One of the things they say about the Hakone Ekiden is that the one who dominates the summer dominates Hakone. A rising power in the university ekiden world, Tokyo Kokusai University got its summer training camp off to an early start this year.
The coronavirus crisis has forced many universities to hold classes online. The TKU ekiden team took advantage of this opportunity to attend classes from afar, heading to the Sugadaira highlands of Nagano about two weeks earlier than usual to train in the cool environment there between 1300 and 1500 m altitude.
The team's athletes didn't skip out on their studies. During usual summer training they do three workouts a day, running the early morning, in the late morning, and in the afternoon. This year it's two workouts a day, one in the early morning and one in the evening. During the day they attend online classes from their wifi-equipped accommodations.
In Nagano the TKU athletes travel by team bus, avoiding public transportation. They all stay in the same residential facility. Strict protocols are in place in both the athletes' training and daily lives to prevent infection. They train only on routes where nobody else is running.
At the last Hakone Ekiden TKU had a major breakthrough, finishing 5th overall to earn a seeded spot at the next Hakone for the first time. They also qualified for October's season-opening Izumo Ekiden for the first time. But Izumo became one of many events to cancel in the face of the coronavirus crisis, eliminating TKU's ambition to become the first team to win in its debut.
Despite that setback, team members continued to put in about 30 km a day throughout summer training. "I can't say it's an ideal situation," said head coach Yuji Oshida, 58, "but we have to do what we can." From rising star to Hakone regular to powerhouse. This summer Tokyo Kokusai University has continued to put in the work it needs to make that evolution a reality.
source article:
https://hochi.news/articles/20200817-OHT1T50169.html
translated Brett Larner
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