When I finished The Kauai Marathon back in September, I was completely surprised by the announcement that I would represent the Garden Island in the Iwaki City Sunshine Marathon on Sunday, February 23, 2025!! Kauai has a sister city, Iwaki City, which is located about 3 hours north of Tokyo and each year represetatives from each country travel to participate in the other’s respective races. My fiancée Kelsea and I were quite excited about this unique opportunity that was made possible by the Kauai Visitors Bureau.
Here is a synopsis of our journey…
Thursday, February 20, 2025
After landing in Tokyo, we met our interpreter Mayuko, checked in to the Iwaki Washington Hotel, unpacked and went to bed.
Friday February 21, 2025
At 6:45 am I went on my morning run, and it was very cold! But I figured that I might as well get used to it now since I have a full marathon to run on Sunday. After that, I met my fiancée downstairs as we ate a decadent breakfast at the buffet provided by the hotel.
We had a busy day ahead of us as we met with Mayuko for lunch at noon and experienced a traditional Japanese set meal at Fukufuku Restaurant. It was incredibly special because it felt so authentic being in a restaurant in Japan. Our food came out right after we sat as well, and that was amazing.
After lunch we headed out on the road for some travel adventures. First, we visited a museum where we learned about the history of ancient fossils from dinosaurs to coals found in Iwaki City. In the afternoon we made it to the Kotohira Shrine where we had the opportunity to visit many temples. We learned about their unique culture and even learned about the prayer, as well as the bell ringing.
Saturday February 22, 2025
At 9:50 am we got picked up and headed out to the coast of Iwaki City to review the course that I was planning to run during the Iwaki City Sunshine Marathon.
At noon we went to lunch at Restaurant Phoenix and had another epic Japanese set meal. Again, our meal came out right after we sat down, and I was really started to feel like an VIP!
In the afternoon we went to Aqua Marine Fukushima and were able to see many marine species from fishes, seals, shrimps and crabs. It was very cool and different from what we see on Kauai.
After the Aqua Marine adventure, we headed back to the hotel for some relaxation before we went to the Welcome
Party hosted by the Mayor of Iwaki City and other city officials.
The welcome party began and it was like nothing that I have ever seen before! There were several people at the function and all eyes were on the speakers, who spoke in Japanese so I couldn’t understand what was being said! However, I could tell it was funny as people were laughing and clapping the entire time.
Then it was time for all the guest runners to be introduced. The guest runners were from other parts from Japan and then there was me from Kauai, Hawaii. We got called up on stage and we all gave a bow as respect to this lovely city that been hosting us. At this point, I knew this place was special because the energy at the welcome party was amazing, and to be called on stage and recognized was a very special moment for me.
Sunday February 23
It was finally the morning of the Iwaki City Sunshine Marathon, and I was pumped!
Three hours before the race I started to fuel, hydrate and get locked in for the marathon.
I had some nerves as the morning began…all of the self-doubt was coming into my mind. Did I train hard enough, do I deserve to be here, will my legs hold up?? I had been dealing with some calf issues my entire training block.
However I took some deep breathes to calm the nerves and reminded myself how far that I have come. I was 235 lbs. just over 3 years ago. Now at 170 lbs. I was preparing to run my 4th marathon in 2 years and was aiming for a 3rd PR! All of this by balancing two jobs, being a father to two young children, and a husband. The odds have been against me my entire life, so this was just another opportunity to prove to myself that I am capable of whatever I set my mind to.
At 7:15 am me and the other guest runners were picked up and we were shuttled to the race area where we had a special heated room where we could hang out and prepare ourselves for the marathon. It was extremely surreal being there in the heated room while the other runners were in the freezing cold. I was asking myself “do I really deserve to be here? I’m just an average Joe.” I was receiving this incredible VIP experience, which is new to me! But I felt blessed and made sure to capture and remember every moment.
The temperatures throughout our trip were in the high 20s to high 30s as it happened to be an extremely cold weekend in Iwaki City. Being a local boy from Kauai, it was definitely a different weather experience, but well worth it.
About 8:20 am I was dressed and ready to head out to the track to warm up the legs and mind. I did some dynamic stretches and even took a lap around the track as my legs were taking a bit longer to warm up. Around 8:50 am we headed to the start line and waited on the side of the corral to watch the opening ceremony. Everything was going great until I realized that I had to use the bathroom. I was full of fluids. However, I didn’t have enough time to get to bathroom as the race was going to start in 5 minutes. So, I decided to hold it in and run as long as I could.
Miles 1-4 were going very smoothly despite being full of fluids. However, when I got to mile 4, I felt uncomfortable. That’s when it crossed my mind to find the nearest restroom. Unfortunately, I didn’t find another one for another 4 miles!! At mile 8, I found one and it felt like the longest two minutes of my life! I was so upset with myself… “how do you not use bathroom before race??” I was mad alright.
Once I finished my bathroom break, I started surging trying to get back on pace. (2nd mistake) I worked too hard and got tired faster. Around mile 9 I realized this was about to be a dog fight with my mind and body. My calf that had been bothering me the last 6 months started to tighten up on me and I was so frustrated, but I knew it’s all part of running marathons. Or anything grueling in general.
At mile 10 I was forced to stop a second time where I stretched my calf for a quick 30 seconds and got back on pace. From mile 10-19, I had this pain in my calf and there were a few times I was thinking, “It’s just not my day, take it easy, don’t hurt yourself more.” It was cold, huge hills, and my body was just not having it. But then, it was at that very moment that I told myself, knock it off and keep going. I knew all the setbacks that could happen, and I had prepared for them. So, I stayed in stride and kept pushing and by mile 19 the adrenaline must have hidden the pain because it was nonexistent at that point.
Miles 19-21 I was in the zone…tired but feeling strong.
At mile 22, I realized I had 4 miles left and I told myself it was just another tempo run. I pushed myself hard. After looking at my watch I quickly realized that I was on pace to PR, and that I had to just maintain or run a bit faster.
At mile 26, I was coming in hot and crossed the finish line feeling proud that I had pushed myself through all the obstacles that I faced and still finished strong.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get an official race PR as I matched my current PR. That’s when I realized that bathroom mistake came back to bite me. Live and learn right!
Setting that aside, the experience was like nothing that I have ever lived. It wouldn’t be a great story worth telling if it was all sunshine and rainbows. Instead, my story was about persevering through the challenging hills, 30-degree weather and mental struggles. But my mental resilience was strong. Once again, when everything was telling me to give up, I didn’t and for me that is just as powerful as a PR.
That goes with everything in life. I’m reminded daily why I started training for marathons. If I can train for marathons in my busy life, then I achieve anything. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!
Later that evening, we had a farewell dinner for all the guest runners. It was a real honor to be sitting with all of the very talented runners from Japan. Also, it was me and Kelsea’s last time to hang out with Ms. Mayuko Arai, our wonderful interpreter who took such great care of us, and Mr. Shu Igari our other interpreter. He was a funny guy, and he made our trip full of laughter as he was showing us magic tricks that were unreal. We even got to meet his two kids who were very kind and talented. It was a real blessing to have one last meal with them.
The next morning it was time to head to the airport. Kelsea and I were greeted and sent off by all the Iwaki City officials who made this trip possible.
We would like to thank everyone involved in this once in a lifetime experience. First, to the people of Iwaki City and all its lovely culture, it was truly remarkable. We would also like to extend a huge mahalo to The Kauai Marathon, the Kauai Visitors Bureau, as well as all of my friends and family who support me along this journey.
I could not have experienced this without all of you.
Mahalo, Justin DeForge