Interview Relay 42 Stories of the Tokyo Marathon
〜Connecting Hearts〜

 

Interview Replay: 42 Stories of the Tokyo Marathon ~Connecting Hearts~

The 4th interviewee is Ryo Hayashi, Director of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation’s Business Development Division.

He has been in charge of running events business, running life business and wellness business and will share about the appeals and values of the Tokyo Marathon from the business perspective as well as the outlook for the milestone 20th anniversary in 2027.

 

“Wow, what an eye-popping event created in Tokyo.”

–Referring to your experience before how you came to join the Tokyo Marathon Foundation as a staff member?

In my 20s, I was engaged in video production such as music videos, corporate PR videos, and event broadcasting. At that time, I could only go home about 2 or 3 days a month. After that, at the age of 30, I was involved in the launch of an event company and created videos for large-scale events using new overseas technologies, and from the age of 35, I started producing outbound and inbound events, spending more than 100 days a year overseas. Then, there was an opportunity to film a course movie of the Tokyo Marathon held in 2015 for the Abbott World Marathon Majors, which became my first experience to be involved in the Tokyo Marathon as a coordinator. After that, through connections, I joined the Tokyo Marathon Foundation in 2018.

 

–What was your impression of the Tokyo Marathon before becoming an employee of the Foundation?

 Prior to the organization of the Tokyo Marathon, the former Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara stated that “We will organize a marathon for citizens which runs through the city of Tokyo!”, and the news was striking. At the time of the first Tokyo Marathon held in 2007, an acquaintance was going to put up a mikoshi (or portable shrine) of the Tomioka Hachiman Shrine festival near the finish line, so I had planned to go there to see it. However, it turned out to be a heavy rainy day, so I remember ultimately grabbing a drink with the acquaintance while watching it on TV. Marathon was never a part of my life until I joined the Tokyo Marathon Foundation. From the perspective that I had engaged in the event-related business, I vividly remember thinking, “Wow, what an eye-popping event created in Tokyo!”

 

Keen on providing enhanced support for the race that gives hope

–What are the responsibilities of the Business Development Division in the Tokyo Marathon?

The Business Development Division is involved in almost all of the accompanying events other than the Tokyo Marathon itself. For example, in addition to customary and famous events such as the Tokyo Marathon EXPO, the Tokyo Marathon Friendship Run, and the Tokyo Marathon Family Run, we run other projects like the Tokyo Running Festa, which boosts excitement for the race one month in advance and the Virtual Tokyo Marathon, where there is a chance to win a spot in the next race. On the day of the Tokyo Marathon, the Business Development Division is also in charge of selecting and managing pacesetters, the awards ceremony for elite runners, and the Post-Race Party at the outer garden of the Imperial Palace to greet runners after they cross a finish line.

 

–Can you please share with us measures or challenges which are unique to the Tokyo Marathon, the Business Development Division faces, if any?

In addition to runners who are from the Tokyo area, the Tokyo Marathon must be one of the main events of the trips to Japan for runners from other parts of Japan and abroad. On the first day of the last Tokyo Marathon EXPO 2024, the area was filled with visitors from overseas as far as the eye could see, and it was a scene that made people wonder, “Is this Japan?” As the Tokyo Marathon continues to grow into an international event, we are also keen on providing enhanced support for the race that gives hope, and we work hard with pride on creating events which accommodate everyone’s expectations.

 

–Please tell us about your thoughts on projects such as ONE TOKYO, operated under the mission that the Tokyo Marathon promotes good health through running and conveys the “joy of running.”

ONE TOKYO, the official club of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation, opened in 2011, has now grown into a club with over 650,000 members. Including ONE TOKYO GLOBAL, which was newly launched this year, it is an amazing feeling to learn that there are so many runners all over the world who love the Tokyo Marathon! One of the major objectives of ONE TOKYO is to provide running support throughout the year tailored to the level of each member who will run the Tokyo Marathon, so that they will be able to achieve the goals they set for themselves. We are determined to continuously provide unique services so that they will be able to stand at the start line with confidence and cross a finish line with a smile on their face.

 

Providing hospitality to everyone equally

–What is  the value and role of the Tokyo Marathon, for Tokyo and the city of Tokyo?

There are many buildings and facilities that hang a sign of “Tokyo” and represent “Tokyo,” such as the Tokyo Skytree, the Tokyo Tower, and the Tokyo Dome, but the Tokyo Marathon is not “mono” (or product) permanently installed. It is not something that will always be there if we travel.  It is  rather “koto” (or experience) that shows up only once a year on “The Day We Unite” and is created by all the participants, and it could be said to be a “dreamlike state” where we return to our daily lives without a trace the next day. However, it is an undeniable fact that it is high-quality entertainment filled with all human emotions like delight, anger, sorrow and pleasure, and it takes place in Tokyo, the world’s biggest megacity. The value is immeasurable.

 

–What is the value of the Tokyo Marathon for elite runners, citizen runners, and volunteers?

While elite runners aim for a ranking, citizen runners aim for their “personal best record.” Moreover, the majority of the Tokyo Marathon volunteers are also runners themselves, so they try to give considerate support to the runners. Runners who challenge themselves and volunteers who understand those feelings and do their best to support them. The Tokyo Marathon is their stage. When we edit the videos of the interviews on runners who have finished the race, many of them express their gratitude to the volunteers in tears, and that is when we recognize once again the values of  the Tokyo Marathon.

 

–The Tokyo Marathon Foundation has set a vision of  “the Tokyo Marathon, the best marathon in the world, held in Tokyo, the best city in the world” based on three pillars: “The safest and most secure race in the world,” “The most exciting race in the world,” and “The warmest and most friendly race in the world.”  Please tell us your thoughts on this and how you plan to achieve it as the Business Development Division.

Chairman Hayano has been telling, “in addition to elite runners, we would like the general public to have an exciting week.” What the Business Development Division should be responsible for is to provide  runners who have worked hard toward the Tokyo Marathon with time and space for them to get excited several days before the race, and to organize all kinds of things  and events that will allow them to enjoy even more the Tokyo Marathon which is the climax. We are also preparing to provide hospitality  to everyone equally.

 

The Tokyo Marathon is the fuel that inflames my feelings

–What does the Tokyo Marathon mean to you? #MyTokyoMarathon is…?

 It is a big mountain that appears in front of me every year, the fuel that inflames my feelings, and the best canape that brings smiles to runners. I often think that all my experiences of tirelessly making videos in my younger days and of traveling all over the world and making events  were all meant for crafting the Tokyo Marathon. Having joined the Tokyo Marathon Foundation marks the culmination of my career. I am determined to put all my expertise and experience in order to contribute to the creation of the event that we can be even more proud of.

 

–How would you like  people and society to change through running in the future? Also, what would be the ideal way for the Tokyo Marathon to develop to make that happen?

It is said that the Japanese population will decrease in the future. I personally think that Japanese people need to live longer to face this reality. To live longer, we need to be healthy. And to stay healthy, we need to do exercise, and the simplest exercise humans can do is walking and running. But I think it’s difficult for people to run by just being asked to do so.

“Change the future, through the joy of running”

As per the mission of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation, our next goal is to communicate the joy of fusing what we like with running. The Tokyo Marathon stands at the pinnacle.

 

–Please share with us about any other thoughts about the Tokyo Marathon.

We are constantly thinking about what makes a city marathon successful. Maybe 80% of it has to do with the weather (laughs). We are up for playing a part in crafting the Tokyo Marathon, while searching for its true essence.