A 12-member team competes in the “TOKYO Night Relay at the Japan National Stadium.” | Running Club Activity Report

Hello! I am Tomita from Social Relations Division 3.

This October, temperatures across Japan were more than 2°C higher than average, with summer-like days continuing. As someone who prefers hot days to cold ones, I found it a very comfortable stretch of days.

During that time, just as I was starting to feel the arrival of autumn, and perfectly suited to the season for sports,the “TOKYO Night Relay at the Japan National Stadium” was held on Friday, October 18 as a pre-event two days before the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2024, hosted by the Tokyo Marathon Foundation! As a first-year new graduate hire, I joined as well!

This event is a relay race in which teams compete to see how many laps they can complete within a 2-hour time limit on a special 1.1 km loop course set up inside the Japan National Stadium.

For that reason, within the maximum team size of 15, teams that gather as many members as possible have an advantage. So this time, we formed a team of 12 in total, bringing together not only the Running Club but also volunteer members, and took part!

The Japan National Stadium, the venue, is extremely close to our office. And for me—having played soccer for 18 years and originally confident in my endurance—there was no way I could miss it if we were aiming for a prize.Let us share what the event day looked like, held on a Friday evening!

17:45 Finally, off to the Japan National Stadium! But no warm-up?

When we arrived and looked around, there was already quite a crowd.

I also participated in the “Bloomberg Square Mile Relay Tokyo” held in Marunouchi, Tokyo this May, so this was my second running event of the year!

▼See what it was like here
Great times one after another! A new graduate member tries the “Bloomberg Square Mile Relay Tokyo”

I was excited and eager to run here, even with some nerves—but because we arrived at the last minute, there was little time before the race started, and we did not have time to warm up.

I promised myself to be careful not to get injured and waited for the start! (Laughs)

18:00 The race begins!

The venue was buzzing—not only with loud cheers, but also with an intense, full-speed start. Can we achieve a good result?

One prospective hire who is scheduled to join the company next April also participated that day, smoothly passing the baton with a smile.

Not only Running Club members, but also colleagues who were in the office rushed over to the Japan National Stadium and watched over the members running their hearts out.

Those waiting for their turn chatted happily together and looked relaxed throughout.

Wearing the participation T-shirts—featuring an original illustration and available only to the first 200 teams to register—brought the team even closer together!

By the way, four first-year new graduate members participated in this event! Having peers there gave me a sense of reassurance and support.

Sweating it out together also let us see expressions we rarely get to see when we are just working at the office, and it strengthened our bonds.

Even the senior members had these smiles!

The 2-hour time limit passed faster than expected, and before we knew it, the finish was just around the corner.

In principle, each person runs twice for a total of 2.2 km. While we were curious about our ranking…
we were also having fun talking about things like, “Should I run one more time? It might come back around just in time,” (laughs).

Finish!!

The anchor was a first-year new graduate member who ended up joining at the last minute on the day of the event. With no issues, they finished strong—an outstanding finish with the biggest smile!

Now, for the result you have been waiting for…

Everyone gave it their all, and we achieved an excellent result: 38th out of 231 teams!!

In addition to awards for top-performing teams,there is also a special prize where “milestone” ranks (33rd, 77th, 100th, 111th, 150th, etc.) receive gift certificates usable at shops in the Sendagaya area—but unfortunately, we did not win one…!

However, more than anything, I was happiest that we were able to run together and enjoy it as a team!

What did you think?

Being able to run together with senior colleagues I do not usually have much interaction with, and having the valuable experience of running inside the Japan National Stadium—a place that is not easy to enter—was truly fitting for the season for sports, and it will remain a lasting memory for me.

Running is sure to refresh both your mind and body.

We hope you will give running a try as well!

See you again in the next article!