A few extra faces will be running around Tokyo’s Imperial Palace on Sunday, May 5 – all in the name of charity. Tokyo English Lifeline’s Charity Walk and Runathon is now in its 13th year, and the group is calling for more participants to support its promotion of mental health in Japan.
It seems like the palace has become the home of running in Tokyo, hundreds of joggers making the daily dash in their lunch break, or running on a Sunday afternoon, and this event hopes to harness some of that popularity for a good cause.
The event incorporates a 10 km run, a 5 km run, and a 5 km walk, and the organizers have arranged some prizes in the spirit of competitiveness! This is, though, all about the participation, and the first 800 people to arrive on the day will receive a Reebok-sponsored TELL Charity Walk & Runathon T-shirt – take a look at last year’s design in the picture, above.
TELL is a registered NPO which has been working to improve awareness of mental health, especially amongst the foreign community in Japan, with training, counselling, and fundraising events since 1973.
Chairman of the TELL Board Tsuyoshi Akiyama says, “TELL has experienced tremendous growth over the past nearly four decades. However, our core mission remains the same: to be there, to listen, to care, and to help find solutions to the problems that bring people to us. Our TELL Charity Walk & Runathon is integral to our ability to continue to provide this important support.” The yearly event is a fixture on many people’s social calendar, too – what better way to meet a new running mate?
Akiyama continues, “averaging over one thousand participants and spectators each year, we very much appreciate the participation of those who come out and run and walk with us.”
Participants can pre-register at the TELL website or call 03-4550-1191 before April 25 for ¥3500
Register at the start line from 9:00 am on the day for ¥4500.
The walk/runs begin at 10:15 a.m. on May 5 from Chidorigafuchi Park, next to the Hanzomon Gate at Tokyo’s Imperial Palace (nearest station Hanzomon exit 3).
The event finishes at midday, and will go ahead rain or shine.
For more information on the TELL Charity Walk & Runathon, please contact: [email protected]
