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00:00:01
Anna Dingley
180 Plays5 months ago
Anna Dingley is the founder of the inaugural FT Nikkei UK Ekiden race which will take place on Monday 24th June. The race will follow an iconic, 76-mile route from Oxford to Windsor along the Thames Path. 19 teams of 10 runners will compete in the long-distance relay wearing the traditional tasuki sash instead of using a baton.
Michelle chats with Anna all about the event, Anna explains about the traditions and the history of the Ekiden, and about the challenges of organising a long point to point relay race.
The UK Ekiden is happening for the first time on Monday 24th June.
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Transcript
Introduction to Anna Dingley and UK Echidom
00:00:00
ukrunchat
Welcome to this episode of the UK Run Chat podcast. Today, we're joined by Anna Dingley, who's the founder of the UK Echidom. On Monday, the 24th of June, the Thames Valley will be host to the UK Echidom, a popular Japanese relay race where teams of runners compete in a long distance relay wearing a traditional sash instead of using a baton.
What is Ekiden?
00:00:22
ukrunchat
And that is as much as I know about it. So I'm going to hand over to Anna now. el and tell us all about the tradition. Hi, Anna.
00:00:31
Anna
Hi there, thank you very much for inviting us and to join you invite you me to join you.
00:00:36
ukrunchat
Yeah, it's it's good to have you on. I love hearing about different running cultures. So just tell us a little bit about Echid and I have said that correctly, haven't I?
00:00:46
Anna
You have, you have, that's perfect. And yeah, your introduction there was just, was great too because it's, I guess one of the whole objectives of having a UK ekiden is to help let more people find out about the word ekiden and find out about what it means and the culture in Japan. So it's perfect that we're reaching people like you who don't know anything about it yet. But I think you will.
00:01:07
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:01:08
Anna
And I think that um over the next few years, you know, I think it will be a word that I think people in England will know a bit like they've learned things like sushi and karaoke and and the more recently things like umami in the sort of food world but i think it's going to be another japanese word that people in the uk know
00:01:28
ukrunchat
Yeah. but So tell us about Echiden then. What is it?
00:01:32
Anna
Okay, so um in the running work, essentially it's a long distance or usually it's a long distance relay race. And instead of passing over a baton, you pass over as a tasaki sash. You have a sash, which you pass over to the next person and they run it. So the sash takes the whole journey like a baton would over with us. um the The sort of the culture and the interesting aspects of it come from the sort of origins of a tasaki. It's original originally around the, um a postal route. So eki actually means station, even if you're just like a normal ah train station now. But in the olden days, um it was a postal station. So you would leave a message at ah at a post as an eki. And the next person would pass the message on a bit like when the original marathon was about trying to tell somebody about the battle. They ran the whole 26 miles by themselves. But for an eki den, they'd have a limited amount of distance and they get the message there faster. Because den
00:02:30
Anna
is a word to convey or to give a message.
The Hakone Ekiden and its Significance
00:02:33
Anna
So Eki-den is pass is a station to pass the message on. And that was how the original word started. But then in about, so so the originally started then having Eki-den races um to commemorate, you know, a long time ago could commemorate when the um the capital of Japan moved to Tokyo. And I think they launch they launched a first Eki-den from the, ancient ah city of Kyoto, which is beautiful, and I used to live there, um along one of the traditional post routes to Tokyo. And then 100 years ago, or just over 100 years ago, so about sort of when the Tour de France and things like this were starting in France and people were looking at sort of quite big events, somebody in Japan decided decideded that they would launch a Hakone Ekiden. And the Hakone Ekiden, Hakone is the region in tokyo in Japan, sorry, where Mount Fuji is.
00:03:24
Anna
And it's relatively near to Tokyo. It's about 100 kilometers away. And so from central Tokyo, if you look out, you can see Mount Fuji. It's a beautiful, obviously iconic image of Japan, and then but not not too far away. But this race um started from central Tokyo to Mount Fuji on day one and then back on day two. And it started um just over 100 years ago. and um and's just has grown and grown and sort of really captured the hearts and minds of the Japanese nation and actually lots of c celebrates lots of people who are involved in running around the world um because it it's a it's really captivating. it's a it's a group It's only for university students.
00:04:07
Anna
which is why it was very important for us to have university students in our year one and we want to build on this a lot. I'd say another comparison is a bit like the the british like the rope the the boat race we've got in England. So we've got a university famous sporting tradition that's continued for hundred for ah over 100 years actually. but the Ekiden um has got this. The University's from the Tokyo region of Japan and every year on the 2nd and 3rd of January, which is a bit like Boxing Day for us, it's that their main chris i mean family celebration is on New Year's Day and the day after, so people are sitting around at home with their families watching telly and they watch the rate these racers, incredible young runners who start from Tokyo
00:04:53
Anna
and run out to Mount Fuji and then run back again. And ah it's the most watched television program in Japan.
