Achieved sub-10 marathon thanks to the support of spectators! Strongest amateur runner, Yuki Kawauchi's advice on travel runs

Many top runners limit themselves to just two or three full marathons a year, but Yuki Kawauchi, who has represented Japan in the marathon at the World Championships three times, participates in around 40 road races a year, including half marathons, ultramarathons, and more, in addition to 10 to 12 full marathons.

As of July 2018, he has completed 83 full marathons, winning 33 of them. He has also achieved sub-10 times (the most in Japan) 12 times, and has completed 80 races in under 2 hours and 20 minutes (the most in the world).

This is the second installment of the [JAL Travel Run INTERVIEW] series, which introduces the appeal of marathons and travel runs. This time, we spoke with Yuki Kawauchi, one of Japan's top runners and an avid travel lover.

Even though she is a top runner, why does Kawauchi continue to take part in races that defy conventional wisdom?

The answer seems to be, "It actually lies in travel running!"

My running journey began when I was in the first grade of elementary school!

OnTrip JAL Editorial Department (hereinafter referred to as JAL): When did you first become interested in running?

Yuki Kawauchi (hereafter Kawauchi): When I was in the first grade of elementary school, my parents made me enter a children's marathon. I was six years old at the time, and I ran reluctantly, thinking, "Why do I have to run?" But I did better than I expected, so my parents started entering me in more and more competitions.

Then the competitions I participated in started to spread outside the prefecture, and participating in a competition became like a little trip. If I participated in a citizen marathon, I could go on a trip. I started to look forward to that little by little, and started participating in various competitions.

JAL: Your current style of racing, which sees you taking part in numerous races throughout the year, began when you were still in elementary school.

Kawauchi: My experiences in elementary school are my starting point. Sometimes I was accompanied by not only my parents, but also my grandparents, and after the marathon we went to hot springs and ate local cuisine. I think that from these experiences, the image of "marathon = travel" was naturally cultivated in me.

JAL: I heard that you were plagued by injuries later on in high school.

Kawauchi: I went to a high school that was one of the best in the prefecture for track and field, and aimed to compete in the national relay race and the Inter-High School Championships, but I got injured and couldn't run as well as I wanted. What was most disappointing was that I couldn't even participate in citizen marathons. My middle school advisor had a stance of "Just enter and try," but because relay races are team sports, the seniors who followed the advisor's advice started to restrict me from participating in races on my own.

JAL: Even though you experienced a major setback, you didn't stop running.

Kawauchi: That's right. The experience I had when I was in elementary school left a strong impression on me, and I had a strong desire to run a citizen marathon again once my injury had healed. So instead of going to a strong university, I chose to take the entrance exam for a university where I could run more freely, and continued with track and field.

What I learned from two Hakone Ekiden races

JAL: During your university days, you were not able to compete as part of a team, but you were selected twice as an individual member of the university federation's select team and ran in the Hakone Ekiden.

Kawauchi: I think the training at university suited me. In high school, I had morning practice every day and practiced a lot, but at university, I was basically left to my own devices and only had hard training twice a week. In addition, I had two rest days a week. Thanks to that training, my injury healed, I was able to keep practicing, and my times improved.

JAL: You were assigned to run the 6th section down the mountain in the Hakone Ekiden. What was the Hakone Ekiden like for you?

Kawauchi: When I first participated as a sophomore, I had a hard time because I was on the verge of cramping in my legs, but when I was a senior in college, I overtook two teams, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Kokushikan University, to improve my ranking and even achieved my goal of finishing in under 60 minutes.

Also, because it was the 6th section, the start time was early at 8am, and even though I was the only participant from my university, the cheer squad, cheerleaders, and brass band all came to support me, and even a sign was put up on campus saying "Kawauchi-kun, participating in the Hakone Ekiden!" The whole school came to support me. It was thanks to this support that I was able to perform at my best in the race. I will never forget the deafening cheers from the roadside, including in front of Kowakien. I think the Hakone Ekiden taught me how happy and empowering it is to have people cheering for me.

I am a runner and a traveler at the same time.

JAL: Just one month after the Hakone Ekiden when you were a fourth-year university student, you ran the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon. It was also your full marathon debut. Why did you decide to participate in this race, despite the very tight schedule?

Kawauchi: I was a student volunteer for the Tokyo Marathon when I was in college, so I wanted to participate in the Tokyo Marathon. However, to participate in the elite division without a lottery, there is a standard record for the full marathon, and I had to beat that. At first, I was against it, but I somehow managed to convince the coach and entered at short notice.

