Public eye: Run Girl Night

In February 2010, women from the fashion, beauty and media industries began working on a project to enrich the everyday with the power of female runners. Preparations were made through each of the professional fields leading to Run Girl Night, a running event for women by women held on Saturday September 4 at Shiokaze Park in Odaiba. The event saw a turnout of 500 lady runners and 100 volunteers. The enjoyment could be seen on the many smiling faces, and Public Eye was there to capture it.

Rie Maesaka (30)
‘I run to get in shape and reduce stress. While I usually run near the Meguro River and Daikanyama, today I had a chance to enjoy running in Odaiba.’

Sayyora Madyarova (30)
‘I’m from Uzbekistan. I’m really surprised at the size of this women-only event. I work in PR in Tokyo but today I am here as a volunteer for Run Girl Night. I am in charge of looking after the media who are here to report on the event.’

Toshiko Tagami (35)
‘Today I took part in the 10km run. I run to relieve stress and to get stronger. I often go to Yokohama and the Imperial Palace when I train.’

L: Mami Iwabuchi (35) R: Yoshimi Iwabuchi (35)
‘We are twins and are volunteers at this event. Yoshimi always runs at the Saitama Super Arena. Mami has moved to Yamanashi to live where she came from today. Her training happens out among grape vines; she runs at a pace of about 10km/hour. We want to participate as runners in the next Run Girl Night.’

Chihara Akiko (29)
‘I run to relieve stress and maintain my health. In Odaiba, because we can run while looking out at the water, I’m sure it is going to feel great. I usually run at the Imperial Palace or around Ebisu.’

Sonomi Asari (30)
‘I came here today combining my running with covering the event for Tokyo FM. I started running in October of last year, and today is the fifth time that I’ve participated in a running tournament. This type of women-only event is really brilliant.’

Naoko Uchida (29)
‘I started running for my diet and stress management. Today I am here to have a go at the 10K. I always run at the Imperial Palace or Yoyogi Park. It’s also nice to run along the Meguro River.’