Establishing Ekiden in the UK
00:05:00
Anna
If you ask any Japanese person, if they watch the Hakone Ekiden, they'll usually say yes. And if they say no, they've probably got a reason for it. um But last year, it was their 100th event.
00:05:08
ukrunchat
Thank
00:05:11
Anna
In fact, like when I was just looking for that book, to for the book to show you, i this is the catalog that I got when i I went to watch it this year.
00:05:14
ukrunchat
you.
00:05:18
Anna
um on the On the second and third and it was so exciting actually to get there um but ah so so yeah, millions of people root um line the streets to watch it and luck But last year when I'd heard that the Echiden was celebrating its hundredth event So there's a couple of years where they couldn't do it, which is why it started over a hundred years ago But but this year was its hundredth event. I said that is Amazing. It's incredibly inspiring. It's amazing. Isn't it to think of a running race going on a hundred times?
00:05:50
Anna
And I thought, wouldn't it be great if we could hold an ekiden in the UK to show how impressed we are that Japan has managed to do it a hundred times um to sort of celebrate the sport of running and have an event that starts launching a sort of ah a bit more of a focus. I think theres yeah there's ah we've got some incredibly talented university runners and the you know people who are getting into the Olympics and people who might be taking part in the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next year. So a great way for them to find out a little bit more about about Japan too. But I thought, wouldn't it be great to so launch an event, shine a line a little bit more on our amazing running talent at university level and and beyond.
00:06:31
Anna
um And then also use it as a great bridge to um sort of bond the UK and Japan ever more. We've already got brilliant um relationship in lots of different levels with Japan. um But that was also important to me because I've i've spent my whole life working with Japan. so But it's yeah it's a great way that sport can connect lots of different cultures actually and make everybody have something really positive to focus on. That's what I've really enjoyed about it actually.
00:06:56
ukrunchat
Yeah, it sounds like a really fun inclusive event in terms of, and so you know, just getting students together to to have a fun day out really.
00:07:01
Anna
Yeah.
00:07:06
Anna
Yeah, although I do have to tell, I do find myself telling people this is more a race than
00:07:07
ukrunchat
and
Planning and Challenges
00:07:12
Anna
a fun run.
00:07:12
Anna
It's not a fun run.
00:07:13
ukrunchat
Okay, yeah.
00:07:14
Anna
In Japan it is super, super elite and competitive.
00:07:17
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:07:19
Anna
And so, but there are ecudens all around Japan, like there's little school ones, a little group ones, and we were trying to encourage lots of schools to have a little ecuden on the same day, um which I think some might, but it's a big project for next year. But ah But, so so some of them ah are more informal, but this particular Hakone Ekiden, it's like the Tour de France.
00:07:38
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:07:39
Anna
So it's like saying, oh, I want, so we'd go and talk to people and say, oh yeah, would you be interested in taking part?
00:07:40
ukrunchat
Wow.
00:07:44
Anna
um And it's like saying, oh yeah, I'd like to ride in the Tour de France. I mean, a lot of people would probably want to ride in the Tour de France, but it takes a lot of effort to get there.
00:07:52
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:07:52
Anna
And in Japan, to to actually run in the Hakone Ekiden. they've been training since yeah high school, you know, or even, but you know, people know which schools the students have gone for and where where they've been, how you know, where they're running history is, but it's high school level, it's secondary school, it's really sweet, it's really, you know, right right from that from that sort of young age.
00:08:15
ukrunchat
So is it almost like a rite of passage for a gentleman?
00:08:17
Anna
I think so, yeah, I mean, it but it's, and then it's a sort of big peak quite early on, I mean, to have so to be a Japanese person and say, you've run in the Hakone Akiden,
00:08:23
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:08:26
Anna
is incredible. so you know It's like getting a gold medal at the Olympics, I think.
00:08:27
ukrunchat
yeah
00:08:30
Anna
you know and so um But people watch it. it's in and And what's interesting is it's a big team event. So people might not know the names of all of the runners either, but they know the teams a bit, again, or a bit like the boat race here or a bit like which team is running the Tour de France.
00:08:43
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:08:46
Anna
People know the teams and they go and support their teams for years on end and years and years and years. And so that heritage also continues through.
