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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/3200 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
#3, #4, #5 At The Moment
谷口 幸治, 今田 淳, 小泉 淳
they ended up finishing 4th, and 5th, and 10th respectively
So picking up from my previous post about the Kyoto Marathon （京都マラソン２０１２), once the runners started arriving, I practiced taking photos. The depth of field with this lens is so incredibly thin that it's only luck that I got anything, but like hitting the lottery to get something so close like the next shot:
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/3200 sec, f/2, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Amazing Luck
with the focus
石川 佳彦 — 12th place — 2:31:35
It was odd for me to see the “OMRON” on each runner's number bib. They're a large international electronics company headquartered in Kyoto; I worked for them for eight years when I was fresh out of grad school back in the late 80s.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/5000 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Cool Shades
竹中 泰知 — 9th place — 2:31:08
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/3200 sec, f/2, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
More Focus Luck
The challenge of photography was wearing off a bit, so I started to concentrate on “interesting” looking runners, usually due to brightly-colored outfits...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/4000 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Cool Running
吉原 一幸 — 39th place — 2:38:10
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/3200 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Warm
木本 進 — 127th place — 2:46:56
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 highly cropped — 1/3200 sec, f/2, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Beautiful Puppy
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/3200 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Likes Orange
木村 克己 — 268th place — 2:53:58
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/3200 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Headsweats
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/3200 sec, f/2, ISO 220 — map & image data — nearby photos
Steady Stream
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/3200 sec, f/2, ISO 250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Those Shades Again
石戸 秀暢 — 392nd place — 2:57:38
I wonder whether each runner got a pair of these sunglasses, or something, because pretty much every pair I noticed was from the same maker, variations on the same theme. And on an unrelated note, the guy above reminds me strongly of Seth Godin, and not just because he's bald.
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/3200 sec, f/2, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Soccer Practice
just a pleasant Sunday-afternoon scene
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/3200 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Tasty Rulebreaker
冨田 博司 — 531st place — 2:59:55
The race rules specifically prohibited what appears to be this kind of running advertisement, but perhaps it was overlooked because the cheese-puff-like snack involved in this case is tasty.
I took this next photo likely because of the guy's shoe/sock combo, but I include it here because he ended up being the last runner to break three hours:
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/3200 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sub-Three
川嶋 健 — 534th place — 2:59:57
I eventually started to make my way home, and came across a group of youngsters practicing a dance number on a small field next to the course...
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/2500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Dance Practice
An overpass afforded a different view...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/4000 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Separated
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/4000 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
view looking north
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2000 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sports Drink
view looking south
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2000 sec, f/2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Course Bends
the race course leaves the river and crosses that bridge just behind the spectators lining it
And just behind the sports-drink area...
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 300mm f/2 — 1/2500 sec, f/2, ISO 320 — map & image data — nearby photos
Don't Bother Me, Kid
I'm watchin' the race
On the image “More focus luck,” the runner has what appears to be bandages (many small bandages!) on his neck and upper chest. Any reason for that? Japanese custom? Pre-race health testing?
By the way, great photos!
I wonder myself; my only guess would be acupuncture-like “stimulation” patches. I don’t know. —Jeffrey
I thought the “Tasty Rulebreaker” guy’s shirt was a self-portrait. It really does look like him!
Is the child in the last photo missing his left foot? :$
Yes, the cat ate it. —Jeffrey
Brookville, Ohio where is is 56º F this morning at 5:30 AM. I used to be stationed in Sendai-shi (1953-1955) and loved it. There is hardly any way for me to describe how much I admired the simplicity of things in those days where a belt for trousers too short or too long might be a piece of rope and getas were the approved footwear to and from the public bathhouse down the street. You could step outside the train station in Sendai and see the Hirose river bridge some 2.5 miles in the distance as aerial fire bombings had reduced any tall buildings to burned out piles of ashes. Even cement buildings were gone and they didn’t have many of those. So, what you show is like a new planet filled with people who are similar but different from my era.
I suspect that things have changed just as much where you are, but you’ve been along for the ride the whole time, so the changes are perhaps less apparent. Comparing a snapshot in your mind from almost 60 years ago with the current reality, most anywhere, will certainly be jarring, I’d think. Even comparing Japan now to when I first came 20-something years ago is shocking. —Jeffrey
Hi Jeffrey,
I googled Kyoto Marathon 2012 photos and your blogs was first on the list. I was one of the 14,000+ runners last Sunday. I flew from Hong Kong to Kyoto to join the very first Marathon in Kyoto. I am glad I did. Your photos are stunningly beautiful and reminded me of the joy and fun. Thanks so much foryour photos.
By the way, the tapes on runners’ knee, neck are for improving performance and preventing injuries.
Cool… I wonder whether I have a picture of you? What’s your running number, and about what time do you think you would have been at the 35km mark? —Jeffrey
Hi Jeffery,
Thanks so much for your prompt response. My number bib is 40424. It would be a miracle if you had taken photo of me.
Will you be around next year? My friends and I will definitely run Kyoto Marathon next year. (We used to run Tokyo Marathon). What brought you to Kyoto? Study or work?
Unfortunately, I didn’t have as much stamina as you, so I wasn’t there when you came in. I’ll probably be around next year, but I never know my schedule very far in advance… ping me the week before if you’ll be in town. My wife is Japanese, and we prefer Kyoto to anywhere else, so here we are. —Jeffrey