Tokyo Marathon 2026!

Tokyo Marathon

Oh! Where should I start from!

For the longest time, I believed getting a spot in Tokyo Marathon was extremely difficult and that it would probably take me a couple of years before I got through the lottery.

For 2026, I had different plans, and Tokyo wasn’t part of them. Funnily enough, I still applied, almost like a dry run, just to understand the process.

The previous year I had visited their website to apply and found it so overwhelming that I simply closed the page 😊

And honestly, that pretty much sums up Japan. Everything about the Tokyo Marathon is overwhelming in its own way. The amount of information they provide is massive. But I later realised that this probably comes from their deep-rooted habit of perfection and precision.

So this time I entered the lottery with no expectations, just curiosity to see “how this works.”

The Day Everything Changed

September 19th, 2025

It had been four days since my mother-in-law passed away.

The house was grieving. There was a quiet heaviness in the air, the kind that sits silently in every corner of the house. But I knew that this was also the day the Tokyo Marathon lottery results would be announced. So, I logged into the website.

And then I just stared at the screen. Wide-eyed. Shocked. Surprised. Happy.

My husband was on the phone attending to the endless condolence calls that come during such times. I waved frantically to get his attention and signalled him to come quickly.

He walked over, looked at the screen, and for the first time in four days, I saw him genuinely smile.

That moment still makes my eyes moist when I think about it.

My husband and my daughter had been asking me to apply for Tokyo for a long time. Especially my daughter. She has learned so much about squishes, mochis and Japanese things that without ever visiting the country she had already become a complete Japan paglu.

So I waited for her to return from school to share the news. When she came home I said dramatically, “Ruhi, I have news for you. And when you hear it, you will jump through the roof!”

She looked at me and asked softly, “Is Thammi coming back?”

(Thammi means grandmother.)

For a moment I was speechless. Trying hard to hold back my tears again, I looked at her with so much love and thought to myself how incredibly sensitive children are.

I gently said, “No, she isn’t. But she is always around us…And we are going to Japan!”

She didn’t jump through the roof, she was too stunned for that…. but the excitement was very real. The timing felt magical.

The week of the Tokyo Marathon also happens to be the week when we celebrate our wedding anniversary and our daughter’s birthday.

I felt deeply grateful that I could create such a beautiful opportunity for my family.

And somewhere in my heart I believe this was a parting gift from my mother-in-law, smiling down on us from above.

The Training That Refused To Go Smooth

I started training in October.

October was mostly uneventful as I slowly tried to get back into rhythm. But the truth is that 2025 had been one of my toughest years.

My total running mileage for the entire year was just 1600 km, the lowest in all my running years. So training for Tokyo felt like going back to square one.

Towards the end of October, I bought a pair of Adidas Evo SL. I ran a half marathon in them and realised something was terribly wrong… the shoes were one size smaller.

My toes were badly injured, and I had to take another week off.

After exchanging them for a bigger size, I restarted training… only to injure my lower back.

And this one was brutal. The pain was so intense that simply getting out of bed in the morning felt like a task. My patience was wearing thin. My confidence was shattering.And the calendar kept reminding me that my peak training window was slipping away.

Endless physio visits began. I started working on my core strength, something I should have done earlier. But honestly, this one was my fault.

In June 2025, I had undergone a laparoscopy surgery after being diagnosed with an endometriosis cyst. It was large enough that surgery had to be done immediately.

Once I started feeling better, I jumped straight back into running and gave very little attention to rebuilding my core strength. So, this injury wasn’t exactly surprising.

But I’ve always believed that I am somewhat a destiny’s child. Life gives me setbacks at the right time so that I correct my mistakes.

This time I enrolled my favourite strength trainer, Yash Rana to help rebuild my strength before Tokyo.

The back pain was stubborn, and it took almost three weeks before I could properly resume training. By the time things stabilised, it was already end of December, and we had a planned week-long family vacation to Darjeeling.

Life is about balance.

And being a Libra, I like to think I do that pretty well 😊

January — The Confidence Crash

January began with renewed effort.

I managed to squeeze in a couple of long runs, including a 30 km aerobic run, and then participated in Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) as part of my training.

But that story deserved its own blog which I wrote here. Here is the link - A race where the start line was at 24 km!

Let’s just say, I DNFed at TMM. And my confidence once again sank to rock bottom.

At that point there were barely 40 days left for Tokyo, and I had never felt so underprepared and underconfident for a marathon in my life.

My running mileage history.

The Friend Who Runs “Aapla”

During this entire emotional roller coaster, apart from my family, one constant support was my dear friend Prasad Kulkarni.

And honestly, I still don’t know what divine force convinces him to sign up for this torture every time. For every international marathon I run, he trains with me.

And on race day, while I run abroad, he runs a full marathon locally calling it “Aapla”. He has already done Aapla Berlin and Aapla Chicago. And this time it was going to be Aapla Tokyo.

Tell me honestly, do you have a friend like that? I know you don’t 😊I am richer in ways you cannot imagine.

Training with me during this cycle must have felt like living next to a ticking emotional time bomb. One day I would be happy after a run. The next day I would crash emotionally. I cried more times than I can remember. But every single time, Prasad calmly said, “Arey don’t worry… ho jaayega.”

Because of him, I could plan long runs even at 4:30 am in the dark, knowing I wouldn’t be running alone. This turned out to be one of the most emotionally exhausting marathon training cycles I’ve ever experienced.

But slowly, with strength training from Yash, my body started responding. The injuries stopped. My weekly mileage began increasing again. In the last one month before Tokyo, I ran over 300 km. Ideally marathon training lasts four months.