00:08:56
ukrunchat
Yeah, so just before we get into the UK, Akidan, just can you just share a bit about your own background, how you became so interested in in Japan and the ruling
00:08:59
Anna
yeah
00:09:04
Anna
yeah Yeah, so so um so I studied Japanese at university in Sheffield. I did Japanese and business a long time ago now in the 90s. And that was just because I always have been interested in learning different languages um and and different are learning about different cultures. And I wanted to write a different alphabet and things. And then I didn't really know, I don't think anybody knows at 18 what they're going to be doing, but learning Japanese has been amazing for me because it there's been a real door opener into lots of different types of of jobs. And I suppose from my point of view, I like having that variety and understanding um
00:09:43
Anna
you know having those different types of opportunities but so I didn't really realise it at the time I don't think but it's led to 30 years of history of working with Japan and it's either been in I say it's sort of people government and finance in a way so I have worked on um I managed the UK Pavilion at the Big World Expo that was in 2005 and there's another expo in Japan coming up next year. um I helped small companies set up in Japan in the computer gaming industry and then helped Japanese companies set up here in sort of telecoms and things and then I was helping Japanese companies with their overseas investor relations so I was working a lot more in the finance world and helping investors invest in Japan
00:10:24
Anna
And, um but I would always help people get a job as well. There's a lot of, there's quite, there's a really big UK, Japan community, British people who've lived and worked out there or Japanese people here. And actually this ekiden is a great way to um showcase that really. I think people don't quite realise quite how strong the links are. and um when my husband said, lots of people are saying, wow, these ideas come about very quickly. And it and it has in the way that this last year has has really ballooned, but my husband says I've been talking about doing something
Race Route and Logistics
00:10:55
Anna
like this for years. And that is probably true. About 10 years ago, I did, I cycled Land's End to John O'Groats. And I remember but with the Ride Across Britain, the threshold team, and I, um
00:11:07
Anna
I remember being in Land's End and people had sort of sony cameras they'd driven down in a Toyota or that you know there were lots of Japanese products around in Cornwall and Land's End and you cycle all the way up and it was beautiful seeing all the scenery and then you get to the top and ah I remember seeing a Komatsu digger and ah thinking you know Japan is always was right the way up at the top too and wouldn't it be great if more people could see this but you know not many it's just logistically it's and but for lots of reasons it's hard for everybody to do a ride across Britain so I've always think wouldn't it be great to have a sort of relay version and I think that was in the back of my mind and then when I heard about Hakone Ekiden having their hunt celebrating their hundredth event I thought that is actually the catalyst you know why don't we then use that and actually we don't need ah it's not a bike ride it's a run we need to organize the
00:11:58
Anna
UK Echidan. There have been echidans in the UK, there's a few there's a few community and sort of regional ones that have been happening with other people who've got links to Japan but the Hakone Echidan is iconic, it is this incredibly, I asked lots of people when we were planning it what makes it so special, like why do you think everybody watches it and some of the reasons include things like you know it's going to Mount Fuji which is such a special place for Japan
00:12:07
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:12:25
Anna
um you know ah The timing and the time of year is also very important, but you're you're seeing this wonderful blue beautiful race, you're finishing Mount Fuji, you're going up to see the shrine in Hakone. And so for art for the yeah UK, Yekiden, they wanted to have this iconic route and something that was really special. and um also something that we could get off the ground quite quickly. And in Japan, you might know, but it's like it's a road race. So the Hakone Ekiden is mainly on road.
00:12:51
ukrunchat
Right.
00:12:52
Anna
That's why their times are so fast. And it's all closed roads. Imagine closing, it's a bit like yeah matt marathon or ride London. They close all the streets. so it's and And they've got put out police outriders. It's very exciting to see. um But we couldn't do that in time for this year. If we wanted to hold on this year, which we did, um because I wanted to hold it in the year that Akane celebrated its 100th. We've had to do it on on a path, but actually it's perfect.
00:13:19
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:13:20
Anna
I mean, it does mean that we won't have as much TV coverage, I don't think, but I think the runners will love it. And it's very iconic.
Team Formation and Cultural Connections
00:13:27
Anna
Shall I explain the route? like mean
00:13:28
ukrunchat
Yeah, please explain the ricks. It's on the Thames path, isn't it?
00:13:31
Anna
Yeah, yeah.
00:13:32
ukrunchat
Right.
00:13:32
Anna
but so so the so um So the Thames path from Oxford to Windsor is just over a hundred kilometres. It's about 120 or so, especially with the diversions now. It was 117.
00:13:45
Anna
So it's about the same distance as the first day. In Japan, they would go there and come back. but we We're just doing it one way this time. um But the reason that it's Oxford and Windsor, so we've got the perfect distance, We've got this book that the emperor wrote, it's called The Thames and I. So the Japanese emperor wrote, he he studied at Oxford for two years and in the 90s.
00:14:04
ukrunchat
yeah
00:14:06
Anna
And ah his research and his dissertation was into the Thames and transport systems on the Thames. So all of the runners will see the locks that he was looking at and really enjoyed studying about so and and the emperor and the empress studied at Oxford. So they've got this wonderful link to Oxford and to the Thames because of his book and his research and of course our royal family are based in Windsor.
