The voices of over 1 million people echoed along the route of the Tokyo Marathon (co-sponsored by Tokyo Shimbun and others) held on the 3rd in Tokyo, under a crisp blue sky, with a maximum temperature of 13.4 degrees Celsius. Ta. With their passionate cheers behind them, the citizen runners ran through the streets of Tokyo with their own thoughts in mind.
◆I had just given up on participating in the half marathon.
Run the Tokyo Marathon. With that strong will, he continued to face his illness. Ayumi Takemura (47) from Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, said after the race, “I was thrilled. She was able to run in the middle of Tokyo and it felt good.”
In June 2022, I started aiming for a full marathon. However, when I was running, I felt a throbbing sensation in my lower abdomen. When he went to the hospital, his uterine fibroids were enlarged. He was worried that he would not be able to run for a while after undergoing the surgery, but underwent surgery in May 2023.
Immediately after I recovered and started practicing again. At her regular checkup in July, she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. She was scheduled to run a half marathon in October, and had wanted to run even if she had to delay the surgery, but she gave up on running in tears.
Ayumi Takemura smiles after crossing the finish line
September, just before surgery. While I was spending my days worrying, I received a notification that I had won the Tokyo Marathon. “I saw the light. I was determined to get back up and run again. It taught me the spirit of never giving up.”
The surgery was successful. During his battle with the disease, he received support from his family as well as the encouragement of fellow cancer patients. He resumed training one month after the surgery. Will she be able to return to her former running ability, and will she be able to run like before? Although she was worried, she said, “I like running. Running makes me positive.”
Ms. Takemura is also the mother of four children between the ages of 5 and 18. “I wanted to show that she never forgets to take on challenges no matter how old she is,” she said, setting a new personal best of 3 hours, 49 minutes, and 33 seconds. She beamed and said, “She was praised by the children and said, “She looked different and cool than usual.”She was a fun 42kg person.” (Natsuko Konno)