Things I enjoyed and things I struggled with during my time on the university track and field team.

Ugo: The Hakone Ekiden is a grueling race where each runner covers approximately 20 kilometers. Could you tell us about the enjoyable and challenging aspects of your time in the track and field club?

It was really tough when I failed to qualify in my third year at Fukushima . I missed the qualifying round by about 10 seconds, and one of the reasons I lost was that I was about 2 minutes slower than the time the coach had instructed me to run. I felt really sorry for my seniors who never got to participate in the Hakone Ekiden. It was also tough to have trained for a whole year to participate in the Hakone Ekiden, only to fail to qualify and have to start training again for the following year.

At Tago Junior High School, I specialized in the 1500 meters, and in high school, I specialized in the 3000-meter steeplechase, so the 20 kilometers of the Hakone Ekiden were very difficult for me. For the first year after entering university, running long distances was tough. I kept thinking about "how to complete the 20 kilometers," and once I figured out how to do it, it became enjoyable.

Ugo , what's the secret to running for a long time?


Tago: It's all about "getting used to the distance." To get used to 20 kilometers, I also ran long distances slowly to get my sense of it. I ran middle distances until high school, so I used to "strike on my toes" when I ran, but I started to focus on "using the big muscles in my buttocks and thighs" when I landed, and my form changed quite a bit.

Aono: I suffered a lot of injuries during my university years, and there were many times when I felt like giving up, but I was able to overcome the difficulties because I was close with my teammates. In the spring of my senior year, my injury healed, and I qualified for the Hakone Ekiden in third place, participating for the first time in three years. I was originally scheduled to run in the sixth leg, but I selfishly asked to run in the tenth leg, which is in my hometown. The result wasn't good, but I could hear the cheers of the people in my hometown, and I had no regrets about my first Hakone Ekiden in my senior year. When I crossed the finish line, I honestly thought, "I'm glad I continued with track and field."

I personally ran the 6th section twice, and as I went down the hill, the cheers from both sides were incredible; it was like being at a live concert. Being surrounded by those cheers naturally gave me an adrenaline rush.

When I was captain in my fourth year at Fukushima , I ran the ninth leg and was determined to get results, but I was disappointed that I couldn't achieve a good result. It ended rather abruptly, and even now I still think I could have run a little better.

Tips from experienced runners! A proper warm-up makes winter running more enjoyable.