Table of contents : Contents Preface 1. The Culture of Running in Japan 2. Racing to Catch Up 3. A Galaxy of Distance Runners 4. Distance Running as a Commodity 5. “Greater Depth, More Women”: Marathons and Ekidens in the 1990s 6. From Peak to Plateau: Elite Runners in the 2000s 7. Running for Everyone Afterword: Marathon Japan Notes Sources Cited Index