Tokyo Marathon Duo

By Shaun Evans

Of all the World Major Marathons, getting a bib for the Tokyo Marathon is the most difficult. Up until 2025, getting a bib for a “duo” team for me and my son, Shamus, was literally impossible. Duo teams were simply not allowed to participate. However, early in 2023, Shamus and I became ASICS ambassadors, giving us the opportunity to represent inclusive racing on a much broader scale. It was around that time that the Tokyo Marathon (an ASICS sponsored event) began to entertain the idea of a few select duo teams entering the event in 2025 as a proof of concept. The goal would be to gain feedback about the logistics, course, and the experience from a duo perspective. 

ASICS hinted that if the Tokyo Marathon Foundation agreed to allow duos, they wanted us to be one of them. They felt our experience having already run a variety of marathons would allow us to provide the Tokyo Marathon with meaningful feedback.

Shamus and I were excited about the prospect of representing inclusion in Japan but had no real expectations of being invited. We also knew that the logistics of actually getting to Tokyo with all of our racing equipment in the middle of Shamus’ second semester of college could be tricky to say the least. We spoke with our contacts at ASICS regularly with no significant updates. We began to think that going to Tokyo probably wasn’t going to happen for us this year. Fast forward to mid-November 2024 when I got a text from ASICS saying, “We got the bib for Tokyo!” I immediately called Shay to let him know the incredible news and we soon found out that we were one of just four duo teams who would be toeing the start line in Tokyo on March 2, 2025. With less than four months until race day, the logistical planning began in earnest. Thankfully, ASICS quickly stepped in to book our lodging and flights. 

The biggest challenge would be figuring out how to get Shamus’ racing chair to Tokyo. After five weeks of back-and-forth conversations with shipping companies and the Japanese airline, we were finally able to secure a plan. Anyone who has traveled with a wheelchair knows the fear of equipment being damaged during travel. That fear was double for us as we had concerns not only for Shamus’ everyday power wheelchair but also for his racing wheels. Damage to either one could completely derail our racing and travel plans. 

However, the time spent painstakingly reviewing details, measurements and weights of Shamus’ equipment paid off. The Japanese airline took exceptional care of everything, and we were ready to roll once we landed in Tokyo. Another enormous challenge when traveling with a power wheelchair is coordinating ground transportation at the destination. ASICS stepped up big time and hired a driver with a handicap accessible vehicle for the duration of our stay.

Fifteen hours on an airplane was exhausting but adrenaline took over with our jam-packed schedule in Japan. We hit the ground running in Tokyo and didn’t stop for the entirety of our five days. We balanced sightseeing with shakeout runs. We explored the historic temples and delicious traditional cuisine. We took part in photo shoots and interviews related to being one of the first duos to run Tokyo. 

The lead up to the marathon was not how we would typically spend a “taper week,” but the goal was never really the race. The goal was to promote inclusion and disability awareness on a global scale, and we did just that everywhere we went!

Marathon Sunday arrived and we welcomed the unseasonably warm 70 degrees after having been training in Upstate NY all winter. We congregated with the elite athletes and wheelchair racers at the start, and before we knew it, we were running and rolling through the streets of Tokyo. Our plan was never to “race” the Tokyo Marathon. Our objective was to enjoy the race day experience, take in the sights in Tokyo and savor the day. In fact, the marathon organizers assigned each of the duos a target finishing time (we were given three hours and 30 minutes) so that they could study the volume of runners on the course at different paces. We were also provided with two guide runners to help us navigate through the crowds while also recording video of what it was like for duos on the racecourse. 

Much like the historic Boston Marathon, most of the course in Tokyo was lined with spectators three-to-four-deep along the roads from start to finish. Unlike the exuberant crowds in Boston that make it feel like a spring break party for 26.2 miles, though, the crowds in Tokyo were much more reserved, still cheering, but think “golf clap” versus “NFL fanatic.” It was a unique experience to hear the level of cheers rise as Shamus smiled and waved. The spectators knew we were making history just as much as we did. Buoyed by the crowds and with my legs feeling fresh, we ended up picking up the pace for the last few miles and finished a little ahead of our prescribed pace… smiling from start to finish. As one of the first duos to ever run Tokyo, we met with a research team after the race to discuss our experience in hopes that we can pave the way for inclusion for future duos in races everywhere! Together, we can’t wait to see where the roads lead us next!

Shaun Evans (spevanspt@gmail.com) is a distance runner, physical therapist, and senior VP of programs with Ainsley’s Angels of America. He lives in Galway with his wife, Nichole, and two sons, Shamus and Simon.