Shibuya Ekiden

Ekiden is a Japanese word which roughly translates as relay race, the term deriving from the traditional practice of each competitor running from one train station (eki) to the next station at which point they pass the baton (actually a long sash in Japan) to their next teammate.

Months ago I promised I would participate in yesterday's Shibuya Ekiden for my Tokyo running team, Namban Rengo, which roughly translates to barbarian horde. Two years ago our barbarian horde veteran team was edged out for first place in this event by a group of mild-mannered insurance company workers, a stunning defeat that left many of my teammates crushed and broken men.

Naturally I felt compelled to help the horde achieve redemption. No matter that this ekiden consists of each of four runners doing a 3k distance, a relative sprint that is completely inconsistent with my training schedule. No matter the fact that on Saturday night I found myself with some sortof strange combination of stomach flu and fatigue. It only makes sense to attribute my illness to Friday's long bicycle training in the cold weather. No matter - I have on several previous occasions felt weak or ill before a race, and then once the gun goes off, I feel fine.

Unfortunately for me when the gun went off I did not feel fine. A swarm of junior high students sprinted out in front of me within the first hundred meters and I felt no strength or desire to try and pass them. But the first 600 meters of this course is in full view of my teammates who were cheering me on, and expecting me to be in first place. So I summoned the strength to make a mad charge to move into second place. Needless to say, I soon started fading again, and around 1000 meters the Namban B team runner, Michael, passed me and encouraged me to hang on. The rest is a painful blur. Apparently when I handed off to my teammate, Steve Lacey (pictured above), our number 2 runner, I put my team in even more of a hole, by accidentally untying the sash. Steve, along with my other teammates, Subash, and Brian Baker, struggled with the sash, wrapping it around themselves in various ways, and manage to bring us back for a second place finish.

After the race I stood in a daze for awhile. Finally my kind and lovely teammate, Dayan, said to me, "Jay, get yourself home and get some rest", which I promptly did - spending the rest of the day in bed.