2024 Kobe Marathon
17 November 2024
The Kobe Marathon 2024 was my first full marathon, after running the Nagoya City Half Marathon in 2022 and 2023. This time I went to Kobe by myself. It's a beautiful city, nestled into a narrow strip of land between the sea and the mountains.
The weather started with drizzle in the early morning, but it brightened up. This was the last time the Kobe Marathon took the "old" course over the red bay bridge.
I kept up a reasonable pace throughout the race, and finished in 4:28:49 (net time).
The numbers
- Net time: 4:28:49 (gross 4:32:42, as it took almost four minutes to reach the start line)
- Average pace: about 6:22 per km
- Halfway: 2:11:04 net, so the second half took 2:17:45
| Distance | Split | Pace per km |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 km | 31:43 | 6:21 |
| 5–10 km | 29:46 | 5:57 |
| 10–15 km | 29:43 | 5:56 |
| 15–20 km | 31:27 | 6:18 |
| 20–25 km | 32:34 | 6:31 |
| 25–30 km | 32:52 | 6:34 |
| 30–35 km | 32:51 | 6:34 |
| 35–40 km | 34:26 | 6:53 |
| 40 km–finish (2.195 km) | 13:27 | 6:08 |
Afterwards, I went to Kobe Bible Fellowship and then came home the same day on the shinkansen.
It was lots of fun, with amazing support from the crowds lining the streets and from the volunteers. I was just sad that I didn't have the family with me this time, and I decided to make good on that regret the next year!