I did my first Murakami Triathlon in 2010 when it was at its height of popularity among Triathlon in Tokyo members. For the next few years, it was the unofficial annual club race. We would stay in the onsen resort of Senami by the race start and then meet up at the end of the race by Murakami Town Hall. Things seem very different now. Senami Onsen has met hard times, with several hotels closing, and with a sad air of decay descending over the resort. Our original hotel, the Senami Hotel, is now derelict after a fire apparently caused by someone smoking in bed. We now stay next door in Taiseisou which itself suffers from a bad case of faded seaside glamour. Next door the other way, the modern-looking New Heart Pia Hotel, another former TiT favourite, has also closed down. Meanwhile, Murakami has been usurped by Kujukuri in the affections of TiTers.
This year, four of us from TiT were racing: Dave was there as always, as he loves the fast flat bike course. Phil has clearly grown fond of the race, although bike problems slowed him down this year. And Miyuki was there in yet another colourful team uniform – she seems to belong to every triathlon club in Tokyo. A typhoon had been moving up the Japan Sea coast for days, and we expected at least the swim to be cancelled. In the end, we got lucky with the weather. The sea was relatively flat, the winds blew gently from the north-east, and the run was a sunny yet perfect 24C.
The course has changed a few times over the years, but it now seems to have settled into what must be one of the best Olympic distance courses in Japan. Not just the course, but the whole set-up is spot on. T1 and T2 are in a spacious beachside car park just below the hotel. The swim is just one lap, out and back, parallel to the beach. It is all protected by tetrapod storm defences, so the swim has never been cancelled in all nine times I have done the race. The bike course is wonderful: you ride 20 kilometres up the coast and then back on the same road, most of the time right by the ocean. It is a scenic ride made even better by the support of local people along the way. The run course goes 3 or 4 kilometres inland to Murakami town where it does one big loop and one smaller loop before finishing in the town centre. There is good support all the way, and shade in places cast by wooden buildings lining the main shopping street.
The logistics are also excellent. Race check-in was on Saturday afternoon at the usual place, the Murakami Shimin Fureai Centre, which is a couple of kilometres from the hotel. On Sunday, transition opens at 7 a.m., but my wave didn’t start till 9:30, so I could set up my bike and then go back to the hotel to relax (pace nervously around my room). At the finish, there are regular shuttle buses to take you straight back to transition, where you can collect your bike immediately. No waiting, no daft rules, just race and enjoy.
The Race
The swim was a rolling start with waves decided by age group. I was in the fifth wave, so the fastest swimmers were already heading back when I hit the water. Several hundred people stretched out ahead of me, but with the rolling start and 750 metres to the turn buoy, it was all very relaxed. I swam alone and stress-free, sighting the buoy easily in the overcast morning light. The return swim was a little harder, as there was a swell coming though gaps in the tetrapods, and a gentle headwind raising a slight chop. I exited the water feeling very happy with myself: no jellyfish stings, no creatures biting my nose, no panic attacks. My time was 27:03 which was good for me as my Garmin showed 1596 metres.
The transition is great at Murakami. You get out of the water and almost immediately you are at your bike. I put on my aero helmet and ran round to the mount line which is a short distance before a 90-degree turn and a short, steep ascent to the road. I managed to get my feet straight into my shoes and set myself up for the ascent. Once on the road, you just have to put your head down and ride. There are a few twists and turns as you leave Senami behind, and then there is a short climb up and over a hill, before you hit the coast road proper.
In previous years, I have always been plagued by people continuously drafting me, overtaking me and then slowing down. I always seemed to be pushing too hard, slowing down to avoid drafting, and then pushing too hard again. This year was different. The field was smaller, and for some reason there seemed to be very little drafting. I rode the whole course on my own. On the return half, there were often hundreds of metres of clear road ahead. The wind was also favourable. For the first 20 kilometres, the slight headwind meant I had to really push to even reach 35 km/h. But on the return, as my legs were tiring, the tailwind allowed me to hit 45 or 46 km/h in places. It feels great to finish the bike much faster than you start it. And after four middle-distance races this season, T2 seemed to come in no time at all.
I had a bag of ice in transition which I put down the back of my trisuit as I ran out onto the road. I had expected to cross a timing mat, but it was not there this year which put me off for a moment. No, this was definitely the right way as several other runners were ahead. I later discovered that the run was being timed from the bike dismount line! I ran steadily towards the town centre, not getting overtaken until after we had dipped beneath the railway line. I managed to hold on to this faster runner for a couple of hundred metres, as I realised his 4-min pace should have been possible for me, but eventually I lacked the resolve to hold on. Was it mental or physical tiredness? If he had been in my age group, would I have found the strength to hold on?
I love the Murakami run. The loop takes you along an old shopping street lined with wooden buildings, many of them very traditional. It is a proper local triathlon with warm support and the feeling that the triathlon is bringing something positive to the town. I might like the run, but my time was less pleasing. My Garmin time was 41:22 for a distance of 9:89 km, but my recorded time was 43:18 which included T2. Overall, my time was 2:16:01, which felt okay until I looked at the time of my friend and rival Sawada-san, who will be in my age group next year. He finished the race four minutes faster than me. I shall have a fine challenge awaiting me next year.
hayama3tri 