What changed my life

RRC member interview

Text: Shun Sato

2024-2025 Season MVP: Miwa Obuchi

The first batch of students start by completing a full marathon

The MVP for the 2004-2025 season was Miwa Obuchi. Her full recovery and new personal best meant that she was awarded the award, which was surely a joy for her and for the other members who knew her well.

Miwa was a member of the first class and started out as a beginner at marathon running.

"I joined RETO just as I was breaking up with my boyfriend and feeling heartbroken. Was this how my 20s was going to end? I felt sad and like it was a waste, so I was thinking about doing something I could enjoy to the fullest, when I saw Kamino's team starting on YouTube. I thought, 'This is it,' and started running with the goal of completing a full marathon."

He is the type of person who, once he starts, becomes absorbed in running and works hard. He participated in training sessions held twice a month, and was inspired by the other members to start running on a daily basis. On the last day of his first term, he ran a 1500m trial race, and managed to shave a minute and a half off his time from the first day of the training session.

A chain of injuries

However, the next morning, a long-lasting battle with the injury began.

"The morning after the 1500TT, when I got out of bed I was in such intense pain I couldn't even put my feet down... It turned out to be a stress fracture in my femur, but I was still a beginner at marathons and didn't really know much about stress fractures. I was in a bit of pain even before the 1500TT, so I took painkillers while running, and I think that's why I couldn't go."

He became Nolan in August and September, and made a comeback in October at the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon.

"At the time, the orthopedic surgeon asked me, 'What, you're running a half marathon already?' But that's what most people do. I'm a nurse, so in my position, I don't think it's possible to run in those conditions, but when it comes to myself, it's a different story (wry smile). But thanks to my return, I was able to achieve a sub-four time at the Nagoya Women's Marathon the following year (2024)."

Feeling like I've lost

However, in July, my leg felt a shock again.

"This time, I was also aiming to finish under six minutes in the 1500 time trial, but a few days after it I started to feel pain in my leg and had it diagnosed, which revealed I had a stress fracture in my right fibula. I returned in November without a race for about two months, but after recovering from an injury and not having any training, I managed to run 10km in under 50 minutes for the first time. I think that this was probably due to the influence of that, but this time I broke the neck of my right femur. This fracture was the most painful."

What did you feel was the hardest?

"It was difficult to go about my daily life on crutches, but even more than that, once I was able to run a little, I started making plans to improve my time in this competition and achieve my personal best in this race. I kept thinking about my ideal marathon season, but things just didn't go as planned... I actually wanted to run in the Nagoya Women's Marathon last year, but I decided to DNS and went to cheer on everyone. After the race, seeing everyone's happy and frustrated faces made me feel like I'd lost by not running... That was the hardest time since joining RETO."

The pain of not being able to run the race

Those who didn't run the race often find it hard to join in the conversations of those who did, and even when asked, find it difficult to respond. At the Nagoya after-party, Miwa looked at the menu, stood up multiple times for her tray, and drank quietly, all in an effort to avoid hurting herself. I think it's okay to express your feelings openly when you're frustrated or sad, but Miwa couldn't do that.

"I'm quite a show-off, I'm always cheerful, and I call myself a RETO idol, so I don't want to show my weak side, or worry the people around me. If I told them, they'd be kind and would listen to me, but I'm not the only one who's suffering. I'm sure everyone is going through a lot of pain too, so I couldn't rely on them."

However, I wrote letters to Daichi Kamino to help me come to terms with myself, such as when I couldn't run due to injury, when I achieved a sub-4 time, and when I DNS'd in Nagoya. By doing so, I was able to sort out my feelings and move on to the next challenge.

Runner Miwa's restart

After missing the Nagoya race due to injury, Miwa started working on transforming her body. Of course, she paid attention to her diet, but she focused most of her energy on core training.

"When I watch videos of myself running, I see that my running form is completely different from that of fast runners. I want to become a cool runner, and I've started core training, including how to use my muscles, once every two weeks to avoid injury."

Miwa went to KOBA Training, a core training gym frequented by many professional soccer players, including Yuto Nagatomo and Takehide Kubo. Miwa's hips tended to sag, so she started core training to keep them high and at the same time train her lower limbs to make her body less susceptible to injury.

"Thankfully, I haven't had any injuries since I started core training."

Don't waste the race

Another thing I decided for myself was to enter all the races I signed up for. Last season I signed up for many races but couldn't run due to injury, so all I did was donate the entry fee. I thought it would be a waste, so I decided to enter races as a substitute for practice. I narrowed down the races to a certain extent, but I tried to enter as many as I could in the races I entered.

