I Ran A Marathon in Japan | Osaka Marathon 2023 Race Recap

I had the incredible opportunity to race the Osaka marathon out in Japan with Mizuno. In todays video i review my race shoe the Wave Rebellion Pro as well as go over a detailed analysis of how my race went discussing marathon pacing, fuelling and some top tips. If you enjoy this video please leave a like and consider subscribing.
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[@nathanwarren5616]

Japan, Kenya, USA: Ben is travelling!

[@MBvolcom92]

Incredible race, Ben. Congrats! I started running last august and did my third half-marathon today and got a new pb at 1:41:10, quite proud of that :D

[@teetertotter5787]

I have literally never reached 3:30/km in my running, never mind doing it for 42km. It's amazing how the marathon is such a different race for a huge range of runners. Congrats on the PB! I really think it would have been more PB without the travel stress, jet lag, Mizuno event stress. But not much you can do about those things. It looks like you ran a really smart race. Really happy for you. So excited for you for BOSTON!!! Have a great time in Kenya. Dude. All these experiences are incredible.

[@bh4560]

I'm the same. Astounding stuff.. gradually getting quicker though so maybe one day.

[@JohnBrown-be6re]

I know what you mean, I ran 3:38 for the 1st km of a Parkrun and then..er..slowed down somewhat...

[@victorisrunning]

Kipchoge be aware. Ben is racing Boston 🔥🔥 Loved this series Ben. Massive congratulations on your PB and looking forward to seeing the Kenya videos and of course the Boston Marathon new PB video recap 😃

[@Snerunseasy]

Thanks for a great video once again, well done Ben.

[@matthiassventoest6800]

great stuff.., awesome breakdown

[@Joseph-ns2pl]

Incredible effort Ben, very inspiring!

[@rizontherun9684]

Wow, amazing ben. Always love your insight and also tips.

[@JavierISampedroTNF]

What an experience and a race in Osaka, and with more things coming along the way. Gonna be an epic year! you deserve it Ben, working hard towards your goals and making dreams come true. Cheers!

[@jonathanwatkins447]

Amazing Race Ben. Happy for you. I saw you and your lady on the streets after valencia and even though your race did not go well , you guys were so nice to me. Im usually always 500 meters more at the end of marathons. I've just learned to deal with it and usually need a few seconds faster with pace. I'm also doing my first boston this year. So good luck

[@severiner7168]

Great video. Have a great time in Kenya, I bet you'll find it inspiring and exactly what you need to prep for Boston!

[@Loppy2345]

Well done on the PB, hope training goes well for Boston, must be great to travel to all these amazing places!

[@bustatank1958]

Great recap Ben. As usual saying it as it was. Congratulations again. Good luck for Boston.

[@juliemckie72]

Congratulations Ben, great running! Looking forward to seeing your Kenyan running camp videos . I’m a huge Mizuno fan, I’ve been wearing them since 2011, I have the Wave Rebellions but not the Pros!

[@mezoqfn..]

Great job and enjoyed the recap

[@philmarshall5953]

Ben: “I find it easier to run downhill than uphill…” 🤔🤣 I know you meant ‘relatively speaking’ but that sentence did make me laugh. Well done on a brilliant marathon time. 👏🏼

[@jamesdrury6627]

Yeah it sounds funny but as runners we know what he means don't we. I'm deff better downhill compared to people around me and usually drop behind on the ups and cruise past people on the down. I'm tall with long legs so I'm sure that's why :-)

[@tahd93]

Great insight Ben, thanks for sharing. I'm running my first marathon in Brighton on 2 April and hoping to get as close to 3h30mins as possible. 🤞

[@nealwatson9382]

Still amazed by your performance. Thanks for the breakdown of your race. Think you've earned a starting place with the elites. Huge respect Ben.

[@tnan123]

Nice work! Congrats on the PB

[@leandrokansuke5222]

I am looking forward to seeing the altitude camping training content!! best wishes!

[@herointhemirror]

Thanks for sharing, Ben, really insightful!! Fueling strategy is crucial, just didn’t quite get it if you took gel on a starting line as well, before the 3 you took during the race.

