'Marathon Run' Day at Rakuhoku

Last Thursday was the 'Marathon Run' at Rakuhoku High School. Every February, good weather permitting, all of the students at Rakuhoku head to the Kamo River to run up and down it. Required distances vary depending on your grade and sex. Junior girls run maybe 4 miles while senior boys run 11 miles. I'd been hearing about this running race since before Christmas so it's clearly a big tradition at the school with a lot of hype. All classes were canceled for the day to prepare and run the races. I had decided early on that I was going to run it to gauge my fitness and just have a good time with the students.

Cindy, Mike, and Hirai-sensei before the racing

I can't post any pictures of students' faces because of security and safety concerns so all the pictures I have are from a distance or from a behind.

Junior students at the river getting ready.

The boys ran on the other side of the river because there were so many students taking part. It's actually mandatory at the school to engage in it. You can walk if you want, but most of the students ran. I've noted to many friends and family members that this just would not fly in the United States. Some school official or parent would likely throw a fit about how their child can't run for whatever reason. But parents turned out in droves to watch this kids run and compete. "Fight!" I would hear a Japanese teacher yell to me, urging me to keep at it as I ran. That's the mentality most bring to this event. It's an opportunity to show endurance and dedication to a difficult task. That the distance gets longer the older you get seems to be evidence of this. They make you push yourself the stronger you get.

Principal Maehara waiting to address the students before they begin.

Off they go!

I followed.

Ready to run myself.

These little tykes were running the same day our school was. They were just too cute not to take pictures of. They were probably a little freaked out when a 6'3'' foreigner in a bright orange shirt came bounding toward them in a crouched position to thrust a black camera in their faces.


So I ran the 11 miles, or 18 km, that the senior boys ran. It was difficult through the last couple of miles but I powered through. My knees, calves, and thighs were definitely sore the next day. I was hobblin' for a few days after even. But I think I've almost recovered completely by now, five days after the event.



I couldn't do much the rest of the day from pure exhaustion. Thank goodness we had no classes. As the weather starts to become warmer and more inviting I can imagine doing some more running by the river. And soon the cherry blossoms will be out and I'll be running through them like in this old picture from 4th year.