Marathon event makes comeback in quake-hit Noto Peninsula, central Japan
A marathon event was held in Suzu City in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, for the first time in six years.
Participants ran through the city where damage from the January 2024 quake can still be seen.
Sunday's 35-kilometer race attracted 114 people from across the country. The course's turning point was the Rokkosaki lighthouse on the tip of the Noto Penninsula.
The annual "Noto Peninsula Suzu Ultramarathon" was first held in 2012, but stopped in 2019 because organizing members were aging. Some residents responded to calls for reviving the event with the hope that it would help spread awareness about the quake-stricken areas' current situation.
The organizers restricted the number of participants and kept the distance to 35 kilometers due to limited local accommodation facilities and poor road conditions.
A 51-year-old participant from Kaga City in Ishikawa Prefecture said the weather was hot but he was encouraged by the people who came to cheer the runners along the route.
He said he saw cracked roads and collapsed buildings, but he could feel that recovery efforts were underway when he saw buildings under construction. He added that he wants to come again.
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