Combining road and triathlon racing is a strength

RRC member interview

Text: Shun Sato

A1 Team (Goal: Sub-3 hours 00 minutes) Annual MVP: Fumiya Kaneko

Breaking personal bests in three consecutive races

The 2023-2024 season was a very meaningful year for me, as I was able to achieve a sub-3 time and feel that I had grown as a person.

I was able to achieve a sub-3 time (2 hours 59 minutes 38 seconds) at the Mie Matsusaka Marathon 2023 in December of last year. My original goal was to run the Beppu-Oita Marathon in February. However, since I had achieved it in the previous marathon, I made repeating my sub-3 time the theme for Beppu-Oita. I ended up running a personal best of 2 hours 57 minutes 27 seconds, which really made me realize that a sub-3 time was no fluke.

I had heard that the Fukui Sakura Marathon in March was an easy race to run, and I considered it my favorite as a race I could take on when I was fully prepared. I was able to repeat my sub-3 time at Bessho University, so I decided to go all out from the start in Fukui, setting it as a challenge race to test my progress over the past year. In the end, I went too fast from the start and nearly lost consciousness in the second half, and both my legs cramped after the finish, but I managed to finish the season with a new personal best (2 hours 54 minutes 26 seconds). While I could see the wall of sub-3, I was personally satisfied that I was able to finish the season with better results than my original goal.

Rivalry

I owe my growth over the past year to RETO. Before joining RETO, I was just running on my own, but after joining, I started participating in training sessions, following races where everyone else was running even though I wasn't, and conversely, receiving cheers when I ran, being inspired by others' efforts, and using their efforts as fuel to push myself. My teammates also inspired me. When Nagashio (Yoshinori Nagashio) and Kazuma (Koreeda Kazuma), two people with similar running ability and age, set good times or ran well in practice sessions, I honestly thought, "Wow! I'm so happy!", but at the same time, I was burning up inside, thinking, "I can't let myself lose."

Applying triathlon experience to road racing

I do triathlons in the summer. They're similar sports, but there are differences, and I feel they have a positive influence on each other. In a marathon, you get in shape for the race, start running in top condition, and give it your all with the support of the enthusiastic cheers from the roadside. In a triathlon, you start running while carrying the strain of the swim and bike, constantly facing your body and trying to figure out what you should do at that moment, all the way to the end. I think the planning skills and tenacity I developed in triathlon are useful in marathons, and I also feel that the determination to enjoy the actual race to the fullest, which I learned in marathons, is useful for mental control in triathlons.

The training I need right now

The bike is a challenge for me in triathlon, and recently I've been trying to do long rides of around 150km on the weekends, and also try to pedal my bike on rollers for an hour to an hour and a half on weekdays. My marathon training revolves around Seiya's menu. When I'm doing individual training sessions, I want to be in good condition, so before I run I do the drills introduced to me by Akimoto Shingo. My monthly running distance is 250 to 300km. I currently practice mostly at night. I work for a consulting company, so sometimes I focus on the mornings depending on the client's schedule. For now, I feel like my work, marathons, and triathlons are meshing well together.

Weight difference between triathlon and road cycling

I tend to gain muscle easily, but when I'm doing triathlons, I need to be a bit bigger to be able to run the whole distance, so I eat well and try to maintain a weight of over 70kg. On the other hand, when it comes to marathon season, I get leaner, and by March of this year I was down to 66kg. Normally I'm around 68-72kg.

The target is Subega

My goal for next season is to work hard at triathlons until autumn, and if I can break 80 minutes at the Takashimadaira Half Marathon in October, I think I'll be able to see a sub-80 at the Tsukuba Marathon. At practice sessions, people tell me I look like a gorilla running, but I'd really like to run as lightly as Matchy (Machida Yuma). That said, I'll continue to use my own strengths to run with a bang.