Road races during a pandemic present a unique challenge: not so much in the management of crowds but more so in preventing them from forming at all.
The Paralympics' marathons will be held Sept. 5, passing Tokyo landmarks such as the Kaminarimon "Thunder Gate" in Asakusa, the Imperial Palace, Ginza's upmarket Chuo Street and the Zojoji temple.
Fans were asked to stay away from the Olympic marathon and racewalk events earlier this month, both of which were moved to the northern city of Sapporo from Tokyo due to heat concerns. But outdoor endurance running events are hugely popular in Japan and many people turned out anyway.
When the events were held between Aug. 5 and 8 in the Hokkaido capital, which proved to be as hot as Tokyo due to an unexpected heatwave, Olympic organizers, Hokkaido prefectural and Sapporo city authorities repeatedly asked the public not to gather on the streets to watch.
Restrictions were put in place around the main road near Sapporo station and fences were set up along roadways to cut down on pedestrian movement and discourage spectating.
But despite staffers wearing signs asking pedestrians not to stop to watch the races, large crowds of onlookers cheered on the athletes and snapped photos in the final days of the mostly spectator-free Olympic Games.
"I can't blame them for wanting to get a glimpse" of the athletes, a security guard on duty during the races said.
"Some fans are dying to watch. We cannot enforce road closures on public roads so there's only so much we can do," a Sapporo city official said.
For the Paralympics, there will be five marathon events starting within a 20-minute window: the men and women's T12 for athletes with visual impairments, men's T46 for runners with upper limb deficiency and men and women's T54 for those in wheelchairs.
According to organizers, more than 2,000 event staff will be tasked with the job of holding placards requesting people refrain from gathering to watch the races. Many will be stationed in Nihombashi, the capital's financial and commercial district, and other areas where large crowds are expected.
But they will not designate restricted entry zones to minimize potential negative impacts on residents or businesses, they said.
Tatsuo Sugimoto, a former Olympian and professor of sport economics at Hosei University, said stronger steps are needed to get fans to stay home.
"Rather than leaving the decision about attending the games in person up to Japanese citizens, it's important to send them a strong message telling them not to come out," Sugimoto said.
"They should be ready for people who cannot resist the temptation to be a part of the games experience, and keep them away from the course by installing fences. They should remember their Olympic experience and ensure effective management of security and crowd control."
