Japanese school clerk keeps running without coach or cash

Yuki Kawauchi of Japan reacts after the men's marathon during the IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow. Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

Yuki Kawauchi has no coach, no sponsor and works five days a week as a school clerk, but that did not stop the Japanese marathon runner from racing with the best at the World Athletics Championships.

Popularity

Dubbed the “strongest citizen runner in history”, the 26-year-old Kawauchi squeezes races into his weekends, travelling at home and overseas before returning to work every Monday. In doing so he has become a cult hero in Japan. “I want to show that you can compete at the world level even if you have a job like I do,” he said recently.

Going strong

Kawauchi’s success story has helped fuel the nation’s ever-intensifying enthusiasm for running, which saw a spike in 2011 after the earthquake and tsunami disaster prompted many to improve their fitness in preparation for emergencies. Kawauchi competed in the men’s marathon in Moscow yesterday, where he finished 18th, equalling his performance on his debut in 2011.

Dedication Despite having little time to spare between his administrative job at a school north of Tokyo, Kawauchi has run in 22 long-distance events this year, including a 50-kilometre "ultramarathon", in which he collapsed with heat stroke.

Independence Five men and three women, including the 2004 Olympic champion Mizuki Noguchi, make up Japan's squad for Moscow. All but Kawauchi belong to corporate teams – semi-professionals hired by companies as ordinary workers but allowed to focus on training and competing to promote brand awareness."In domestic races, I feel that I must not be beaten by corporate teams," Kawauchi said, adding that rivalries are put aside when representing Japan.

– Agence France-Presse