[@GoneFishingVlog]

Inspired by your story’s as always. Great run Ben and good luck in the next one will be keeping a close eye. New PB 👀

[@J.e.f.f.r.e.y]

I really liked the Japan series with the build up, race vlog, travel vlog and recap. I think you could expand on the travel vlog aspect too as you are going to some interesting places and from a runner’s perspective it would be good to see where to stay, eat and train and interesting places to visit / run. Keep it up Ben. Good work 👏

[@QronoZ713]

You've really developed tremendously Ben. It's impressive, and I look forward to sub 2:20!

[@timeonfeet]

Great work on the PB Ben and really exciting news with Kenya 👍

[@antoniemerks1375]

Excellent running! Great tips and nice to hear your experience!

[@BenIsRunning]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it

[@arzirachman3862]

Good job Ben! 🎉

[@TasosHadji]

Well done!!!🎉🎉🎉🚀🚀🚀

[@MarkSmith_Best-Athletics]

Great video and congrats on the new PB Ben, awesome yet again. I picked up the Wave Rebellion Pro and had a few strides in the gym and just over a mile on the treadmill in them last night. Definitely going in my rotation and can see them maybe outshining the Endorphin Elite that I am still awaiting delivery on. Really excited about the Rebellion Pro and how it feels.

[@joshkneller]

Incredible stuff Ben, congratulations on the PB too! I'm really temped to pick up the Wave Rebellion Pro. I currently use the Alphafly v1 as my marathon shoe, but I do sometimes get a hotspot which can blister on my arch if my form starts to go.

[@MrJermson]

Thanks for the recap. Beautiful running, I have to get the shoes for my 10K. I love the design.

[@migueltome1148]

Congratulations !👍

[@gypsymuffinABZ]

Well done Ben! 👏

[@blazeeisner]

Love watching this Chanel. PB’ing in Boston seems crazy to me, but good on ya

[@olzhas1090]

Ben is our role model 🎉

[@janeguido1196]

Welcome to Kenya..as a recreational runner have learnt alot from your experience as I prepare to run in Tcs Amsterdam Marathon later in the year.

[@jos8192]

お疲れ様です。Thanks for the update. Well done. またおいでね

[@kellym3367]

Congrats on the PB that is awesome. Kenya training and the USA. Well wishes for Boston.

[@christinaclementson]

I’m running my 2nd Boston in April. Get training on the hills Ben! The whole course is rolling hills and then you have big hills in Newton around miles 18-21. It’s a tough course. Hopefully see you out there 😊😊

[@jasoncoope4-ef6wg]

Massive congratulations bud so happy for you. Need your opinion what arm sleeves do you recommend? .

[@CoolInOlympia]

You could use more lighting in your video! Congratulations on your pb! Cheers!

[@tomjames3815]

See you in Boston!

[@aitorarotzena2550]

Amazing race and vlog Ben!👏🏼👏🏼 Enjoy your altitude training in Kenya. Is it your first time in an altitude camp??

[@devtrev85]

Hi Ben. Excellent breakdown and review, so thanks for giving me some things to think about. Sounds like lots of fun and hard work in Kenya. If you’re in Iten then are you joining Luis Orta’s training program?

[@JackD87]

I wonder if you can get ‘Race Screen’ on the Coros. On the Garmin, it’s amazing. It rounds up (or down) your distance to the nearest km (or mile) when you manually lap.

[@RasmusVestergaardPetesen]

Really insightful video; thanks a lot! Just have one question regarding your gels. How many carbs did you plan to consume during the marathon through gels and chews?

[@abrahama8574]

Amazing Ben, was interesting at the end of the race they wouldnt let u just lay dow there.. for a min.. seems lil rough haha

[@massi888]

Nice video, thank you for sharing the experience. How did you manage the water/energy drink? did you take a glass (or two) at every aid station? how much do you drink before the race?

[@simongardner2066]

Boston is a fantastic marathon and city but I would say get some hills in your long runs especially near the end. Oh and take gear for all weather situations. I still have nightmares about 2018

[@TolunayOrkun]

Congratulations for your PB! I think that this shoe is suitable for a wider variety of runners than they claim. Personally, I think this is more usable for a middle of the age group runner like me than Saucony Endorphin Elite. I have run my last two marathons in Alphafly 1 and I think this might be my next marathon shoe. BTW, Nick from The Run Testers who is a heel striker didn't have any issues using this shoe. It is very hard to heel strike in this shoe, a heel striker is actually going to be striking more towards the midfoot and quickly pushed forward. FYI, Your cramping could be due to insufficient replacement of salts lost to sweating. If your fuel does not have sufficient salts, you might need to supplement additional salts/electrolytes.

