28/06/2025
This weekend, there’s an Aikido seminar happening in Bulgaria—a few sessions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Interestingly, the organizers decided to call it the *Aikido Marathon* and invited 12 teachers. Because the name and the number of teachers resemble the format of the *International Aikido Marathon*, we kindly reached out to the organizers. We explained that their event is not actually a marathon and that it might appear as though they’re trying to benefit from a well-established name. As you can imagine, this reminder didn’t change anything. So we’d like to highlight what actually makes the *International Aikido Marathon* unique—because the Bulgarian event doesn’t share these elements. **What makes the International Aikido Marathon special:** * It lasts 24 hours straight – 24 training blocks in a row with short breaks.
* This creates a true physical and psychological challenge for participants.
* The challenge is individual – everyone chooses how much they want to practice.
* There are clear procedures in place to ensure the safety of all participants.
* The format offers a new way to practice Aikido—complementing regular classes, seminars, gradings, and demos. **And the teacher–student relationship is something we care deeply about:**
* There are 12 teachers—half women, half men—because gender balance matters to us.
* Each teacher leads 2 blocks out of 24.
* The event is not a showcase of teachers’ skills. Teachers act as mentors and guides, supporting participants through the challenge.
* Every teacher is required to train at least half of the marathon themselves—because they’re also participants.
* Everything is centered around the experience of the participants and building a spirit of mutual support. **Organizationally, the International Aikido Marathon is:
* Politically independent
* Financially sustainable
* Designed to be hosted in different countries It’s a structure that has taken us more than ten years to develop—filled with know-how, thoughtful processes, dedication, and joy. And as you can probably guess, simply putting the word *marathon* on a flyer doesn’t recreate this. Of course, we wish the teachers and participants in Bulgaria a great Aikido weekend. That’s the beauty of Aikido—meeting people and training together. But if you hear that there was an “Aikido marathon” in Bulgaria, don’t be misled:
* First, it has nothing to do with the *International Aikido Marathon*.
* Second, calling 12 hours of training over three days a “marathon” is like saying four 10,000-meter jogs in four days make a marathon. If you’re interested in organizing a real *International Aikido Marathon* in the future, contact us and we can talk about it.
www.aikido-marathon.org
Prezentácia o IAM: https://prezi.com/view/HZMypfJqUglAploIMhkp/
