MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Marine Corps Community Services will host the 43rd annual Japanese and American Goodwill Kintai Marathon here Sunday.
The event will feature a 26.2-mile full marathon, a half marathon and a five-kilometer walk.
“The full marathon adds up to about four base runs,” said Jeramie Johnson, MCCS fitness coordinator. “All the events will start and finish outside the IronWorks Gym.”
Check-in for the event will take place near the front entrance of the IronWorks Gym from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
The half marathon kicks off at 10 a.m., followed by the full marathon at 10:10 a.m. and five-kilometer walk at 10:20 a.m.
The fee to participate in the full and half marathon is $20. The entry fee includes a T-shirt, meal and certificate.
The fee to participate in the five-kilometer walk is $10 and includes only the T-Shirt.
All participants will be able to drink water and Gatorade at four water stations positioned every 2.5-kilometers of the marathon. The water stations will also serve fresh fruit and cookies.
Club Iwakuni will provide catering for the event, consisting of warm pasta with meat sauce, tossed salad and garlic bread.
Meals will be served near the starting point of the marathon beginning at 11:30 a.m. until the end of the race.
“Only Status of Forces Agreement personnel can pay and register for the marathon on Sunday,” said Tadamasa Uemura, the event’s coordinator. “Registration has already closed to Japanese nationals.”
Approximately 95 percent of the 1,000 participants registered for the marathon are Japanese. In total, over 1,500 Japanese participants and their accompanying family members will come through the station’s main gate on Sunday for the annual event.
The MCCS Iwakuni event was advertised in local newspapers and in Japan’s equivalent of Runner’s Magazine beginning last year, said Uemura. Japanese participants had until March 20 to register for the event and were screened by the Provost Marshal’s Office here by way of background checks.
“The Yamaguchi prefecture as a whole only offers three marathons a year,” said Johnson. “The fact that one of those marathons takes place here says a lot about the station’s and MCCS’ efforts of playing an active role in the community.”
Questions about Sunday’s marathon can be directed to MCCS’ Semper Fit Division at 253-5225.