On the day of the Tokyo Marathon 2024, students from Tokyo University of the Arts will paint a croquis of the runners as they start the race on canvas.
※The term "croquis" means "rapid drawing," and refers to the act of quickly drawing an object or the drawing itself.
The drawings are displayed in the cheering base at the finish line as "Tokyo University of the Arts Drawing Runner Exhibition.
Please come and visit.

Purpose of this project
This project was born out of a discussion between President Hayano of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation and President Katsuhiko Hibino of Tokyo University of the Arts during the official program of the Tokyo Marathon 2024, when the two suggested that it would be interesting to have art students draw the runners running through the streets on the spot.

The Tokyo Marathon is enlivened by cheering events (taiko drums and cheerleading) and music (the marathon's image song).
In addition to these, we are challenging the new field of art as a way to watch and enjoy the race other than through television and photographs.
We will try to see how we can express the atmosphere of the race and the runners through art. We hope that the fusion of the marathon and art will provide a new way of looking at the Tokyo Marathon and attract new fans, including those who have never had contact with the marathon before.

Comment by Katsuhiko Hibino President of Tokyo University of the Arts
(excerpt)
I broadly consider “all things that move people’s hearts” as being art, not limited to paintings,sculptures, or musical performances.

In terms of the fusion of marathon and art,the human figure running is beautiful to begin with,as seen in Greek sculptures. When thinking about expressing the beauty of the running body, one of the techniques used in art is “croquis,” which is to capture a moving object on the spot. For example, it would be interesting to have art students in Tokyo draw the runners running somewhere along the course of the
Tokyo Marathon in real time.