The Tokyo Marathon is one of the six World Major Marathons. It is a prestigious sporting event that attracted 38000 participants.
Photographers documented them running the gruelling 42-kilometer course. I joined them for the first time in 2023. My camera got a workout that day!
My photography gear for this shoot
- Camera body: Fujifilm X-T3
- Lens: Fujifilm XF 100-400 mm
Shooting the Shinjuku race start
First, the marathon course began at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Participants ran their way past some of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
They visited the Imperial Palace, Tokyo Tower, and the Ginza district. Their goal was Gyoko-Dori near Tokyo Station.
The race had a seven-hour time limit. That meant participants had to maintain a pace of at least 14 minutes and 10 seconds per mile.
Elite athletes didn’t have a problem with that. Many amateurs surely struggled.
Upon arriving in Nishi-Shinjuku, I was met with organized chaos. The area was already packed with a huge police presence, marathon staff directing the flow, and runners searching for their gates.
News helicopters hovered overhead.
The startline was the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and I wanted to shoot there, but access was restricted. So my next thought was to situate myself in front of the Washington Hotel to see the start line, but there were too many people.
My plan B was the second corner. I found stairs at the KDDI building to get some elevation. They put me above the ground level. I could shoot the first line of runners while being able to see to the back.
The first athletes to start were the wheelchairs. They were so fast! They burst around the corner, reaching the second turn in a flash.
I barely had time to fire off a few shots before they vanished down the street.
Five minutes later, the runners came. It was a sea of athletes. There were thousands and thousands of people.
They had come from all over the world to run. I stood in my spot for ten minutes, but they had no end.
Then it was time to go. I ran to Shinjuku Station to get a train to my next spot, Iidabashi Station, about 5 kilometers away.
The leaders would have already passed Iidabashi by the time I got there. That didn’t matter. The river of runners behind them continued to flow. They were endless.
I’d see many runners at Iidabashi Station.
My poor photo shoot plan for Iidabashi
Iidabashi was a letdown. I had decided to shoot the mass of runners from Iidabshi Bridge, which lay directly over the route. But as I hadn’t checked the race rules, only upon arrival I discovered that photography wasn’t allowed there.
The bridge was a place where foot traffic had to keep moving. That destroyed my plans! It would have been perfect for photos. A change of plans was needed.
Following the rules, while walking across the bridge I clicked off a few frames. A couple of them were in focus so my plan wasn’t a total loss.
After that I moved to the ground level and shot from the roadside that still offered some great, albeit different, photo opportunities. With that, I called it a day.
Marathon costumes & atmosphere
While I missed the elite finishers, what truly stuck with me wasn’t just the speed, but the spirit of the participants. The sheer number of people wearing costumes or funny hats was a perfect example of this.
A few Minions were sprinkled throughout the participants. Spiderman and Captain America ran side-by-side. A bride looked like she took a very fun detour on the way to her wedding!
It was a reminder that for many, this race was just for fun.
Tokyo Marathon 2023 official results
Men’s top finishers
- Deso Gelmisa – Ethiopia – 2:05:22
- Esa Mohamed – Ethiopia – 2:05:22
- Getachew Kebede Tsegaye – Ethiopia – 2:05:25
- Titus Kipruto – Kenya – 2:05:32
- Cameron Levins – Canada – 2:05:36
Women’s top finishers
- Wanjiru Rosemary – Kenya – 2:16:28
- Tsehay Gemechu – Ethiopia – 2:16:56
- Ashete Bekere – Ethiopia – 2:19:11
- Edesa Worknesh – Ethiopia – 2:20:13
- Saina Betsy – USA – 2:21:40
Tokyo Marathon photography tips
- Before the day of the event, get a route map and identify potential locations to shoot the race. Just remember, pedestrian overpass bridges will be off-limits to photographers.
- Only people with passes can enter the start area. If you want to shoot the race start, walk around and find out where you have public access.
- Professional marathon runners are fast. Shoot in burst mode.
Was the race worth photographing?
Photographing the Tokyo Marathon (official website) taught me as much about planning and adaptability as it did about photography. If you shoot a major athletic event, my advice is to scout your locations and have a backup plan.
The images will be great. The energy of the crowd and the determination of the runners are incredible subjects to capture.
If you want to see how the Fujifilm XF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR performed in a completely different type of setting, read [Does Tokyo Look Like Coruscant?].