But while I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to participate in the Tokyo Marathon, I actually had another purpose... I had never been to Kyushu before, and I simply wanted to go to Beppu. I also told my coach in advance, "Please let me rest for about a week after the race to recover from the fatigue of my first marathon," and planned my first long trip in my life. I had never been to Shikoku before, so I took a ferry from Oita to Shikoku, took the express train, stayed at Dogo Onsen in Ehime Prefecture and Marugame in Kagawa Prefecture, stayed in Kurashiki, visited Korakuen in Okayama Prefecture, and finally took a detour to Osaka to eat okonomiyaki before returning home on an overnight bus.

Not only did I get to experience my first marathon, I also got to visit Kyushu and Shikoku for the first time, and also saw several popular tourist spots, so for someone who loves to travel, it was the best graduation trip ever.

JAL: It's truly a travel run!

Kawauchi: Many elite athletes return home immediately after the competition, but I like to stay as long as possible and sightsee. When possible, I stay an extra night and get up a little early the next morning to run around the city with my camera. I'm a runner and a traveler at the same time.

Now, I participate in many competitions as a form of training, and then I set my sights on the competition I'm aiming for and go for it. This is my style, but the real reason I participate in so many races is because I want to run in a variety of places.

JAL: If there's a place you want to visit and there's a marathon there, that's the perfect combination for you.

Kawauchi: That's right. When I choose a race to participate in, I always include places I've never been to as candidates. Going to new places is a big motivation for me. Also, I practice wherever I am, so even on a normal trip, I naturally run in the destination. Whether there is a race or not, I end up running in that city. So, for me, I think running and traveling are inseparable.

Achieving sub-10 time in the Ehime Marathon in a spirit of unity

JAL: You ran in the Ehime Marathon last year. Was Ehime one of the places you "wanted to go" to?

Kawauchi: Matsuyama, Ehime is a city that holds many memories from my time at university. I had been invited by the Ehime Marathon secretariat several times, but it was one of the races that I was unable to participate in due to schedule conflicts. Above all, the Ehime Marathon is a race with great support, and the aid stations and management have a very good reputation among runners. As a citizen runner, I had always wanted to run in the race if it had such a good reputation, and I feel like that dream finally came true last year.

JAL: What was it like actually running it?

Kawauchi: It really was a great event, just as people had said it would be. Most city marathons either start in the suburbs and finish in the city, or vice versa, but the Ehime Marathon starts in front of the Ehime Prefectural Office, runs towards the suburbs, turns around and finishes at Shiroyama Park, overlooking Matsuyama Castle near the prefectural office. It's a historic and traditional event with a start and finish in the city center, so there are a lot of people who come to support it as a major event in Ehime.

For runners, cheers are the best source of strength. Just like in the Hakone Ekiden, I was encouraged by the cheers from the people along the road at the Ehime Marathon, and I was able to win in a time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 54 seconds, finishing under 10 minutes.

JAL: I imagine there was a lot of excitement when you crossed the finish line.

Kawauchi: I was in great shape that day, and I was in the lead from just before the halfway point. When there's no one else to compete with, it can be hard to hang in there when things get tough, but on this day the cheers really gave me a boost. "You can do it in under 10!" and "Go for it!" I received a lot of enthusiastic support from the sidelines, and in the end I felt a sense of unity with the people along the road, and mustered all my strength to just barely finish under 2 hours and 10 minutes. When I crossed the finish line, the people around me were very happy and there was a lot of excitement. It was a really pleasant and memorable event.

How does Yuki Kawauchi enjoy traveling while running?

JAL: Two final questions. First, what is the appeal of marathons and running to you?

Kawauchi: It's something that can be understood anywhere in the world. The act of running is very simple, there is no place you can't run, and there are runners and races everywhere. That's why I think the biggest appeal of marathons is that you can connect with a lot of different people through running, and in that way you can expand your network and your horizons to the world.

For example, after winning the recent Boston Marathon, I'm happy to say that I've been receiving more invitations from overseas than ever before, and many foreign runners have started to talk to me during races. For me, whose hobby is to go to new places, overseas is still an unknown world. My secret joy is that my network of contacts and the places I run will become global in scale.

JAL: One more thing. What is the appeal of traveling to you?

Kawauchi: Every time I visit, I encounter new discoveries and impressions. It can be the nature or the cityscape, or sometimes I'm moved by the people and their hospitality. There are still many charms of the city that are not listed in the tourist guide. It's so much fun to find and discover them.

Among these, the best way to sightsee in a city is to get around on foot. If you go by car or train, the scenery just passes by, but if you run or walk, you can encounter something unexpected. I think the best part of a travel run is not just seeing and hearing, but experiencing the city itself "with your own feet" while running.

Filming cooperation: WILLIAMS http://www.williams-japan.com/

What is the appeal of the Ehime Marathon, which fully supports the challenges of all runners, from athletes to ordinary citizens?

Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, is known as the setting for Natsume Soseki's novel "Botchan." The Ehime Marathon, in which a total of 10,000 runners run through the city streets, will celebrate its 57th race on Sunday, February 10th next year. As an officially recognized event by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, the level of the participants is high, including runners from the Hakone Ekiden who participated in the marathon for the first time, and the tournament record was set by Kawauchi in the 55th tournament (February 2017) with a time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 54 seconds. He beat the previous record, which had not been broken for nearly half a century, by nearly 7 minutes, creating a great excitement at the venue.

While top corporate and student athletes compete fiercely, the race is also an attractive event for citizen runners, with an easy-to-run environment. Participants must be able to complete the race in 5 hours and 45 minutes. Although this is a relatively high target for a citizen marathon, aid stations offering nutrition, such as Pom Juice, are available throughout the course to fully support runners. In addition, to keep participants warm after the race, the local dish Imotaki is served to all participants at the finish area, and a foot bath using the spring water from Dogo Onsen is set up, providing warm hospitality to participants.

Additionally, as part of the runners' updates, after the 10km mark, runners can check their passing times in real time on their mobile devices every 5km, and the runners' locations can be displayed on an online map app based on the measurement data, providing a host of great services for those cheering on the runners.

What are the key points for conquering a course with many small ups and downs?

The course is quite tough, with small ups and downs repeated in the first half and uphill in the second half. How can you complete the Ehime Marathon and aim for a good time? We asked Kawauchi about the key points for conquering the course.

[Point 1] Run at a "short pace" on the way up, and relax by "feeling like you're falling" on the way down.

"There are two main points to keep in mind when tackling the Ehime Marathon course. The first is how well you can run the series of small uphill and downhill sections without losing your rhythm.

First, when climbing, it's a good idea to be aware of small increments and rhythm. Everyone has different perspectives, but I personally like to look a little lower and not pay too much attention to the uphill. It's easier to maintain a steady pace if you focus on keeping a steady rhythm and feel like the hill is over before you know it.

On the other hand, when going downhill, braking puts a strain on your legs, which can make you tired all at once in the second half. The trick is to ride with the feeling of "falling" without braking as much as possible. Specifically, if you are conscious of keeping your hips in a slightly higher position when going downhill, you will naturally lean forward moderately, making it easier to get a feel for falling. At this time, it is also important to relax your arms and upper body so that no unnecessary force is put into them.

[Point 2] Don't go too fast in the first half, and conserve your energy for the second half.

"The second key to success is to get through the first half of the race as energy-efficiently as possible, and conserve your energy for the uphill section of the second half. By adjusting your running style as there are successive uphill and downhill sections you can minimise the strain on your legs as much as possible, and by keeping as constant a pace as possible you can conserve your energy and muscle strength for the second half. Be careful not to get too comfortable in the downhill section of the first half and go too fast.

The biggest challenge is a steep uphill slope called "Hirata no Saka" that comes just after the 35km mark, when it gets the toughest. If you don't get over this, you won't be able to see the finish line. I think the key to conquering the Ehime Marathon is to understand the characteristics of the entire course and run with a good sense of pace!

Good luck!"

Ehime Marathon Competition Office
Entries will be accepted from Monday, August 20th to Friday, August 31st, 2018.
https://ehimemarathon.jp/

[After the race...] I wrote a haiku while relaxing in a hot spring to recover from the fatigue of the marathon.

"Spring in the castle town of 150,000 koku once upon a time."
This is a haiku poem about Matsuyama, Ehime, the hometown where haiku poet Masaoka Shiki was born and raised. Matsuyama City is also known as a city of haiku, and many haiku monuments have been erected within the city. In addition, there are "Haiku Capital Matsuyama Haiku Postboxes" at 93 locations within the city, allowing people to easily post their own haiku. The postboxes are opened once every three months, and three special haiku and 20 winning haiku are selected by famous Matsuyama haiku poets. The winning haiku are published on the Matsuyama City website and in the Ehime Shimbun newspaper, and each winner will also receive a commemorative gift.

If you visit Matsuyama, you should definitely visit Matsuyama Castle and Dogo Onsen. Matsuyama Castle, designated as an important cultural property by the government, was built 400 years ago. It is a symbol of Matsuyama, which once boasted 150,000 koku of rice, and is also mentioned in haiku by Masaoka Shiki. Its construction, which combines strength and beauty, makes it a famous castle that has many fans among castle enthusiasts.

Another symbol of the area is Dogo Onsen, the first public bathhouse to be designated an Important Cultural Property by the government and said to be the oldest in Japan. Its history is much older than Matsuyama Castle, dating back 3,000 years.

After running the marathon, head to Dogo Onsen first. Relax in the hot springs, soothe your tired body from the marathon, compose a haiku, and post it in the Haiku Capital Matsuyama Haiku Post. Write a haiku about how you felt during the marathon. This is another fun thing you can only do in Matsuyama, the city of haiku.