St. Paul – Have you ever wanted to pace a marathon at a ballpark? Well, you’ll have your chance to do so on Sunday at CHS Field with Seigo Masubuchi, the Saints’ international man of mystery.
Masubuchi is from Tokyo and is known far and wide for his pipes, and does a sing-along with Seigo at every Saints home game. Now he’s bringing his other talent of marathon running to CHS Field and inviting every fan in attendance for Sunday’s game to join him. It’s his 96th marathon overall, and the second time Masubuchi will run a marathon at CHS Field, having last done it in 2022.
“It’s exciting to just do the things I want to do, and I can do it at the ballpark, and it’s something to continue for a good cause,” said Masubuchi. “Last time it was cool weather, perfect for running weather. This time it’ll be high of 85, so I’m sure I’ll be running slower.”
The marathon totals 86 laps around CHS Field, as measured officially by USA Track and Field, to tally the official 26.2 miles it takes to run one. Fans who show up at the starting line and water station that will be located on the left field terrace, behind the Summit Brewing Pub, won’t have to run every single lap with Siego. They are welcome to run as pacers for however long they’d like to be a part of it, whether it’s one lap (equal to a third of a mile) or all 86.
Each time, Masubuchi partners with a charity to raise proceeds from the marathon. In 2022, it was for the Rebecca Veeck Foundation, which former Saints owner Mike Veeck started in honor of his daughter Rebecca, who died in September 2019 from a 20-year battle with Batten Disease. This year, Masubuchi has asked Randy and Ariel Dobnak to help with their long-running philanthropy with St. Jude’s Children Hospital.
“I knew it would be a great fit,” said Dobnak. “He’s friendly, he talks to people all the time, fans love him, so I figured it would be a good cause to raise money for St. Jude and research children’s cancer.
“When [Masubuchi] told me that, I was really excited, and we were really excited to help him out a bit. He did ask me if I wanted to run a marathon with him. I said, ‘I’m going to respectfully decline, because I don’t think I can run 26.2 miles.’”
The Dobnaks have built as strong a bond as any player and their family can with a Saints ushertainer, and they are always looking for new ways to hold charity drives for St. Jude’s. When Masubuchi contacted them about the idea a few weeks before spring training, it was the right match to try something new.
“To have someone like Seigo reach out to us, him doing his own thing, but doing it for St. Jude and doing it in our name was really special to us,” said Dobnak. “I think the weather is supposed to be beautiful; he might be sweating it out a little bit, but we’re really excited to be out there and help him. I’m sure it will be a great day for him.”
This is also a significant marathon for Masubuchi. The last time he did one at CHS Field, he had been in the hospital twice with COVID-19 and experienced heart issues during his recovery. But the health setbacks haven’t kept Masubuchi from doing what he loves away from the ballpark. He has completed four marathons since, which has motivated him to reach 100 within the next few years.
“The issue has been my airway, especially in the heat, but I tried two to three different medications for the airway,” Masubuchi said. “And the latest one has just been working like magic, I haven’t had as many airway issues, so that’s been helpful. It’s going to be hot [on Sunday], but at least the medication will help any effects on my heart.”
The marathon will start at 11:45 am on Sunday, two hours and 22 minutes before first pitch. With all the pre-game festivities going on as Masubuchi makes his laps around the ballpark, Dobnak will throw a ceremonial first catch to him as he makes his way across the right field concourse.
Masubuchi invited Dobnak to join him for a lap during the marathon, but Dobnak’s ankle injury on April 20 prevented him from being cleared in time. Even before the injury, it was a tough sale for him to do more than a lap or two.
“I might swing in for the last lap or something if the game was over, but I don’t think I’ll be cleared to do that.”
While Dobnak is unlikely to be on the concourse for a lap, other Saints ushertainers in attendance will join Masubuchi and the fans. Even if you’re not a fan of running a marathon, the donations made will still come with a t-shirt in Japanese script, Katakana. Donations will be accepted from the start of the marathon until the last pitch of Sunday’s Saints game.
