I am going to run in Boston. I won’t run the Tokyo Marathon.
There was no hesitation, no extra strength in Suguru Osako’s voice when he mentioned this.
It seems that it was the providence of nature. I asked why he won’t be running in Tokyo, he said, “The more noise people make around me, the more I tend to get cold. I felt a fuzzling sensation run down my spine. When I asked myself if I really wanted to run in Tokyo, the answer was not the Tokyo Race. My answer was Boston. “ There were also these thoughts behind it.
“People guess that Osako will be running in Tokyo anyway. There is an antithesis to it. This Tokyo Marathon is supposed to be the final challenge to make the Paris Olympics. However, there is no preferential treatment. It’s going to come out anyway, so it’s okay to pay 0 yen (Actual offer was not zero yen). I questioned this attitude. There should be prizes for athletes.
The selection method that emphasizes entertainment may be one of the reasons why I chose the Tokyo Olympics as my last race. Even if the preparation time is short from the Boston marathon to the Paris Olympics, I can challenge myself with a healthy mentality. “
What a pioneer in the running world sees
He also questions the conventional wisdom that has long existed in the marathon world. Of course, the Olympics are important races, but you don’t have to be as obsessed as people think. The marathon is already a major sport, so it is also the sport that can be the most independent of the Olympics. There are many world major races as a place where you can play an active role and attract attention. I think that everyone, including sponsors, has stopped thinking about the idea of Olympic supremacy.”As a pioneer in the running world, Suguru Osako continues to lead the way, and his unwavering self-axis is supported. In the city of Tokyo, where the view tends to be blocked by skyscrapers, he seemed to be the only one who could see the clear distant horizon.
Text: Chino Yamaguchi
Photo: Shota Matsumoto
Interviewer: Kohei Adachi