00:14:30
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:14:30
Anna
So the route itself links Japan and the UK as well and it's just at the right distance and it's it's beautiful you know it's close to London several people were saying why don't you just do a relay around some of the London um bridges but I think we needed we needed something more exciting than that and I mean it has been a challenge and these point to point relays are quite complex so we've there's been a lot of people working to try and make sure that we can get this to work but I've run the whole route myself now just over the last couple of months checking it was dry enough and it's stunning you know it's stunning it's really beautiful so I think people getting out there will actually you know a lot of Japanese people will see the Thames path which that their Emperor loved that they'll see some beautiful parts of the English countryside
00:15:18
Anna
and um yeah i think i hope and then we finish in Windsor just opposite the castle and it's just stunning you come around the corner in fact i found this picture i went i was just checking out i don't know if you can see this this is the view you get of Windsor castle at the end it's from the brocass it's just stunning so so i hope that everyone's going to love it
00:15:42
ukrunchat
Yeah. So tell us about how you've kind of gone and found teams to compete in it then. How how has that process been?
00:15:50
Anna
so so we start so yeah it yeah it started off um about this time in fact it was probably a little bit later it was yeah i think i launched the website about this time last year but then Sadly, my mother was very, very, very ill and my mum died. And it was awful, obviously. And so it took a real start. I sort of stopped doing everything, but I think it did give me one, it made it important. My mum was all about trying to win enjoy everything you've got and enjoy to enjoy life and make sure that you know, do the do do lots of fun things.
00:16:24
Anna
and uh so i i took a bit of a break planning it but it was in about august i remember starting to email back out to people said look we're trying to get this race up and running it will be really good to get people people will love it and uh i think like lots of things you find some people who are quite cautious and think how are you going to do it by next year and how is it really you know the academic hack on the academic huge you can't do that but then a few people um started to support the idea like magic angels from above and one was a charity called um the Momiji charity which is a charity in the UK that again helps provide links between the Japan and the UK and they
00:16:57
ukrunchat
Thank you.
00:17:06
Anna
set up a Children's Hospice, a bit like there's there's one here called Helen and Douglas House, which they were inspired by and set up a Children's Hospice in in Japan. um that char Somebody from that charity called Oscar, he was saying, well, rather than just going out to companies, um for sponsorship we should also apply for grants so sorry this is to answer your question about the teams so we needed we needed to get some we knew we needed the universities and we knew we needed to get some funding and that would come from companies and then we knew that we as in we it was mainly just me and Oscar actually but i also wanted to get um the to show that you get different people involved from the Japan UK community
00:17:27
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:17:46
Anna
So, but the first thing was we had to start getting some funding. So Oscar from Momiji Charity helped us get, applied for some grants. And we applied for one with the Diowa Foundation, which is another foundation between Japan and the UK, and they supported us. And then, um So on the on the corporate side. And then we had a sort of groundbreaking moment. I'd gone to Japan to see the Ekiden and in the 100th. And I met up with a friend of mine, Leo Lewis, who's the Japan correspondent for the FT.
00:18:17
Anna
And there a lot of their readership are really keen runners, and the FT is now owned by a Japanese company called the Nikkei newspaper group.
00:18:20
ukrunchat
Yes.
00:18:24
Anna
And back to my earlier point about echidens originally meaning converting conveying a message and passing on the message and passing on the news. So there's this great link between newspapers and echidens. And in Japan, the Hakone echidens, sponsored by a very big newspaper, and And I went to speak to John Ridding, who's the CEO of the FT, and he's just been incredibly supportive right from then. That was early February. We met on the 6th of February, and Leo had introduced me to him. And he realised there was a great fit, it was a great idea, and and it really
00:18:57
Anna
sort of spoke to I think what they were trying to do within the company too of highlighting these links using sport as a really positive um movement and sort of focus and so I was just talking to as many companies as I could and we and so the Anika NFT came on as our founding partner and the we've got six other founding partners and they have come they've come on and they're bringing on teams. And they' usually they're companies who've got links with Japan and the UK, so it's usually of the team of half of their Japanese staff, half of English staff.
00:19:32
Anna
um and some international ones and then eventually I'd also had a sort of what I called um advisory board people who like some businessmen or some people really in the running industry who knew what they were talking about and ah one of them a guy called Noel that noel Thatcher who's a British Paralympian gold medal is five times ah Paralympian and and also speak fluent Japanese and worked a lot with Japan. He recommended I check out Matt. I listened to the Sunday podcast where Matt said, that Matt Seddon does, and he's the Oxford coach.
00:20:06
Anna
And he, I had been emailing with a few people helping me, emailing all the universities saying, why don't you take part in the UK equity?
