I Entered a Japanese Race That HANDICAPS Foreigners!

🔔 SUBSCRIBE to @RanToJapan for a new banger vid every Sunday!
📹 Check out @TempoJapan for more Japanese running content!

Jake Barraclough, aka "Ran To Japan"
⚠️ Train Harder, Not Smarter.
🇬🇧 Documenting my life ‘on the run’ in Japan!

The Japanese running scene is unlike anything you’ve seen before, and long distance relay-races, called Ekiden, are one of the most popular sports here. Now these races have some ‘interesting rules’ that only apply to foreigners, still, I was honoured to be invited to join an ekiden team… Until I found out I’d be competing against a world-class field including some Paris Olympians. But could this be the greatest underdog story ever told? Let’s find out what happens when a group of amateur runners challenge Japan’s fastest pros to a race! 🎽

[gnafen]

What a nice guy the teammate who interviewed you! Until this video I didn’t know such a thing as Ekiden existed - so cool! Thank you for great content, hope you’ll recover from this fatigue you’re experiencing!

[helendale]

Love Ekidens. I live in France and they are held pretty regularly, and there is a french championship, the format is 6 runners doing 5, 10, 5, 10, 5, 7.195 km = marathon
I think I've run one every year for the last 25 years. It's a great thing for getting a team spirit up within a club. In one Ekiden we had 5 teams from our club and spent a long time on the calculations to try and get 5 teams that would finish in the same total time, then we had great fun cheering everybody on !

[GOD-lbbz]

Another fantastic video Jake. You're making the family super proud - we love the videos and know all the work you're putting into them and the running. Your teammates seem a fantastic crew too! 😊

[TumoRuns]

My understanding is that your HR will have been low because your body isn’t repaired enough to push itself harder; it’s sort of like a self defence mechanism. Your body knows it’s cooked, so basically withdraws your ability to push really hard (I think that’s drastically oversimplifying it but the point still stands 😂 it’s the reason that when people “hit the wall” in the marathon at like mile 20 their HR drops alongside the pace, the body just can’t withstand it anymore

Still a really strong run with your recent mileage being said, but guide yourself a chance to recover where you can bud!

[vayde]

As a runner and japan fan I'm so happy I found this channel. And your personality and story telling is great, I can't help but smile every time i watch your videos! Sounds like you just need a week of maximum carbs and cross training! Eat pasta run fasta!

[TheFODRunner]

Brilliant buddy! I’m currently going through your backlog of videos along with trying to keep up with the new ones! Massive effort considering the training in your legs right now!

[stevenlay]

Can I just say as a non-elite runner, your videos are next level inspiring. Not only are your videos so fun to watch, but they share some real insight as to what it means to be a runner. Top notch stuff boss, you've got another subscriber and fan ✌️. P.S Best of luck with the recovery

[patrickclarke]

Be careful of over training i had similar symptoms and tried to push through and ended up in bad shape took me months to get back runningproperly.. look up relative energy deficiency syndrome.. and also had blood tests done and gave me some results of low testosterone low iron and low white blood cell count... a really talented ultra runner i came across recently tim olson became overtrained years ago and has never been the same since love the videos

[Nicola-sv]

Loved this video and your enthusiasm, Jake. It's great being able to see what you're up to. X

[Bendwow]

I like the concept of the relay races, definitely a different environment than a regular old marathon or half. And it looked like a fun experience getting to run the same leg against the East Africans and other foreigners.

[MonkeyShoulders]

Man your videos are so awesome. I wish you all the best for running and the channel

[ssppo]

so cool! would love to see these relay races spread globally

[georgios.a]

I just love the Ekiden concept (found out about it in “The Way of the Runner”) and it’s absolutely brilliant to see it from the inside with your videos! Really hope it catches on in Britain too- looking forward to the second one and hope you can join in too. Great videos as always, hope the fatigue fades soon

[Martin_Edmondson]

Looks like a great experience entering an Ekiden. You are fortunate for the opportunity (even if their rules are terrible!)
For the documents, you should have faxed a hand-written hanko-ed copy with a special stamp which you can only buy a specific place (in cash!) to the required place, taking care not to write the number 7 'incorrectly'. With a copy of your grandparent's birth certificates, translated by a registered translator. A copy of your tax returns or for the last 3 years, a police background check report, and photocopy of both sides of your MyNumber card.
Gotta love Japanese bureaucracy.

[ryanbeck]

Very cool experience! A common issue with people who have started running hard during the super shoe era is they are not ready for the mental burnout after marathons/half marathons. Physical fatigue used to force breaks but now it’s more of a mental call. Best of luck and hopefully you truly recover mentally for your next big race!

[Leeroy]

Yeah running for a team is really great. Ekiden races are legendary and thanks to you some more information comes out of Japan :). Just reading the book that started your journey.

[GlitchPredator]

I had special forces selection last thursday, and had to run 2.9km in 12 minutes which is very tough for me as a sprinter, but watching your videos last week gave me a lot of motivation and I've made it🎉. With 5 seconds to spare hahaha. Love the videos mate, keep it going!

[daniellekiey-thomas]

Your body went through a lot with that infection and you gave yourself no real recovery time. That’s got to have hit you hard. Hope you’re back to full strength soon. ❤

[IAmWillMcLovin]

Love these vids man, the japanese running culture looks class

[darkervx]

Congratz on the Ekiden race, hope you recover well, you did look really exhausted in your last videos.