First thing first. The weather was impeccable, given all the fear that the roads weren't plowed clear in time and forecast that it was going to rain heavily during the race. It turned out to be balmy enough at times that Fujisan was clear to be beholden. I was partly in awe, while partly succumbed to my recent lack of training and, probably, innate laziness, to have let myself indulged in consuming palatable delicacies provided at those "water" stations.
The first big station was placed at 28K, right after the serious incline through to Lake Saiko (西湖). I couldn't resist stopping there to gobble 3 bowls of miso soup (麵豉湯) for the intake of sodium，and one large red-bean bun (豆沙包), not to mention all those bananas I had devoured en route. I was half full then, and as I progressed, I gradually lost my appetite for running on, whereas the appetite for food seemed to thrive!
Having probably eaten quite a lot, I could hardly run a mile normally since without slight stomachache. I struggled on with an inevitable run-trot-walk tactics and dragged to the 38th K, where an eye-catching station served runners Yoshida Udon (吉田烏冬), the highlight along the course! Would a tired and laze-struck runner (i.e., I) just let himself pass without having a taste of it? Absolutely not! A 6-inch squid tempura (魷魚天婦羅) that even the bowl could not contain! So nice.
At this point the 4-hour mark almost passed and I was in peril of finishing this race EVEN slower than Sydney Marathon! But then I couldn't care less and let my hedonistic craving get the better of me.
There. I crossed the finish line at 4:16:21. My slowest time ever. I really mustn't let myself run like this in Kitakyushu (北九州) next February, or I'll only sink even lower!