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Ekiden (Road Relay) Club participated as volunteer escort runners in a blind marathon training camp hosted by the Japan Blind Marathon Association.

Ryosei Gayama (Faculty of Medical Technology, 3rd year) and Hiroshi Inoue (Faculty of Education, 3rd year) of Teikyo University Ekiden (Road Relay) Club participated in the Blind Marathon Training Camp organized by the Japan Blind Marathon Association (JBMA) from August 5 to 12, 2025, in Kitami City, Hokkaido, Japan, as volunteer runners.
At this training camp, top runners with visual impairments train to strengthen their running ability in the harsh summer environment, with Mr. Kayama mainly accompanying Shinya Wada, a JBMA-designated runner, and Mr. Inoue acting as a ^pacer* for Yutaka Kumagai and Kohtetsu Oishi, who are also JBMA-designated runners. Mr. Inoue worked hard every day as a pacer* for Yutaka Kumagai and Kohtasa Oishi, also JBMA-designated athletes. During the training camp, Ms. Inoue was also in charge of accompanying the visually impaired athletes in group runs, providing an opportunity to improve not only her competitive skills but also her communication and support skills as well. Teikyo University Ekiden (Road Relay) Club will continue to develop activities that value connections with the local community and society, aiming to balance athletic competition and social contribution.

• * A runner who runs at a consistent pace and serves as a benchmark for other runners. Their role is to support the runner in breaking records and achieving target times.

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Hirohiro Inoue
I participated in a blind marathon training camp held in Kitami City to provide training support. I ran a distance I had never experienced before, and I feel that I have grown as an athlete. What was striking about the hard training camp was that everyone was smiling the whole time. Even though it was tough for everyone, I could see that everyone was genuinely enjoying the competition and always acting with gratitude for their environment. At that moment, I felt like I was reminded of my original intentions and realized that this was what I was lacking. I will remember this experience and get through this summer.

Ryosei Kayama
I participated in the Bride Marathon training camp for the second time. It had been a while since I last ran alongside a blind marathon runner, but I was able to do so well. While interacting with the blind marathon runners, I was amazed at how they adapted the existing training menu to suit themselves, and I was impressed by their high level of awareness of athletics. It was clear to me that they were taking the training much more seriously than we were, and I learned a lot from that. I also felt a renewed sense of importance in accompanying my runners, trying not to make them feel uneasy. I plan to use what I learned at this training camp in my future competitions.

For more information about the Japan Blind Marathon Association, click here
For more information about Teikyo University Ekiden (Road Relay) Club click here
For more information on Teikyo University's SDGs activities, click here

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