But for Tokyo, I genuinely feel my real training happened in just the final 40 days.

Marathon First? Not This Time.

Usually, we plan our marathon trips so that the race happens first and the vacation begins afterwards. But this time my daughter’s exams were scheduled from 6th March, while the marathon was on 1st March.

So travelling after the race was impossible. Which meant we did something unusual.

We vacationed first… and ran the marathon later. Not the most ideal approach, but as I keep saying…. Life is about balance.

Abhishek kept reassuring me, “Today we’ll walk a lot but tomorrow will be a lighter day so you can rest.”

He genuinely tried planning things carefully so I wouldn’t over-exhaust myself.

But when you travel to a new country… has anyone ever managed to not walk too much? 😊

We walked a lot every single day. And honestly — I wouldn’t change a thing.

We celebrated our wedding anniversary in Kyoto, one of the most beautiful cities in Japan.

And we rang in our daughter’s 11th birthday at TeamLabs in Tokyo.

What more could I possibly ask for?

This trip became far more magical than anything I had imagined.

That’s why I always say:

Pray in such a way that God gives you what you deserve — not what you think you should get.

Tokyo Marathon — The Experience

I had heard horror stories about the official merchandise selling out quickly at the Expo, and since getting the marathon jacket is an important ritual for me, I pre-booked it.

I reached Tokyo Big Sight for bib collection. And just like everything else I have observed in Japan, the arrangement at the Expo was impeccable. The world really needs to learn from Japanese. I was in and out in under 20 minutes.

The organisers had separated the bib collection area from the merchandise and expo section, so runners who only wanted their bib could leave quickly.

Which is exactly what I did.

Expo at the Tokyo Big Sight and my fav jacket :)

Those who know me know that crowded spaces and I are not best friends.

But the Tokyo Marathon jacket? Absolutely stunning, perfect material, beautiful colour and flawless fitting. I wore it proudly the entire day, not caring that I probably looked very out of place among the locals dressed in their classic black, white and beige tones 😀

Race Day

We were staying in Akabane, about 20 minutes by metro from Shinjuku. We left the hotel at 7:00 am and I reached my corral by 7:50 am. Everything was incredibly well organised.

Clear signage. Perfect crowd management. Zero confusion.

There had been a lot of discussion about water bottle restrictions, and I wasn’t sure whether the bottle I had been using since 2020 would be allowed. Still, I carried it with me. This my favourite bottle and it has seen me growing as a runner.

In my heart I was prepared to let it go if necessary. But they allowed it! And I genuinely felt like I had already won the day. I happily bowed and said, “Arigato Gozaimasu!”

Left one is from Delhi Marathon 2020 and right one is from Tokyo, 2026 See the blue bottle in both :) That has been my constant

From that moment there was a spring in my step.

Even the washroom queues were perfectly managed. But the thing that truly impressed me was something else. They had placed aid stations inside the corrals before the race even started. They were handing out fruit jelly packets and water. It may seem like a small gesture, but to runners who arrive hours early, it feels incredibly thoughtful. It genuinely felt like a mother taking care of her children.

Tokyo Marathon…. take a bow.

The Race

I crossed the start line around 9:30 am.

The weather was perfect, neither too cold nor too warm. I settled into a steady rhythm, slightly faster than planned but feeling comfortable. I reached 30 km in 3 hours 10 minutes, and at that point I felt confident I could finish around 4 hours 30 minutes.My plan was to slow down after the 30 km mark and cruise the final 12 km at about 6:45 min/km. Everything went smoothly until 34 km. And then things started falling apart.

A strange pain began building just above both my knees. I slowed down and sprayed Volini on the area. But at 35 km, my legs suddenly refused to move. My quads felt like solid stone. For a moment panic took over. “How will I reach the finish line now?” I stopped. Massaged the area. Prayed. Then I started walking. After a while I realised I could still run, but very slowly. Any attempt to increase pace brought the pain back.

So, I simply focused on moving forward. Walk when needed. Run when possible. Keep praying. Somehow I finished the last 7 km in 65 minutes.

By the end I was limping, and even today I am amazed that I managed it. The impact must have been so hard that its been 10 days since the race and I am still mildly limping.

The Finish Line

Crossing a marathon finish line is one of the most powerful experiences in life. I truly wish everyone could experience it once. Running a marathon mirrors life in so many ways. And when you finally cross the finish line, the only emotion left is gratitude.

The finishing time becomes secondary. Because thousands train just as hard as you, sometimes harder, and yet for reasons beyond explanation the finish line eludes them.

But that day…You made it.

And that alone is worth celebrating.

Everything for this moment

The Grand Tokyo Farewell

After collecting my medal, I started walking toward the exit. And Tokyo Marathon had one more surprise waiting. Volunteers kept handing us goodies one after another:

BananasBody wipesBath saltsShampoo and conditioner sachetsThermal sheets to protect from cold windsTowels

I mean, “ab rulaoge kya” 😊

They truly know how to pamper runners. The entire exit process was smooth, organised and incredibly thoughtful. Within minutes I found my family. I hugged them. Cried a little. And proudly took photos with the Indian flag.

The Perfect finish :)

Tokyo Marathon, I hope I get called again by you, because I would love to soak into your love, energy and warmth again 😊 Thank you Universe, Thank you God, thank you Abhishek, Thank you Ruhi, Thank you to my all the well-wishers from my Insta family who cheered me really hard after the Mumbai episode, Thank you to my Physio team from Cura clinic, Thank you Varada for all the deep tissue massage sessions Thank you Yash and  Thank you Prasad for helping me cross the finishing line.