http://mainichi.jp/area/gunma/news/20081113ddlk10050045000c.html translated by Mika Tokairin and Brett Larner "I want to nurture athletes who can compete on the national level." --Jobu University Head Coach Katsuhiko Hanada In qualifying for the ultimate stage in university distance running, the Hakone Ekiden, Jobu University's ekiden team, the first from Gunma Prefecture to make Hakone, has become an inspiration for high school and junior high school distance runners who hope to make it to the national level. This incredible achievement, coming less than five years since the team's establishment in 2004, is due to the leadership provided by head coach Katsuhiko Hanada (37) and to the dedication of Jobu's athletes. "I want to nurture athletes who can compete in the top class of national races," says Hanada. His team shares this dream. "Would you coach us?" In 2004, Daisuke Ono (24), the first captain of Jobu's ekiden team, send an email to...
the world's window into elite japanese distance running, since 2007