For me, running is living.

RRC member interview
text:Shun Sato

15th Cool B+ Team (Goal: Sub-3:20 Marathon) MVP: Toshiya Miki

A Restart with the Diet Club

This season, losing weight and having everyone tell me, "You've gotten faster," became a huge motivation for me. The "RETO Diet Club," which was the catalyst for my weight loss, started last August during Obon. Tsuchii (Yusaku Tsuchimoto) called out to people who had gained weight and whose performance had dropped, and so the director (Ryohei Tsukamoto), Rintaro (Shintaro Hayashi), Hamayoshi (Yoshiyuki Hamada), and I, a total of five of us, started it.

Facing the Reality of My Weight

When I joined RETO, I weighed 60kg, but by spring 2025, it had reached a maximum of 68kg. When the Diet Club started, I was 66.5kg. Honestly, until then, I had been running away from the reality of my "weight," which was the most important thing to confront. However, through encouraging each other using a weight-tracking app in the Diet Club, and the "no turning back" situation of the results announcement at the year-end party in late November, I was able to completely change my eating habits and lose weight. In the end, I successfully lost 11.5kg, which truly surprised even me. I don't think I could have done it by myself.

Feeling the Improvement in My Running Ability

The first time I felt "Oh, my body is different" was at the Legacy Half Marathon, where I improved my time by a minute from 2023. From there, I was able to improve my time to 1 hour 26 minutes 59 seconds at the Minato City Half Marathon before Tsukuba, which gave me a great deal of confidence. I attempted the subsequent Yokohama Marathon in my usual cosplay, but it rained on the day. My costume became incredibly heavy with water (laughs), making it the toughest race. I couldn't get a good time and was very frustrated.

A Great Run in Tsukuba

Because the image of struggling at Yokohama was so strong, the fear of "my legs stopping again midway" lingered throughout the Tsukuba Marathon. While aiming for a personal best, deep down I was half in doubt, wondering "Can I really break 3 hours 20 minutes?" But running with Tsuchii and Kei (Niinuma), and then being joined by Ryo (Morinaka) and others, running with up to about six people, was incredibly enjoyable. There was also a lot of support, and I achieved a personal best of 3 hours 13 minutes 47 seconds, which was very satisfying. It was the most comfortable marathon I've ever run.

Does Weight Loss Make You Faster?

I had already achieved a sub-3.5 marathon before joining RETO, but after that, injuries piled up, and three years passed with my time remaining around 3.5 hours. This season, however, I was able to reach 3 hours 07 minutes 36 seconds at Beyond. I think the weight loss helped prevent injuries, allowing me to consistently run 300km per month. However, with such significant improvement, I sometimes felt that my mind couldn't quite keep up with my body, wondering, "Can I really run at this pace?" I ran without fully believing it (laughs).

The Decision to Have Surgery

There was a big reason why I decided to put so much effort into marathons this season. I suffer from a designated intractable disease called "juvenile-onset bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (ACTG1)." This is a progressive hearing loss where my hearing gradually deteriorates. Currently, I have a hearing disability classified as Grade 6. I usually wear hearing aids in both ears, but I still often miss things, and the number of situations where I struggle with everyday conversations has increased.

I made the decision to undergo cochlear implant surgery on my left ear, which has poorer hearing, this June. Initially, I was convinced that "cochlear implants are vulnerable to water, so I won't be able to run my beloved marathons anymore." Running involves sweating, and I can get wet in the rain, so I approached this season with the resolve that "this might be the last year I can run."

The Fear of Having Artificial Objects Inside My Body

When I was in sixth grade, I developed osteosarcoma (bone cancer), and the bone and muscle from my left shoulder to my elbow were removed and replaced with an artificial joint (left upper limb functional disability Grade 3). I no longer have any memory of running with my arm swinging, and my current impaired state is normal for me. When I run, I can only let my arm hang loosely or grip the edge of my shorts to keep it still.

The risks and fears of having a "foreign object" inserted into the body that cannot be easily removed once it's in are something I understand all too well, thanks to my experience with an artificial joint. It took courage to decide on cochlear implant surgery, and I also disliked the idea of the device being noticeable at the back of my head. Nevertheless, I decided to have the surgery because I felt that "difficulty hearing" was more challenging in life than cancer. I was truly happy when the doctor later told me, "You can continue running marathons after the surgery."

Three Goals to Achieve

I currently have three goals. First, to complete 200km; second, to achieve a sub-10-hour 100km race; and third, to run a sub-3-hour marathon. Since seeing Myako-san's profile around 2020, "defeating Myako-san" has been my goal. I hope to achieve these one by one from now on.

Why do you run?

In a way, I think running is a form of self-gratification (laughs). At the same time, last year, Seina Minato, a student athlete from Aoyama Gakuin University, passed away at the young age of 21 from malignant lymphoma. Although the location was different, I experienced the same "cancer" and was spared after ten surgeries. There have been times when I couldn't look forward due to illness or disability, stopped, and even contemplated death. We often forget how precious health is, but we only truly appreciate it after losing it. For me, running is living. Running allows me to feel healthy and gives me the sensation of "living in the present."