in: starting and finishing at Osaka castle, the whole Midosuji to ourselves from uptown to downtown, Osaka Dome and more.

The rain may have made the crowds lining the streets a bit lighter than usual, but with friends and family of 32,000 runners turning out, there were still plenty of people there to cheer us on.

After the glory/relief of the finish line (my second best time ever, even in the trying conditions, and 30 minutes faster than I'd run Kobe marathon in November 2023), I collected my finisher's medal, towel and assorted goodies. 

Then, the bonus elements of being a charity runner really kicked in: 

My wife and daughter were at the finish line thanks to their Charity Runner accredited access passes and were able to join me immediately!

I was able to change out of my rain-soaked clothes and shoes in the private men’s locker room (sitting on a chair!) and then we all headed to lounge where even more complimentary food and beverages were laid on. I had an Aquarius, a coffee, a cola, a banana, a katsu-sandwich and assorted cake and chocolates while I recharged in the warmth.

The VIP treatment is definitely something I’ll miss when I am back to ordinary runner status.

And the results of our efforts? I am very happy to report that the amount we raised through sponsorships totaled ¥1,648,777 from 98 individual donors, which was one of the top fundraising performances from the many organizations represented at the event.

Sometime in the near future, Osaka Marathon will disburse additional funds from the marathon itself to the charities based on our fundraising performance, so we look forward to announcing a further substantial increase to this total.

I raised just over ￥90,000 towards that total (the minimum target is ￥70,000 per runner), and my total of 29 donors was among the largest number of individual donors for the team.

Once again, a huge thank you to those of you who were kind enough to sponsor and support us! And of course, a big thank you to HOPE for creating, organizing and facilitating this very rare and highly rewarding experience! Contact HOPE if you are interested in signing up for next year!