Nishinomiya City is looking for runners to run behind the Olympic torch relay runners (support runners).
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay: Recruitment Information for Runners (Support Runners) to Liven Up the Torch Relay from the Local Community｜Nishinomiya City Website
目次
It looks like support runners will run 100 meters at Koshien
Nishinomiya City is recruiting support runners who will run behind the torch relay runners as they set off.
- Eligibility: Elementary and junior high school students living in Nishinomiya (as of May 2020)
- Date and time: Scheduled for around 14:00 on Monday, May 25, 2020
- Location: Hanshin Koshien Stadium Plaza
- Distance: About 100m
They’ll apparently run at 6 km/h.
The distance is only 100m, and the pace is about as fast as a brisk walk, so even kids who aren’t great at running should be fine.
Applications can be submitted by sending the participation application form from the Nishinomiya City website by mail, email, or in person at the counter.
Famous people you might get to run with
Several famous people have been selected as torch relay runners for Hyogo Prefecture.
- Shofukutei Tsurube (rakugo storyteller)
- Naoko Sawamatsu (tennis)
- Nobuharu Asahara (track and field)
- Sakana-kun (ichthyologist)
- Tomonori Jinnai (comedian)
Tsurube commented that after living in Nishinomiya for 35 to 36 years, he considers himself a resident of the city.
Naoko Sawamatsu, who represented Japan in women’s tennis at the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics, is from Nishinomiya.
We don’t know if you’ll actually get to run together, but it would be exciting if you could.
The torch relay route on May 25
The torch relay route and start times for May 25 are as follows.
Kobe City 8:50 → Akashi City 11:44 → Minamiawaji City 12:30 → Nishinomiya City 13:56 → Amagasaki City 16:40 → Sanda City 19:17 → Tamba-Sasayama City 20:59
Before departing from Hanshin Koshien Stadium Plaza, there will apparently be a ceremony (mini celebration) to welcome the arrival of the torch relay runners.
Finally
This time, the support runners will run only about 100m, but the torch relay runners will run from the plaza to Hamakoshien Sports Park. The schedule seems to be from 13:56 to 14:38. They’ll be running through Nishinomiya for nearly 40 minutes. Since this is Japan’s first Olympic torch relay in 56 years, even just watching it will be a very, very rare experience.
