Leave it to the Japanese to take the quintessential individual athletic event - running - and turn it into a team sport: Voila, the “ekiden” (駅伝, relay). Unlike the 4X100M or 4X400M relays common in the west, Japanese ekiden commonly feature legs covering kilometers. Now is the season, as the most common participants (college students) are still on winter break and the weather is sufficiently horrendous to exert maximum suffering on participants and spectators alike.The most famous ekiden is held from Tokyo to Hakone and back between January 2-3, when New Years-induced catatonia still blessedly reigns, but Kumamoto has a tolerably insufferable course as well. It will begin this Sunday, 2/11, in Amakusa City and wind its way up Route 266 to its finish at the Kumanichi Building, better known as B-Puresu. Fittingly, low temps are forecast to be 0°C, highs of 5°C, and snow. Whoever survives should begin arriving there around 2:30 PM. Enjoy! https://kumanichi.com/jigyou/event/detail/301907/
In other news of athletic self-masochism, don’t forget that the Kumamoto Marathon is scheduled for February 18. Most of the local citizens who are not actually taking part enjoy lining its route to congratulate each other on their wisdom of not actually taking part and laugh at those who do. More can be read here at the link. https://this.kiji.is/333834765563102305?c=92619697908483575 - William