00:20:10
ukrunchat
Thank
00:20:12
Anna
Why don't you take part in the UK equity? Because you probably know much more than me. They're very busy. All these runners are very busy and they've got their exams, they've got everything else on, but Matt really helped bring in some more university runners. And then the community teams, so we've got the company teams who have been funding it. We've got the university teams, sorry, the universities who we hope will be the sort of heart going forward and we can grow that and that's through math.
00:20:31
ukrunchat
you.
00:20:37
Anna
And then we've got the community teams that um we've got a Japanese, there's a group of Japanese runners, a lot of some of them flying over from Japan for it, called the team Parry Marathon, Paris Marathon. They are usually tape tokyo ex ah but Japanese expats in London, but they can never get a place in the London Marathon. So they always have to go to Paris. So they call themselves, even though they're based in London, they call themselves Team Paris Marathon.
00:20:58
ukrunchat
um no
00:21:02
Anna
but um But they are in it. Then there's a sort of reverse of that. There's lots of British people who used to live in Japan and they were in a running club called Namban Rengo. and they're a running team. We've got the Royal Air Force, because the Royal Air Force do a lot of work with Japan now. We've got a group um called ah the JET Alumni. So JET is a japanese is ah teaching scheme.
00:21:21
Anna
A lot of British people go out and teach English in Japan, but they and that's what I did initially. And I was down in a place called Kagoshima, which is down in the bottom of Kyushu Island, the southern island. But these English people, they're all over Japan. So they really know rural Japan and will know the culture. um which is another fun group. We've got the Henley Rowing Club runners because they know the route very well and and the route comes through Henley.
00:21:21
ukrunchat
Oh, no.
00:21:44
ukrunchat
and
00:21:46
Anna
um So we've got a really fun group of sort of this community side and sort of serious runners within that. We've got the universities and then the companies.
00:21:56
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:21:57
Anna
That's that's the teams.
00:21:57
ukrunchat
bluly Yeah.
00:21:59
Anna
so
00:21:59
ukrunchat
So how, how many people are in a team that, and how far are they running each on the relay?
00:22:05
Anna
And so it it was originally going to be, well, it's definitely 10 people per team.
00:22:11
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:22:11
Anna
And the the legs range from being, the legs were around 10K each, but some are a little bit more and some are a little bit less, depending on where we could locate the handover points. But that's basically it. And it so it starts at Oxford. do Do you know the Thames Path at all? Have you ever run it?
00:22:30
ukrunchat
I have never been. I've heard about that there are some long races that take part on that take part on the i thought that.
00:22:36
Anna
there are yeah yeah there's the ultras okay okay you'll have to yeah where are you based where are you
00:22:38
ukrunchat
I've never actually been down there. No. and I would like to go and visit. Yeah, that's beautiful. I'm based in Greater Manchester.
00:22:47
Anna
okay okay um but i mean one year i do think you know it would be fun a bit like the tour de france if it can move around but having said that it's a huge amount of work to get the locations right and this one you know but uh but i think it's it's definitely possible but um but yeah it's worth doing so it goes the Thames wiggles quite a bit but it's Oxford Abingdon Wallingford there's a place then it goes to Goring um
00:22:48
ukrunchat
yeah
00:22:54
ukrunchat
Yeah. Yeah.
00:23:13
Anna
ah There's a place in between Wallingford and um at and Abingdon called Little Wittenham, which goes up a big hill. So we're calling that the yeah UK Echidan Fuji. And then it goes through to Reading, Sonding, Henley, Marlow, Maidenhead, london Windsor. i So it's a yeah it's a lovely lovely leg, lovely route.
00:23:28
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:23:31
ukrunchat
yeah So how does the logistics of the team doing the relay work? How how does that work? Because you obviously have to have runners at every point, don't you wait in to take?
00:23:41
Anna
Yeah, so for this one, we've we're working with a company um that Threshold actually introduced, we're working with a company called Pi Passion in Events, who again are more of a cyclist company by background, but they um
00:23:42
ukrunchat
ah
00:23:54
Anna
I hope they don't regret it, but they took on the project to help to work on the logistics and the operational side. um Because it's all a very small operation sort of running getting this going. And we've got a lot um yeah i was gonna say a lot of people ah people who've been working part time helping me at different hours. it's you know There's a great team on the sort of organizing side as well as the teams of runners. um But pie in the end, so they were looking at different options and should we have mini buses per teams and how should we do it? But in the end, we've got coaches. So we've got pickup points and coaches just to try and make sure that we can get everybody leaving from there. There's a lot of people starting and coming to Oxford and then the pickup points are from Reading and drop people off along the route and pick up runners once they finished and then we'll take them to the finish.
00:24:40
ukrunchat
Yeah. Oh, that's good. I will hopefully.
00:24:41
Anna
and so it's And then there's the usual things with the luggage drops and bags like that.
00:24:44
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:24:45
Anna
um but it So it's it's a logistical challenge. It really
Logistics Implementation and Cultural Elements
00:24:49
Anna
is. um But I think they've cracked it. I think we've i think we'll we'll get there.
