I might not be able to run tomorrow

RRC member interview

Text: Shun Sato

12th Course B Team (Goal: Full Marathon sub 3.5) MVP Umeshita Kaori

ChatGPT's announcement

I was in terrible shape at the Osaka Marathon, where I set my personal best (3 hours 29 minutes 26 seconds). I'd had stomach problems for about three days, so I asked ChatGPT what I should do to finish the race in this condition. Number 1: Quit, Number 2: Run slowly, Number 3: Bring a change of pants. I thought that if I ended up needing to use Number 3, even if I managed to finish, what would happen to my social credibility? (laughs) But I'd come all this way, so I decided to run. However, as a medical professional, I started out with the feeling that I shouldn't overwhelm the local emergency medical services by traveling all the way here.

Awakening at 35kg

I thought a 5km pace would be fine, but it was snowing and cold, so my throat wasn't dry and I made it to the 35km mark without any supplies. Then I heard Yukorin (Hasebe Yuko) yell, "We can do 3.5!" and I wondered who she was talking about. That's when I woke up, stepped up my game, and managed to squeeze in a sub-3.5. If I had been in good health, I probably would have pushed myself too hard and failed. I think it was a good thing that I was feeling unwell, so I was able to run relaxed and as if I had slept.

Eight Years of Challenge

It took me eight years to go from sub-4 to sub-3.5. I achieved a sub-4 at the 2017 New York City Marathon, and since then I've been jogging 200km a month, maintaining a sub-4 time. But then I broke 3 hours and 35 minutes at the Hofu Marathon in 2022, and I thought, wow, maybe I can do this. From there, I kept saying I'd do it, so I got into RETO. I'm the type of person who scrapes together all sorts of things from various sources to finally shave off a minute, but the young people in RETO can shave off 30 minutes in one go. There were times when I felt like I was out of place.

My thoughts on Beppu University

But I couldn't give up because I wanted to run at Beppu University. I started running in 2004, and at that time women couldn't run at Beppu University. That made a deep impression on me, and I wanted to run someday. I worked hard to achieve that, and I feel like I've finally reached a point where I can enter.

Why Exercise Became Traumatic

In the 2024 season, I was able to achieve two personal bests in both the half marathon and the full marathon. Setting personal bests isn't easy at my age, and I have zero athletic experience. I didn't do anything at all in elementary, middle, or high school. I couldn't do the vault or a back flip, and I was made to set a bad example in gym class, which left me traumatized by exercise, so I didn't exercise again until I entered the workforce.

The benefits of orchids

These days, running time is very precious to me. Things are often hectic at home and at work, so when I run, I can concentrate on myself. I wake up at 5am and run for about an hour. It helps me to sort out my thoughts, such as how I'm feeling, how I'm planning my work, and what I should cook for dinner, so it's become an essential part of my daily life, not just for races.

-Why do you run?

I feel incredibly happy when I'm running, but I think I couldn't run without a healthy body and a healthy family cheering me on. But that's not something to be taken for granted. In fact, there was a time when I couldn't run due to child-rearing and cancer. After undergoing cancer treatment, I decided to take advantage of the life I'd been given and do something I couldn't do without being healthy, so I started running again. I've been running for nine years now, and throughout that time, I've always run with the thought that it might be my last. If something were to happen to me, or to my elderly mother or child, my running habit would come to an end. That's why each and every run is so precious. When I couldn't run, I would look at other runners and think how dazzling and dazzling they were. Now I can do those dazzling things, and even though I'm not very good at sports, I can run with a goal in mind. That alone makes me incredibly happy.