Sub-3 wasn't a dream, it was my goal, so I was able to achieve it.

RRC member interview

Text: Shun Sato

Junichi Takahashi, MVP of the 11th A1 Team (Goal: Sub-3 hour full marathon)

The back of the sub-3 runner is visible

The sub-3 time (2 hours 59 minutes 32 seconds) I achieved in Tsukuba this time was a big goal I had been working towards for eight years. I started running seriously in 2016, and at the time I was still young and had the stamina and speed to quickly achieve a sub-3.5 time. The following year I ran in the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon for the first time, and at my second time at Beppu-Oita I was able to run 3 hours 6 minutes.

A goal that couldn't be abandoned

I could see myself achieving a sub-3 time there, but then the COVID-19 pandemic and my age made it difficult to improve. The young guys at RETO were able to achieve a sub-3 time within the season once they reached the single digits of three hours, but I could only improve slowly, like a turtle. The reason I was able to keep challenging myself without losing motivation despite that was because I was convinced that I could definitely achieve a sub-3 time. It's frustrating when you can't achieve something you thought you could do. Sub-3 wasn't a dream, it was my goal.

A long, painful break

However, there were times when I found it difficult. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was busy working in a department specializing in COVID-19 countermeasures, and for about two and a half years, from 2019 to 2021, I was barely able to run. I gradually started running again from 2022, but the break was so long that I couldn't run as well as I wanted, and I realized I couldn't continue like this, so I joined RETO in May 2023. At the time, there was only one A team, and I was running 1000m intervals in about 3 minutes 30 seconds. At that time, I was running about 3 minutes 45 seconds in other training sessions, so I thought that RETO had a high quality of key training. There's no doubt that it's thanks to them that I am where I am today.

The heartbreaking Tokyo Marathon

I was originally supposed to achieve a sub-3 time in last year's Tokyo Marathon (wry smile). I had a time of 3 hours, 1 minute, and 57 seconds at Beppu-dai in February, so I felt confident heading into Tokyo. However, my motivation plummeted after starting in Block E at Tokyo, and I couldn't get a good result.

Tracing successful experiences

However, my approach to Tokyo, which was to increase distance in the summer and gradually improve my speed endurance, was not wrong, so I followed that process again this time. At the time, what gave me the most confidence was 14 practice sessions at 3 minutes 48 seconds per kilometer at the RETO training camp in Futtsu. Being able to complete these sessions made me confident that I could run sub-3 in Tokyo (wry smile). In preparation for Tsukuba, there was a RETO training session on August 7th where I ran 7 1000m sessions at a pace of around 3 minutes 37 seconds per kilometer, and I felt that if I could do this kind of training, I could run sub-3.

Achieving a goal after 8 years

In Tsukuba, I was on schedule until 30km, and if I'd kept going, I could have finished in 2 hours 55 minutes, but at 33km my legs started to cramp and I had to walk. At 40km, I was in 2 hours 50 minutes, so I thought, "I can just go 5 seconds per kilometer for the next 2km," but then I realized I'd missed 195m, and I ended up finishing in 4 minutes 15 seconds. The second half was tough, but the fact that I'd made up some time in the first half and was able to walk back up and then run was ultimately a good thing.

-Why do you run?

At first, I found it amusing that my speed would improve as I lost weight, and that was my motivation for running. Now, I run simply because it's fun to progress towards a race, trying and failing to break a record. My goal for the future is 2 hours 55 minutes, but once I turn 60, progress is really minimal, and it's hard to cut 5 minutes off my time. But since it's my goal, I can't stop until I achieve it. My car's license plate number is also 255 (laughs).