Sparkling God's Island is the phrase the tourist brochure used to describe Iheya Island. If God's eyes sparkle when he cries and the result of his crying is rain, then the title is very appropriate. This past weekend we loaded the Stepwagon on a ferry and camped at Iheya Island for three nights to celebrate our thirteenth wedding anniversary. And what better way to celebrate an anniversary then camping with kids and running a marathon?
Kumaya Cave
After setting up camp, we paid a visit to Kumaya Cave where the god of the sun hides according to legend. We didn't spot the god of the sun but we found a couple red-eyed devils.
Iheya Light House
Sleeping Quarters
When I was a teenager and purchased my 4-season "mountaineering" tent, I didn't envision placing a port-a-crib in it to camp on a tropical beach, but it works. Juniper quite enjoyed being the queen of the tent.
Sunrise at Yonezaki Campground
Yonezaki campground was awesome. 1,500 yen per night for the whole family, 200 yen per 5 minutes of hot shower and 100 feet from the beach.
Buoy Beach
Friday morning was spent beach combing at a secluded beach we discovered and chose to name Buoy Beach.
Shioshita Beach
Friday afternoon was spent snorkeling and exploring at the amazing Shioshita Beach near the northern tip of the island.
Now for the main event. Holly signed up for the 17th Annual Iheya Moonlight Marathon. The race begins in the late afternoon and the runners finish by the light of a full moon (at least in an ideal world). Due to logistical limitations, they limit the total number of participants in the full and half marathons to 1,200. It is quite an undertaking for this tiny island to host such a big event. According to the race packet, there were 268 people registered for the full marathon and the remainder ran the half marathon...
Before the Marathon
Saturday morning we awoke to a very rainy day and it poured massive amounts throughout the day. McCall prayed that the rain would stop for mommy's race and miracle of all miracles, the rain stopped literally fifteen minutes before the race began. In typical Japanese fashion, all participants gathered just before the race for a group stretching session.
During the Marathon
Nothing refreshes quite like a port-a-John break and a diet Dr. Pepper. Jason and the kids had a great time chasing Holly around the island and cheering on all of the runners. Holly decided to take it easy for this marathon by ditching the watch and just running as fast as her body felt like running. The entire race it looked like it was going to starting pouring rain again at any moment.
After the Marathon
Taking it easy and just running as fast as her body felt like running translated to a second place finish among the women. Go Holly! Ironically, even though she felt great while running, after she stopped she didn't feel so hot. As family historian, I was sure to document her after-race condition with the pictures above. Because she wasn't feeling that great, we decided to forego the awards ceremony and head back to camp. That ended up being a good thing since the rain started again right as we returned to the car. We felt bad as we drove by a long line of wet and tired runners as we traveled back to the campsite. The rain continued the rest of the night. Luckily, Holly felt much better after we returned to camp and she puked her guts out and showered.
