I wasn’t really referring to you when I mentioned “other runners” that I’ve spoken with. I have brought up the contents of this post with a number of runners not mentioned in the article, but it seems that I should have spoken longer to more serious runners like you, Bob and those quoted above to get a clearer picture.

Regarding the path around the palace: my use of the word “hazardous” was meant to imply the path and situation itself, not the runners. Like you, I would like the sidewalk to be broadened to accommodate more people.

Also, please keep in mind that this piece was meant to address the flood of new runners to the scene and their impact. Nothing more. I do, however, hope to write more about health & fitness-related trends, especially when they relate to larger social, economical or environmental issues. I welcome your input.

I’d also like to add a few other things – firstly while there is definitely a running boom at the moment, running has always been big in Japan. It also always gets plenty of prime time TV. I suspect you are just noticing it more now, because you are, well, noticing it at all. Also, while the boom in running is making it difficult for “old-timers” to get into races, I’d guess that the vast majority of us are perfectly happy to share the experience with newcomers. And at the top, competition is always hot so a few more runners out there makes very little difference. In fact for most people it probably scratches their competitive itch. So it’s not a bad thing at all.

Also, I think calling runners “hazardous” is a bit much. I do not know the statistics off-hand, but of the several hundred injuries/deaths a day on Tokyo roads I doubt many are caused by runners…

I appreciate your input. I mentioned the lottery system as an intro to the topic of how few spots there were for the amount of applicants. Please remember that later in the article, I emphasized one consequence: many amateur runners are getting shut out.

I’m not sure if my neighbor is actually running or how many people try the technique he proposed, but I felt that it would be an interesting place to start a story on the run boom, and I have mentioned it in conversation with runners and did not receive a negative reaction. That’s one reason why I (naively, perhaps) thought it was commonplace.

I apologize if this offended you. I sincerely wanted to give the run boom a little more (hopefully positive) attention, not cause trouble.