Yusuke Ganbare (hereinafter referred to as Yusuke), who holds a personal best of 2 hours 25 minutes 09 seconds in a full marathon (2015 Tokyo Marathon), and Ikeda, who holds a personal best of 3 hours 2 minutes 43 seconds in a full marathon (2012 Nagoya Women's Marathon), will talk extensively about their respective running styles, as well as how to run and enjoy the Tokyo Marathon 2018, which is fast approaching on Sunday, February 25th.
Here's a summary of the interviews and information on the ASICS promotion running until February 20th (Tuesday).

The connection between Yoshimoto comedian Ganbare Yusuke and Asics

Yusuke's mentor, Hanako Miyagawa, loves running so much that she even ran the Honolulu Marathon wearing Asics shoes, and Yusuke himself has been competing in Asics since his time at Toyo University. "It was about 10 years ago, but even back then, when I was a student, the performance of their running shoes was outstanding, and even with commercially available shoes, they quickly became comfortable and I could run in them!" he said, giving them his seal of approval for their comfort.

Miho Ikeda joined ASICS in 2005. She has extensive experience participating in races, from citizen marathons to international races, and has also provided advice at the Tokyo Marathon expo venue.
"Asics has been researching foot shapes for decades and has data from tens of thousands of people. We are also particular about our lasts (shoe molds), so even our commercially available shoes fit your feet well," he explains.


—That's a color outfit that makes it instantly recognizable as Yusuke's when you're cheering him on from afar. Do you always run in that style, Yusuke?

Yusuke: That's right. I stand out at competitions, so I put pressure on myself to run a good time (laughs). My shoes are the "Go Yusuke Model," made using Asics' "Marathon Shoe Easy Order System." I'll be running the upcoming Tokyo Marathon in these yellow shoes with gold accents.
I order a different color scheme every season, and I also add embroidery of "Big Laugh" to the color combinations that aren't available commercially. I'll do my best so that one day I can release a "Go Yusuke Model"!

Page 2: What were each other's impressions of each other as "runners"?

*ASICS is an official partner of the Tokyo Marathon 2018.