00:24:51
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:24:53
Anna
There might be some tweaks in future years. As I say, in in the Hakone Ekiden, the roads are closed. It really is it's like the Tour de France as far as each team has got a mini bus following behind it and bringing them water when they need it and fueling and we just can't do that at the moment so we're telling um you know we'll yeah there's a limited amount but what but that's okay it's year one we've said you know we're learning a lot we'll learn a lot the teams will we'll hopefully still enjoy it and love it and want to come back for more
00:25:17
ukrunchat
Thanks.
00:25:24
Anna
and um And I think that, you know, we will get some good coverage for the university runners, which will make other university runners want to maybe do it next year. We've got some fun prizes. That was another thing I got to show you. um Sorry. ah We've got, I don't know if you can see, can you see this glass? It's a um it's a beautiful glass, anyway, Japanese craftsmanship, but it's got Mount Fuji in the bottom of it.
00:25:50
ukrunchat
Okay, yeah, ah quite see clearly on the video.
00:25:51
Anna
in the No, no, I'll send it i'll send you a photo.
00:25:55
ukrunchat
and Yeah, it' send us a photograph of it and we'll share it follow and us.
00:25:56
Anna
You can put it on the show.
00:25:59
Anna
Yeah, yeah.
00:26:00
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:26:01
Anna
um Yeah, so the logistics, you were saying, the logistics are are difficult, but um we hope we'll get there. I'm going to get everybody to the end for the finish line. and
00:26:12
ukrunchat
So this is your kind of, is this your first kind of try at organizing a running event? It's like, you know, it's
00:26:18
Anna
Yeah.
00:26:19
ukrunchat
It's quite a challenging one to start with, isn't it?
00:26:23
Anna
yeah it has been it has been you need believers alongside you to get something like this going um yeah it has been pretty challenging i mean i've organized a lot of i've done my own challenges and things in the past when i when i left after living in japan i traveled back from japan when you're still on the trans iberian express and i remember i do think that this the most sort of
00:26:25
ukrunchat
yeah
00:26:30
ukrunchat
yeah
00:26:49
Anna
that That was very complicated, getting visas for the right places. I was actually moving house, like organizing a lot of my own, let alone the travel, but the logistics, and the moving, and the visas, and the tickets, and everything. And I remember thinking that was a big project, but this has been a big project.
00:27:07
ukrunchat
Well, hopefully it all goes smoothly. So it's happening on Monday the 24th.
00:27:11
Anna
Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah next a few days' time, and the weather forecast.
00:27:13
ukrunchat
where can pete Can people come down and watch? Can people see it online anywhere?
00:27:18
Anna
So we're going to have some video, I don't think it's going to be live online.
00:27:18
ukrunchat
How can we see it? Yeah.
00:27:21
Anna
We just cut but we will have some videos soon soon afterwards.
00:27:22
ukrunchat
yeah
00:27:26
Anna
But yes, if people go to the website, www.ukekidin.com and go to the race information and you can look there exactly where the route is. We've got all the details of the routes alongside and people can go along and cheer. And in Japanese, when you're cheering on for these things or cheering on anything, you say, gambatte, which is the equivalent of saying, good luck. So people who know it can shout gambatte, but yeah, it's going to be good.
00:27:47
ukrunchat
I'm about to go on like that.
00:27:49
Anna
But it's also, it's um another really important thing to point out is, you know, these that there's only, there'll be um about, it's probably actually just 18 now, but 18 teams. And so there's only 18 individual runners going along. You know, it's not a big, 10K or marathon to watch. It's individual, so on our the backs of the t-shirts for the staff, we've got, you know, run by yourself, but never alone. This is, and people are often running by themselves um and in an ekiden, but, you know, they might see a few other people in the other teams around them, but they're trying to get there to pass the tasaki over to their teammates.
00:28:17
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:28:26
Anna
um So it's quite a different sort of psycho like psychology, I think. and yeah There's a few interesting articles out there saying, you know, because you you don't know if sometimes you're you're being chased, you don't know how quite far behind they are, and you're desperately trying to get there so that your teammate can carry the tasaki through. So it's quite a different type of psychology rather than sort of traveling along in a fun run.
00:28:47
ukrunchat
Yeah, it is because it is a team event, isn't it?
00:28:48
Anna
um
00:28:50
ukrunchat
But yeah, like you said, i've never thought about that. You are just running on your own and you've just got to go as fast as you possibly can.
00:28:56
Anna
Yeah, and so a lot of the time, so we had, um if you've read Darren and Finn's book called ah The Way of the Runner, you know, he he wrote, um you know, Running with Kenyans, but then I think after that, it was one, I think it was on after that, he wrote um The Way of the Runner.
