Shibuya Omotesando Women's Run Shibuya Omotesando Women's Run Shibuya Omotesando Women's Run
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Date Date Date March 6, 2016 March 6, 2016 March 6, 2016 Location Location Location Shibuya-ku Shibuya-ku Shibuya-ku Web Site Web Site Web Site http://womensrun.jp/english/ http://womensrun.jp/ http://womensrun.jp/ Athletic event Athletic event Athletic event 10K 10K 10K The Omotesando Women’s Run is a highly popular 10 km race featuring 5000 fashionable female runners from across Japan. With only half the number of applicant to the entry lottery winning places on the starting line it has truly become a premium event among Japanese women runners. The start and finish area is just a 10 minute walk from Harajuku Station in Yoyogi Park, a training spot of choice for countless runners on their days off and the future location of handball competition in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The course features an out-and-back through the official home of cute, Shibuya’s Koen-Dori, and along Omotesando, one of the most famous streets in Japan. From there comes the course’s biggest highlight, a 1.5 km section through the Meiji Jingu shrine grounds starting at 5 km. With 170,000 trees covering the shrine’s sacred grounds it is a complete change in environment from the nearby urban hustle and bustle, and with running normally prohibited there the race is the only time in the year that this privilege is granted. Many past participants have said they were absorbed in the “spiritual mood” of the shrine grounds while running, making this part of the course one of the event’s most popular attractions.
While it is only a 10 km, the variety of scenery and environments and the frequent undulations of the course are more than enough to make it satisfying as a run. It is not a race designed for you to run a new PB, but offering a condensed tour of the many faces of Japan it also serves as a fantastic sightseeing run. Along with food and drinks in the finish area after the race you can sample cosmetics and other products courtesy of our sponsors, and with Shibuya and Harajuku just a short walk away you can enjoy shopping, pray at Meiji Jingu shrine, or celebrate your achievement post-race however you like.