A stepping stone to recovery

His return race after injury was the Hokkaido Marathon last year. Despite the harsh conditions, including the lingering heat, he finished in 4 hours and 27 minutes.

"Since it was my comeback race, my goal was to finish in under four hours and 30 minutes. I got goosebumps the moment I saw the finish line. I felt like I had rediscovered my identity as a RETO runner, and I was happy to have completed the full marathon. It made me want to try harder again."

Steady progress

Since then, she has remained injury-free, participating in training sessions and Tamken training sessions, and improving her running ability. It was at the New Year's Half Marathon in January this year that she felt she was making progress. She finished in 1 hour 40 minutes 20 seconds, 9 minutes faster than her October Legacy Half Marathon time. Coach Seiya Takagi teased her, asking if she had cheated at the turnaround, but she said, "I felt good running, and I got a good time, so it gave me confidence." She then underwent breast cancer surgery and was hospitalized for a while, but competed in the Nagoya Women's Marathon in March.

Revenge for the loss from a year ago

"I had surgery coming up, so my first goal was to improve my personal best by even just one minute. But I was running at a pace that would put me under 3:75, and just after 20km my sister and family were there. I didn't want to show them I was trying so hard, so I kept up the momentum, but it started to get tough from around 28km..."

Just past the 30km mark, Daichi Kamino cheered me on. "If you keep going like this, you can finish in under 40 minutes," he said, but at the time I thought, "That's impossible. Maybe he was just trying to cheer me up." However, with 2km to go, I sensed his words becoming a reality, so I made a final sprint. At one point, my shoelaces came undone, and a loud "Damn it!" echoed in front of Nagoya Dome, but I finished in 3 hours and 37 minutes.

"When I achieved a sub-4 time, the tears wouldn't stop. I was happy to have improved my personal best this time, and I was glad I was able to finish the race, but I didn't cry. My goal is to run in the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon (Beppu-Oita), so I really wanted to challenge myself to break sub-3:5 here. It was my personal best, but there was something I couldn't quite process."

Commitment to Beppu

Why is Miwa so determined to go to Beppu University?

"Two years ago, I went to cheer on the runners, and I think Betsudai is like a mecca for amateur runners. Seeing the fast and cool runners up close, I wanted to run there too. I wanted to join the group of runners who run here. I feel like if I can run here, I can proudly say that I'm running a marathon."

Shadow Support

Miwa's ambition as a marathon runner is what drives her, but it's not just her race running that earned her the RETO annual MVP award, but also her significant contributions to RETO. She actively participates in practice sessions, Tamken training, and training camps, and at practice sessions she places and collects markers before practice, and she was the one who started and established the cheering culture.

"I help out as a marker to get myself in the right mood during practice. I talk with Tamken about today's training menu and what has happened recently, so it's not something that everyone is grateful for (wry smile). I do hope that cheering will help everyone improve their personal bests, but I'm cheering because I can't run, and I think that I'll be the one to shine at this tournament next year, so I'm cheering for myself as a runner, so it's for my own good as well."

The most fun moment in life

Miwa doesn't particularly like the idea of ​​giving back because she has received support, and her support is pure and genuine, without expecting anything in return. That's why the voices of her RETO colleagues resonate with her more than those of her family, and they give her the push she needs.

"I'm really glad I joined RETO, where I have friends like that. I'm 31 now, and it's the happiest time of my life. If I hadn't joined RETO and hadn't encountered marathons, I might have met someone new, gotten married, and had children. I sometimes thought that would have made me happier, but I'm having fun now, so I guess it's okay (laughs)."

The 7th generation call of "Challenge is Success"

Before she started running marathons, she spent tens of thousands of yen on skin whitening and skincare, but now she's tanned and has short hair. People at work are often surprised, but her head nurse has started telling her more and more, "You look radiant now" and "You've become cuter." Meanwhile, while her friends' Instagram accounts increasingly feature photos of their marriages and children, Miwa only posts photos of her marathons. "There are times when I feel a bit uneasy," she says, but her mother encourages her, saying, "It's your life, so do what you like."

"Not because of that, but I think now is the time to work hard at the marathon. Whenever there's something I can work hard at, I want to do my best."

After the practice session, when taking a group photo, the call "Challenge is Success" was passed down to those who had achieved results and contributed to RETO.

Miwa is the seventh generation owner.