[@jacksonmbuthia1201]

Welcome to kenya Ben!!

[@TimGrose]

Well done great run and experience. On the shoes am a bit puzzled. Mizuno say they are for sub 2:30 marathoners and you are of course but if only such runners bought them they would not sell more than a few pairs and a commercial waste of time. So interesting that the likes of Sarah from The Running Channel was also asked by Mizuno to run in them and also did a PB despite of course somewhat off that standard. So are Mizuno kind of shooting themselves in the foot here?

[@tmbrtn7107]

Audi spend £££ advertising their top of the range models, knowing most will purchase mid or bottom range. Could also be an ad collaboration with the city of Osaka (Mizuno was founded there but now HQ'd in Tokyo) to get more international athletes talking about and racing in Osaka to boost tourism. You and I are discussing Mizuno online when we otherwise wouldn't have... All these things add up.

[@the_mid_night_runner]

Nice 1 Ben. Do you think your race and time would have been better with more sleep?

[@triathlon_ross]

Great running Ben!! Although I’m not sure how a shoe which puts you onto your mid foot/front foot takes load/stress away from calfs as they are more engaged in that position 🧐🧐

[@seancassidycowie4193]

See you on the start line in Boston Ben. You’ll be a good 30 minutes ahead of me by the end but maybe I’ll glimpse you at the start

[@mreuphonium]

Hi Ben. Well done. Did you notice the 4 mm drop ? Maybe you r more into AlphaFly, vaporfly and adidas pro most runners stil use is 8 to 10 mm. How did the insta360 go 2 behave? You turned it off because of the limitid time it records? I m thinking of buying one

[@kevinlynch2578]

Hi Ben, when u say u will manually lap at 5k in your next marathon, how do you set up the watch, data fields etc, Thanks Kevin 42.65 in Seville !

[@without_ambition]

Just beat my PB at Paris Half with the Rebellion Pro!

[@youpigirl5731]

Parfait, à part mon désaccord sur vos voyages, mais qui n'engagent que vous bien sûr. A l'ère où il faut faire attention à son empreinte carbone... Je suppose que vous prenez l'avion pour vos courses. Cela ne retire en rien à mon admiration pour vos chronos et vos vidéos bien faites

[@iq_by_0303]

Racing Kipchoge in Bosten!

[@Eirikkinserdal]

What are those blue shoes below the mizunos? React Vaporstreet ? Maybe use the coros pod or a stryd the next time?

[@macau.friend]

Congrats on your PB! Would you recommend this race to someone who is trying to BQ? Or do you think it’s too hilly and congested and would suggest some other races? Thanks

[@milanmiharomic1914]

i have a question regarding fuelling. you took gels only, no liquids at the stations? sorry if i missed it in the video. thanks.

[@WhiskyMystery]

Gps is always 26.6 miles approx. My stryd footpod is more accurate but 26.35 is the best, corner cutting, distance I have managed. Now I calculate a 'watch pace' that I need to follow in order to achieve the 'real pace' I want. eg Goal time / 26.6 miles (not 26.2). Works well and I do not have to worry about screwing up the manual lap button. Napa, CA marathon, for me, starts in 16 hours! I will NOT be running your pace. Congrats on the PB.

[@chrisharrison5967]

Have you planned yet on what shoes to wear for Boston?

[@Explore-kilometers]

🎉 🏃🏾

[@oscarfog6099]

Hi Ben. Have you experienced any differences in accuracy between the HR monitor on your watch and the HR monitor you use on the arm? I can’t find any tests that compare these methods - only comparisons between chest vs wrist OR arm

[@jamesdrury6627]

I'd also love to hear this too

[@b09d4n]

Hi Ben. Don't get mislead by the Coros watch. Their Threshold HR is 171 for everyone as a default. Take a max HR test and Threshold HR will automatically update. Check your HR overall at HM, mine is 173 and after the maxHR test (194) my LT HR changed to 174. Closer to reality.