00:28:56
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:29:04
ukrunchat
Yeah. Yeah.
00:29:11
Anna
And he was saying, he came to give a speak, talk to everybody at our briefing in May, all of the different runners, we had um got them together. And You know, it's that sense of responsibility, which in Japan is very, very strong, or anyway, but that responsibility and relying on your team and performing for your team and, you know, you just desperately want to get there.
00:29:24
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:29:30
Anna
So people in a normal race, if it's just themselves, they might think, oh, I'm a bit tired, I'll have a bit of a, I'll take it easy. But I think when you've got your team, that sense of team, you really want to get there for them. And in Japan, you know, these teams, as I mentioned, you know, they've been training together maybe not since primary school, but almost in secondary school and then university.
00:29:42
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:29:50
Anna
So they've got this incredibly strong team bond. And yesterday, that we just had a message, good luck message sent to us from coach Hara, he's called Hara-san, Hara-kantoku, who is the coach for the winning team this year from Aoyama University, Aoyama Yakuin. They won the 100th event. And he sent us this amazing, amazing, good luck message. And at the end of the message, he gets, he he's wearing a tasuki and he says, you know, I'm delighted that the UK is having nekiden and I'm going to pass this over to you. And he passes us his tasuki at the end of the of the video, which is just, so we're posting that today on our Instagram and everything, but it's the Japanese sort of support for it has been immense. It's so amazing. And I'm not sure if you're aware, but the, the, the emperor of Japan arrives in the UK this Saturday.
Future of UK Ekiden and Cultural Insights
00:30:39
Anna
So the emperor and empress will be in the UK when the first inaugural UK ecumen happens, which is another lovely thing we can commemorate in the future.
00:30:39
ukrunchat
but
00:30:48
ukrunchat
Yeah, oh, that's fantastic. So, I mean, how do you see the future of the UK academic evolving? I know you haven't had your first race yet, but kind of what's, what are your thoughts for how it's going to evolve?
00:31:01
Anna
So I think it can evolve in lots of different ways. um And we'll talk with our founding partners and our headline sponsors, the FT and the Nikkei, quite intensively, I think about how you know whats how they want to be involved or how they want to develop it too. But the way I see it potentially is we have two divisions. here We can definitely have the university division first and then the another. So we can either just start with the same event and the same same location. um
00:31:32
Anna
but having different divisions, i just the university teams and see if we can get more university teams, that's a really key. point and then other companies because the companies have all just loved getting involved and getting their teams involved and going out for training runs. So that's one obvious way, you know, we could eventually start moving towards finding a route where we can do it in the Japanese style, which is closing roads and having it more along a road. um Or we look at like we were touched on earlier, perhaps moving it around the UK and having different locations that way. but um
00:32:05
Anna
So yeah, but I think it's ah it's still, a yeah, that's going to, we've got to get over our first event first and make sure that we can have a success and that everybody wants to be involved to continue.
00:32:11
ukrunchat
Yeah. Yeah.
00:32:18
Anna
But that, you know, people like you have been interested in it, which is a great thing. You know, you know people I think are looking aren't they at new different running formats at the moment and and and relays as well have come in and people have been quite interested in how that could work.
00:32:26
ukrunchat
yeah
00:32:32
Anna
Have you ever done a relay?
00:32:34
ukrunchat
Um, I have done the Thunder Run, which is kind of a looped relay in Staffordshire, I think it is.
00:32:37
Anna
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:32:41
ukrunchat
Um, so that's a team event of eight people and they're six mile loops, I think.
00:32:41
Anna
Okay.
00:32:44
Anna
Okay. Okay.
00:32:47
ukrunchat
So you can just kind of, you know, pass on to a teammate.
00:32:50
Anna
Yeah. Was that fun?
00:32:51
ukrunchat
Yeah. Just take it in turn. It was fun, but I wouldn't say the nighttime runs were particularly fun. Uh, but yeah, it's, it's a really nice camaraderie actually to be part of a team and
00:32:55
Anna
Yeah. Okay.
00:33:00
Anna
Yes.
00:33:01
ukrunchat
to cheer your team runners coming back in and, you know, help them out, you know, get a cup of tea out for them when they come back.
00:33:01
Anna
Yeah.
00:33:04
Anna
Yes. Yes.
00:33:09
Anna
yeah yeah that's nice isn't it yeah that's good yes yes yeah i think some will be um
00:33:10
ukrunchat
But yeah, I really enjoyed that experience. So yeah, be interested to hear the feedback from and your participants once they're done. So do let us know how it goes.
00:33:25
Anna
Yeah, I hope that they have we've tried to encourage them to get to know the route and to go along just because there's some areas you know it's a Thames path there are gates that they've got to get through there are areas where um you know they might feel a bit uncertain we're putting out signs as much as we can and we are going to have volunteer marshals out but not
00:33:31
ukrunchat
Yeah. Yeah.
