Japan’s winter running phenomenon inspires Nike
A winter phenomenon in Japan, ekiden, has inspired sports group Nike to bring to market a special pack of running shoes and apparel.
Ekiden describes long-distance running events that take place every winter, with relay teams covering hundreds of kilometres in races that can last several days and nights.
For runners this season, Nike has put together a special Ekiden Pack, featuring its Alphafly 2, Vaporfly 3, Zoom Fly 5, Pegasus 40 and Rival Fly 3 running shoes, plus a range of T-shirts and a packable Windrunner jacket.
“The long-distance running relays push the limits of performance and require the lightest and fastest racing footwear available,” Nike said.
It added that its aim in putting the pack together was to honour the more-than-100-year heritage of ekiden and to inspire new generations of distance runners.
Ekiden competitions today take place each winter among teams representing schools and universities. The most popular events draw large audiences along the routes and on television.
One of the most famous is the Hakone Ekiden, which takes place over two days at the start of January each year. Teams of ten runners from 20 different universities race from Tokyo, along Tokyo Bay to Hakone and back, covering a total distance of around 215 kilometres.
Commentators have said these events are popular because they celebrate many aspects of Japanese culture, including perseverance and team work.
Image shows Ren Umezaki, a runner from the Tokyo University ekiden team.
Credit: Nike.
