

On November 25th, the 2nd Osaka Marathon was held. The route started from Osaka Castle Park and ended at Intex Osaka, adding up to a total distance of 42.195 km. 19-year-old Fukumoto Aina of idol group NMB48 participated in the marathon as a charity runner and finished the marathon in a net time of 4 hours 8 minutes and 45 seconds. (Gun time: 4:11:15)
Though it was her first time participating in a marathon, Aina stated “I wanted to deliver as much strength and hope to the people of the Tohoku region after last year’s earthquake."
Under the direction of Kansai University’s Cross Country Coach Takeda Natsumi, her initial target goal was to complete the marathon in 5 hours 30 minutes. However, with strong willpower and determination, Aina raised her target to 4 hours 30 minutes. As a result, she finished significantly higher than her set goal, and crossed the finish line with a bright smile.
Below is the chart of Aina's progress during the marathon.

Here is the footage of Aina after the marathon and VTR of her preparing towards it.
Part 2: http://youtu.be/a8g8o3-idXE
Sources:
http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/other/athletic/marathon/osaka/2012/headlines/20121125-00000008-spnavi-spo.html
http://48-family.tumblr.com
VH Pang
http://www.moviecloud.jp/osaka2012/result.php?pid=37
Woww Ainyan, I'm so proud of you!!!
And I'm 19 just like her, and she's making me question what I'm doing with my life.
Based on the chart, she went slow in the beginning and caught up pace at the second half.
Negative split??
Man and they say most people (as in first timers) can't manage to do that.
Guess she proved she isn't really "most people" XP
Sheer willpower + stamina <3
AINYAN YOU'RE AMAZING AND AN INSPIRATION TO ALL, YES.