Day 61 - Nagoya & Tokyo, Japan

A lost runner, dinner with the soon-to-be in-laws, running in the shadows of Mount Fuji — just another typical day on the Blue Planet Run!

Today the Blue Planet runners ran along Japan’s eastern coast on Honshu Island, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Team Silver, led by Jason Loutitt, ran alone through Nagoya, the fourth-largest city in Japan. Thanks to his swift pace, Jason and his team were able to avoid the six-plus hours of traffic that plagues Tokyo during the workweek.

Jason’s soon-to-be wife, Taeko Terauchi, also enjoyed a scenic route, running through streets lined with cliffs that overlooked the Pacific Ocean and black-ash sandy beaches. On a perfectly clear day, Taeko would have been treated to a beautiful view of Mount Fuji during her run, but she had no such luck today.

Living in Tokyo has afforded Taeko some important knowledge—for example, that one can avoid hours and hours of rush-hour traffic by hopping on a bullet train. Taeko had a reason to move quickly after finishing her run — she was introducing her parents to her fiancé, Jason! During dinner, Jason formally asked Taeko’s parents’ for her hand in marriage, reaching another milestone in their relationship on the Blue Planet Run.

Emmanuel runs along the coast.

Team Yellow was the last team to run today and did not have it so easy. On the last leg of the route, Heiko Weiner and the day pilot missed each other, and then Heiko went temporarily missing. Fortunately, after a few hours of searching, Heiko was found and Team Yellow was fully intact.

Today was a day of double excitement, as the runners were not only ecstatic to make it to Tokyo but they were also psyched that their flight to the U.S. was only hours away!