[@mikejakobsen8035]

What's that in your laces? Keycard?

[@florianbusch3082]

Certainly an interesting marketing strategy to link a shoe to a specific marathon finish time. Don't know what to think of it to be honest :D

[@KaragiannisNick]

Well done Ben💪💪💪thanks for the gel tip🫡

[@neilgamble2029]

Just wondering what those blue Nike's are 🤔

[@ThatRunnerAaron]

One thing I took from this whole video. QUAD ZIPS ARE BAD! £10 for every second on those £100 half tights Ben 😂

[@sousa9991]

Hi Ben, my name is Norbert, I am 69 years old and I still love to run, my goal is 5m a km, right now i am running 5. 25m per km so you think that very cushion shoes it's not recommended, I run on asics novablast 3 and superblast, I am buying hoka mach 5 next. Any ideas, suggestions from you what shoes should I wear because I want to run half marathon in a 3 month time. thanks in advance and good job on your Japan marathon.

[@patrickedwards5804]

What parts of your body are still asleep before the start of an earlier timed race?

[@michealblackgoldcoasteryou3117]

What armband did you use ?

[@josephgonzalez_]

Is running a marathon this hard a good idea 6 weeks out from another goal marathon?

[@CoolInOlympia]

Is it true you couldn't wear a hydration vest in Osaka?

[@juniper2nd]

what is your maxHR?

[@burgerkingbub]

did you travel with sarah hartley form the running channel? she was also 'sponsored' by the mizuno's

[@burgerkingbub]

oh i saw her in the footage :)

[@timawn]

Great recap. Is taking a gel at 36km a bit redundant? I would have thought it wouldnt have any effect by the time you're finishing at that point 🤔🤷‍♂️

[@sarahswims]

Even if it has a placebo effect, that might be all that's required to push to the finish 👍🏻

[@timawn]

@@sarahswims yeh that's a good point!

[@buttsniffa7469]

​@@timawn it also helps by kickstarting your recovery. This is usually overlooked when you finish a marathon

[@timawn]

@@buttsniffa7469 I overlook recovery on most runs 😅 good point though

[@AugherAndy]

Hey Ben have you ever been injured? X

[@patrickedwards5804]

Whada hugly shoe..

[@mckonal]

nice haircut and hairline dawg

[@jonathanweatherill1029]

If you were paying your own money which super shoe would you choose?

[@henrykszymczak4233]

Early

[@nathanwarren5616]

A, B, C, D, E, F! Lol!😂

[@AntonHMirafsari]

Use the watch a guide, not as the rule. If you energy to kick past were you thought the finish was you miss judged your effort.

[@gokdenizstudy1684]

Like

[@i.p2088]

Question - I know it was a sponsored race so you used the Mizuno. But do you think that you would have done better in a Vaporfly or Alphafly or Endorphin Elite?

[@markbateman9222]

Talking as someone who has never trained for or raced a marathon (longest race ever was 8 miles) so you can tell me that I haven't a clue what I am talking about, aren't you trying to run too many marathons at the cost of not racing any other distances? Don't you think that your marathon PB would come down if you were considerably quicker at 10K, 10 miles (or even 5K)? Remember, before he became probably the greatest ever over 42K, Kipchoge was a world champion over 5K!

[@teetertotter5787]

Ben is doing 10K, 5K races as well with his club team.

[@fabsterun]

First

[@BenIsRunning]

🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇

[@fabsterun]

​@Ben Is Running the fuel tip is nice 👌🏼 also very happy the cramp gods spared you

[@alexcalixto9]

I really enjoy your videos. Keeping creating this amazing contents. Btw, I know that you use coros but for the subscribers, garmin has a nice datafield called Peter's Race Pacer. It automatically adjusts your pace and predicted finish time based on the splits (mile or km). You just need to press the lap button at any mile/km mark.

[@lillen1898]

This feels to much like an ad. Be carful Ben don’t sellout

[@i.p2088]

I must be Japanese.. I run much better uphill than downhill 🙄

[@lean2281]

When did you decide to go for the mario moustache look