Marathons are popular winter sporting events in Japan. Throughout the second (September-December) and third (January-March) school terms, school-wide races are held, where students get to test their mettle against the biting midwinter cold. Even though these events are called marathons, they are not actually the standard 42.195-kilometer (26.2-mile) distance. Elementary students run 2 to 3 kilometers (1.2 to 1.9 miles), while middle school students run about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). The races may take place on the school grounds, local roads where the traffic is light, along the riverside, or through parks. They are held not just to test the students' physical endurance but to strengthen their character as well. So even more important than running fast and winning is to run at a speed appropriate to one's ability--even if it's just a walk--all the way to the finish line. Japanese students spend three years in middle school. Since ninth-grade students are busy preparing for their high school entrance exams, most middle school participants are seventh- and eighth-grade students. The students are not the only ones who get anxious over the race. Teachers also work up a sweat trying to figure out where to hold the event. Since in the city the roads are narrow and traffic is heavy, there is no suitable place for a large number of kids to run. That is why many city schools in areas like Tokyo and Yokohama hold their races at a park called Kodomo No Kuni (children's world). The park is located about 27 kilometers (17 miles) southwest of the center of Tokyo. Since it is close to the Tokyo metropolitan area and features 1 million square meters (1.2 million square yards) of traffic-free space, as many as 60 middle and high schools hold their event in this park each year. Kojimachi Middle School in central Tokyo also held their 1999 marathon there on January 22. A total of 106 seventh graders and 130 eigth graders participated--every student except those who were excused due to illness or injury. On the morning of the race, instead of going to school the students went straight to the park. The boys' race was 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) long and the girls' race 4 kilometers (2.5 miles). The fastest boys ran in about 27 minutes, while the fastest girls ran their course in around 25 minutes. Some, though, made a slightly more leisurely tour of the course and took almost an hour! Photos: School marathons may not be the favorite event for everyone, but running with friends helps them get through the entire distance. (Kojimachi Middle School)

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