Racing Through Pain and Pride: My Okutama Ekiden Experience with Namban Rengo

Running up hill for seven kilometres was brutal, but carrying the team’s sash made me race like my life depended on it.

And we're off!

Four Weeks Post Ankle Injury And Somehow Lining Up For Ekiden

Exactly four weeks after absolutely fcking up my ankle in a 35 km five-hour trail race in Nikko, I found myself preparing to race the Okutama Ekiden. My ankle wasn’t fully recovered and I’d barely run in the last month, but I’d committed to this race ages ago, so I wasn’t pulling out.

I will point out that my ankle was feeling good enough to run and I wasn't just being a reckless boy making the decision to race lol.

Originally I was slotted into Kaminari, our second-fastest Namban Rengo team. But when someone in the top team got injured, I got bumped up into the A-team (aka X-Force) where the average 5 km time is 16 minutes flat. Mine is… not that. I told our coach/manager it didn’t feel right and moved to the middle team, Honoo, where the median 5 km time is around 17.30. Given my ankle and lack of training, that felt right. Competitive, but not stupid.

Honoo Team LFG

Mountains, Hikes, and Questionable “Rest Days”

The last few weeks had basically been Sebby and I rehabbing my ankle with short and slow runs during the week, and on the weekends heading into the mountains for some hiking. Two weekends before the race we did a 18 km hike from Mitake Station to Okutama Station. The day before Ekiden, we smashed out another 18 km loop around Mount Takao. In hindsight, maybe not ideal race prep. But it was what it was.

Race morning, I woke at 5am, caught the 6:30 train from Koenji to Ome, grabbed my singlet and bib (Team 34, Leg 2), pinned everything on, and started mentally preparing for what everyone kept calling the hardest leg of the race.

Namban team pre-race brief

What Makes Ekiden Ekiden

Ekiden races in Japan are legendary. They’re relay races where each runner carries a sash called a tasuki. The Okutama Ekiden isn’t Hakone-level famous, but it’s still massive. Nearly two hundred men’s teams. Controlled chaos in the best way.

My leg was 8.4 km: half a kilometre downhill, half a kilometre flat, and then seven kilometres straight up hill - excellent. Exactly what you want when you’ve barely run in six weeks lol.

Sebastian came along to support, which I loved. Being part of a team is great, but having him there felt like we’re on our own little undercover mission inside the bigger action.

The Sash Changes Everything

Around 10am I warmed up, did some strides, stripped down in the cold, and waited for Ari to smash through Leg 1. People kept telling me to “protect the ankle.” I nodded. "Yeah, yeah, we'll see what happens".

The second that tasuki sash went around my body, something in me flipped. I felt the weight. Not nerves. Not pressure. The weight of responsibility.

That tiny strip of fabric represents your whole team. Drop it and you’re done. Carry it and you’re carrying every single one of the boys. Carry it and you're carrying the hopes and dreams of your team. I felt that deeply.

So when I took off, I wasn’t jogging. I wasn’t “seeing how my ankle felt.” I was racing for the boys and I was absolutely fkn flying.

The Hardest 8.4 Kilometres Of The Year

I let the legs go on the downhill, overtook a few runners, settled into 3:30 pace on the flat, and then the climb hit. That 7km grind was vicious. I had the taste of blood in my mouth. My heartrate had skyrocketed. I was very aware that I hadn’t run properly since the Nikko race.

Inside my head, I kept repeating “it’s all in the mind”, it’s all in the mind, it’s all in the mind”. I tried to relax my body and focus on high cadence.

At the 5km mark I came through around 17:40, which blew my mind considering the climb. Only 3ks left. I told myself to hold on and refused to even think about slowing down or easing up. Every time the idea entered my mind, I killed it instantly. Not with the sash on me. Not today baby.

The final 200 metres were disgusting. Steep, painful, everything burning. My mind begging to stop. My body screaming LET'S GET THIS SHIT DONE SON!

When I saw Antonio, I ripped the sash off and slapped it into his hand. Job done. I was literally wrecked.

That effort was one of the hardest I’ve done in the last decade. And that’s saying something considering this year alone I ran a five-hour mountain race in Nikko and a two-hour 21km Spartan race in 38-degree heat. But this was different. This was done as part of a team.

Post-Race Buzz and Yakiniku Heaven

Afterward, Sebastian and I debriefed like two inside men after a secret mission. Ate some snacks. Talked future races. Felt that shared excitement.

We packed onto the train with hundreds of runners back to Ome, celebrated with the Namban Rengo crew, and cheered on the women’s team who came third overall in their Ekiden. Massive achievement!!

Then Sebastian and I wrapped up the day with an all-you-can-eat yakiniku dinner. Ate way too much. No regrets. Absolutely deserved.

The boys got busy

Already Excited For The Next One

What an experience. Sensational but so very brutal. Everything an Ekiden should be. And now I can’t wait for Shibuya Ekiden in January 2026.

Namban Rengo, let’s fkn go!

Undercover mission inside the bigger action :)