http://mytown.asahi.com/niigata/news.php?k_id=16000001008250005 http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/kyoiku/news/20100824-OYT8T00394.htm translated and edited by Brett Larner Two-time defending Hakone Ekiden champion Toyo University 's ekiden squad arrived in Yamakoshi, Niigata on Aug. 24 for a 5-day late-summer gasshuku intensive training camp. The 60 Toyo athletes attending the camp include the team's 12-member A-squad featuring captain Hikaru Tominaga and astounding Hakone Fifth Stage uphill specialist Ryuji Kashiwabara . On the first day of the camp 13 members of the team ran a rigorous speed workout. According to assistant coach Hisashi Sato , Toyo runners will average 30-40 km a day at the camp on the rugged and hilly roads around Yamakoshi. Tominaga commented, "The gasshuku in Yamakoshi is critical to our preparations and we can't afford to slack off here. The training is tough but knowing that it's all for Hakone keeps us motivated to give it everything we have."...
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