Applications have closed for Kumamoto Marathon, with entrants willing to pay an exorbitant amount for several hours of pain exceeding records. Over 20,000 males and 5,000 females answered this year’s Siren call, an increase of 818 masochists. There were 2.12 applicants for this lottery of terror for every successful victim, a grim increase of 0.07% from the previous year. This macabre spectacle is set to unfold on February 19, along with shorter races for the less foolish. - William