00:33:45
ukrunchat
yeah
00:33:46
Anna
it's ah it's a it's a you know nearly an 80 mile route so they're not going to be everywhere and we've tried to encourage people to make sure they're familiar with their legs um to make sure that they they don't feel lost on the day and we've got Japanese snacks at the handover points so that they can they can ah
00:33:59
ukrunchat
Yeah. Yeah. yeah
00:34:05
ukrunchat
And what have you got? What does a Japanese runner traditionally fuel on then?
00:34:09
Anna
That's a good point. there's a lot what what i wanted to but There's a lot of rice cakes um and there's a particular nice...
00:34:14
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:34:19
Anna
I don't know if you've ever if you had the sort of sweet rice paste. It's called mochi.
00:34:25
ukrunchat
caught Right.
00:34:26
Anna
It's where the rice is is bad. it's a bit makesy It's a bit like a jelly baby type of consistency but it's actually made from the gluten aspect of of a bashed rice and so um that works quite well because it's a carb and it can be sweet but not quite as sweet as just jelly babies.
00:34:30
ukrunchat
right
00:34:42
Anna
um But we've got rice cakes and we've got some of just some sort of fruit choose Japanese style that type of um snacks that you'd get in ah in a corner shop in Japan. just to try and make it look a bit more ah Japanese.
00:34:53
ukrunchat
and Yeah.
00:34:55
Anna
And we've got some drummers, we've got some Japanese drummers at the start and at the end, and in Henley.
00:35:02
Anna
So yeah, but it but yeah, the feedback, I think it's gonna be hard, because it means so much to us that everybody loves it. I hope they do, but I suppose inevitably there'll be some people who might not enjoy some aspects of it.
00:35:08
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:35:14
Anna
um But I hope most people have a great time and and do get that feeling of working with their team and and realise this potentially has got a long long ah future in it and they'll have been part of the first one.
00:35:32
ukrunchat
yeah but Yeah, what a fantastic kind of thing to say. that That's wonderful. I really hope it goes well. and I mean, i I just wanted to finish off by asking you know what what can British runners learn from Japanese running culture, do you think?
00:35:39
Anna
There.
00:35:48
ukrunchat
what What's kind of different? Is there any anything we can learn?
00:35:51
Anna
It's a good question. I think a lot of the club runners here you know would te will say, well, there already are really good relays and they you know there are there's a lot of these road of of the national relays.
00:35:58
ukrunchat
Yeah.
00:36:02
Anna
um And I think they probably do already have strong team cultures there. um i I think we'll have to tell you that after Monday.
00:36:13
ukrunchat
Yeah, okay.
00:36:13
Anna
We'll see we'll see how the runners get a look. I mean i think i think it is the teamwork, but japanese I think British people have got so have got the good teamwork and ethic in a lot of ways. um But I think, yeah, I think there's some the the passing of the task, maybe having that bond across a bit well will be a particularly Japanese aspect of it that they'll enjoy learning from.
00:36:35
Anna
and And the history, you know, having something that has that longevity in running. We've had it before, as you say, in the boat race, but not not in running. So having a race that we can say is you know goes on for 100 years will be a great ah ah sort of, I guess, people who've been part of that will enjoy it.
00:36:36
ukrunchat
Yeah.
Wrap-up and Contact Information
00:36:53
ukrunchat
Yeah, yeah oh that's wonderful. I will ah really hope it goes well for you. So ah just remind us how people will be able to kind of find out how it's gone afterwards and where they can find you on Instagram.
00:37:03
Anna
yeah so we are on instagram uk eki den e k i d a n d e n sorry uk um as in united kingdom and then eki e k i d e n um is our instagram handle and it's that dot com is our website um and we'll be posting as much as we can after that after the event on that
00:37:19
ukrunchat
Yeah. Yeah.
00:37:24
Anna
ah
00:37:24
ukrunchat
Oh, yeah, well, do do tag us in and we will we will share for you as well. So, yeah.
00:37:28
Anna
Great, okay. Oh, I'll show you that that video that we received. We're just getting, putting some English subtitles on it today, but the video you received from the Japanese head coach as well has just been so moving and really sort of made it, made a lot of it of this hard work worthwhile to know that this this bond is getting stronger. So yeah, I'll send you that too.
00:37:45
ukrunchat
Yeah, oh please do. Oh, well it's been wonderful learning all about Equidome. Thank you, Anna, for your time.
00:37:50
Anna
Thank you for getting in touch. Yeah, it's been good to speak to you about it too.
00:37:52
ukrunchat
Yeah. And we hope that all you listeners out there have enjoyed learning a little bit about Japanese running culture today. and We'll see you on the next episode.
00:38:02
Anna
Great, thank you very much.