Text me. I’d love to hear from you! Can you relate to anything we said? What do want to hear more about?

What happens when four unstoppable runners who all crossed the finish line at the Tokyo Marathon get together to talk about it?

Sally Hed Dahlquist hosts a special roundtable with three of her favorite returning guests, Christelle Douillet, Rhea Deroian, and Tom Pedersen, to recap the Tokyo Marathon and share everything they loved (and learned) about traveling in Japan. Between them, they bring decades of running experience, dozens of world majors, and one very memorable hotel booking mistake.

Whether you're dreaming of running Tokyo, planning a trip to Japan, or just love hearing from people who live life to the fullest, this episode is pure joy from start to finish.

In this conversation, the group covers it all:

• What makes Tokyo unlike any other World Marathon Major
• Navigating Japan as a foreigner... and why it was easier than expected
• The culture of quiet respect that made every moment feel special
• Shrines, temples, ryokans, onsen, and tatami mats (post-marathon)
• And why all four of them want to go back as soon as possible

What You'll Hear in This Episode

• Christelle's recap: Tokyo marathon, then the Nagoya Women's Marathon one week later, then a 100-miler back home
• The out-and-back course: why runners who dreaded it ended up loving it
• Elites, shrines, a portable festival shrine being carried through the streets, and spotting the Tokyo Tower mid-race
• The bathroom situation: portapotties that were anywhere from 100 meters to 1.1K off course
• Sally's emergency depends-in-the-waistband strategy (and the park bathroom that saved the day)
• How Tokyo learned from last year's water shortage
• The finish line experience: bath salts, face wipes, and volunteers with encouraging messages taped to their gloves
• The Abbott six-star tent and what it felt like to finally collect that medal after years of chasing majors
• Christelle's onsen experience and why after two minutes, it felt completely natural
• Rhea and Sally both booking tatami mat rooms
• The World Friendship Center in Hiroshima
• Meeting atomic bomb survivors and the powerful reminder of why nuclear weapons must never be used again

Listener Takeaways

• Don't let the language barrier stop you. Google Translate and kind locals will get you everywhere.
• Tokyo Marathon is worth it: the organization, the volunteers, and the culture make it one of the best race experiences in the world.
• Travel changes you. Seeing history from another perspective makes you a more understanding human.
• The quiet respect of Japanese culture is contagious. Let it rub off on you.
• Book a bed the night after your marathon. Learn from Rhea.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Tokyo Marathon (2026)
• Nagoya Women's Marathon
• Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star Program
• Marathon Tours & Travel
• London Marathon 2025
• Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto
• Miyajima Island and the floating torii gate, Hiroshima
• World Friendship Center, Hiroshima
• Ryokan traditional Japanese hotels and tatami mat rooms
• Onsen (Japanese hot spring baths)
• Pocari Sweat: the Japanese sports drink on course ("better than Gatorade")
• Episodes 5 & 16 — Christelle's full story
• Episodes 30 & 31 — Rhea's full story
• Episodes 36 & 37 — Tom's full story

Support the Mission

Unstoppable: Stories That Move is a podcast with a purpose to raise $1 million for medical research to help fund cures for cancer and other diseases. With NIH budgets being cut, your support matters more than ever.

Donate today