A native of Kumamoto, Nunogami ran the Hakone Ekiden three times starting his 2nd year at Chuo University. At the 31st edition in 1955 he won the Seventh Stage, and the following year he was fastest on the Tenth Stage as well, breaking the finish line tape to give Chuo the overall victory.
After graduation Nunogami joined the Riccar corporate team. At the 1956 National Championships he beat nine-time 3000 mSC champion Susumu Takahashi to take the national title for the first time. The same year he ran a then-national record 9:04.2 in the steeplechase. At the following year's Tokyo Championships he ran 33:22.0, breaking the pre-war era NR of 33:25.0 set by Kohei Murakoso in 1936.
In 1958 Nunogami won both the 3000 mSC and 5000 m national titles and took silver in the Tokyo Asian Games 3000 mSC. He was also a member of two New Year Ekiden winning teams at the national event's second and fifth runnings.
After retiring in 1962 Nunogami became a coach, serving first at Riccar and then at Marui Imai. From 1992 to 2003 he was head coach of the Hokuren women's team, and he continued to serve as an advisor to the Chuo University long distance program.
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translated by Brett Larner
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