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Men's Corporate Team Makes to Disband After Only 4 Seasons

Real estate company Makes has announced on its team website that its men's corporate team will be disbanded at the end of March.

The team was launched in April, 2021 with the twin missions of "becoming #1 in the world in the marathon" and "getting society excited." Based in Yoga in suburban Tokyo, Makes currently has 7 athletes on its roster. Its coaching staff includes head coach Tsukasa Endo, a 1988 Seoul Olympics 10000 m runner, and assistant coaches Julius Gitahi, a 2000 Sydney Olympian in the 5000 m, and former Meiji University and Konica Minolta standout Masato Kikuchi.

Original team members included Tokai University grad Shota Onizuka, who later transferred to M&A Best Partners. Current member Ryosuke Harada took 6th at last May's East Japan Corporate Track and Field Championships, but despite success there and in other road races, Makes didn't run November's East Japan Corporate Ekiden, the regional qualifying race for the Jan. 1 New Year Ekiden national championships.

The announcement on the team website read in part, "We're very sorry that it has come to this, but we sincerely wish all our members success in their future careers. We'll respect their individual wishes about what they want to do next and do everything we can to help them in terms of transfers to other teams."


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