Cyclists are up early in the morning…
So, I woke up at 4 a.m., got ready, and headed to the registration venue.
I eat a proper breakfast along the way.
Since it was early morning, I debated between a convenience store or fast food… and chose fast food.
Gotta eat properly, after all.
By the time I arrived at the venue, it had started to get brighter. Since it was still early, the venue was quiet, and sign-in went smoothly!
I took a few commemorative photos as I moved toward the starting gate.
The head of the line was already forming. (I wonder how long these people have been here…)
At 5:30, the race began with the head runners starting first.
Finally, it was my turn to start. Go!
The road surface was wet due to the early morning rain, but I passed through the gate thinking, “I will reach the finish line safely.”
※From here on, the focus shifts to the race itself, so the images will be photos of the aid stations.
First Aid Station “Onagawa Aid Station”
I had the “Onagawa Soup (Pacific saury fishball soup)” served here.
It’s no exaggeration to say, “I’m participating in the Tour de Tohoku just to eat this!” It’s so delicious!
Second Aid Station “Ogatsu Aid Station”
In this aid, I had freshly grilled scallops.
After that, I participated in an event to crush scallop shells. The crushed shells will be used as material for chalk used in road surface decorations.
Third Aid Station “Kamiwarizaki Aid Station”
Grilled salmon and wakame rice, the karaage is tender and delicious too. The perfect salty permeates my body.
The volume and variety of the aid stations are really well thought out.
Fourth Aid Station: Utatsu Aid Station
I’m so happy to be able to eat something sweet at this timing!!
Two kinds of fried manju (red bean paste and sesame paste) and both were delicious!
Before stopping at the fifth aid station, I dropped by Ruins of the Great East Japan Earthquake Kesennuma City Memorial Museum.
The memorial museum displayed buildings damaged in the disaster and photographs at that time, so I witnessed the immense scale of the earthquake damage.
The building had no windows up to the third floor, and it appeared that tsunami waves reached part of the fourth floor as well.
Fifth Aid Station: Kesennuma Ootani Coast Aid Station
The food provided at previous aid stations was just the right amount…
An aid stations offered an incredible amount of food!
Bonito chazuke, peanut butter sandwiches, frozen strawberries—plenty of volume!
All essential elements like perfectly balanced saltiness, sweetness, fats, and carbohydrates for running was getting me to refuel.
(Some participants, saying “That’s way too much. I don’t think I can eat all of it.,” tucked the bread into their back pockets and continued racing.) Chazuke is a Japanese dish comprised of rice with tea or stock poured over it.
Sixth Aid Station “Shizugawa Aid Station”
I knew it! Sasakama was served! When it comes to Tohoku (Sendai), Sasakama comes to mind at first , dosen’t it? It is nice and salty.
As I headed toward the seventh aid station, the course began overlapping with the Kitakami Fondo (100km), so I caught up with the Kitakami Fondo participants, and the number of racers gradually increased.
Seventh Aid Station “Kitakami Aid Station”
From around here, the course follows the same route I raced last year, so I was getting exciting that “the finish line is just ahead.”
A cold wakame seaweed udon topped with seasoned mekabu seaweed was served in this aid station.
This sticky texture is addictive!
Just under 30 km to go from here. It was expected to be a headwind along the river… Well, what will happen?
As expected… it was a headwind along the river.
Working together with other participants, we somehow reached the finish line.
It had been a while to ride a bicycle over 100km for me , but by working together with the other participants, I was able to reach the finish line safely.
Seeing the streets gradually rebuild, I felt it would take time to back to normal life, but it was a great ride where I got energy from the local folks. To all involved parties and participants, thank you very much indeed.
