|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHONNovember 1, 2013Yuki KawauchiNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK Q. So first off, could you tell me how you're able to work in your intense regular working schedule along with your very prolific marathon race schedule? YUKI KAWAUCHI: I train in the morning for two hours, and then I start working in the afternoon. His work time is 12:45 to 9:45. Q. And what is it you do for a job? YUKI KAWAUCHI: He works for the administrative office in a high school, but he's actually hired by the‑‑ Q. Could you give us a little insight too about how you work to recover because all the marathons you run throughout the year, what do you do to recover to be able to get ready for each one? YUKI KAWAUCHI: I usually go to the hot springs in Japan and then take care of my body. Q. And finally, New York is a pretty challenging, hilly course. What have you done to prepare for that? YUKI KAWAUCHI: In the summer I did the workout in Zaou and also Nikkou, which is very hilly. And I also I just ran a marathon in Australia, and it was really hilly. So I can use this experience for New York. Q. Melbourne was‑‑ what was the date of Melbourne? YUKI KAWAUCHI: October 13th. Q. So we got three weeks, I guess it is, between marathons? If I'm doing the math right? YUKI KAWAUCHI: The previous marathon was Moscow, but I ran some small race between that. Q. I'm interested in the fact that he ran 208:15 and 2:08:14 two weeks apart. Did he actually think he was completely recovered when he ran that 2:08:14? YUKI KAWAUCHI: When was that? Q. One of them was Beppu and one of them was Seoul. Seoul was the faster one. You know what, that was a mistake in the program. It wasn't two weeks. It was actually a month and two weeks. That's still pretty impressive. YUKI KAWAUCHI: I felt pretty good after I run it, and then I did a 30 kilo between the time, and it was really good. I was really in shape. But my legs were kind of tired. I was hoping for 2:07 that time. Q. There's a quote I read from him that said he was trying to test the common sense of marathoning, to just run one every five or six months or so. He was trying to test the common sense to see if another approach would work. After having done this for a while and having run so many races the last year or so, does he think maybe now he would like to allow more time in between races so he could show up fresh and maybe get that 2:07? YUKI KAWAUCHI: I don't think I've changed my pace because one of the goals is running the mini marathon, like the marathon in Japan and all over the world. Also, longing experience, it never ended for longing. And each race I run something new. And then I get some different kind of experience. So for that reason, I've never changed my pace. Q. You mentioned that, translated, that the worlds marathon experience was, quote, wasted. Can you talk about that day? Was the heat an issue? What was that race like in Moscow? YUKI KAWAUCHI: On the first in the Moscow, I did kind of‑‑ I pushed a little bit too much in the first 5 kilos, and then some Japanese were kind of behind, but I stayed in a kind of first party. And then the 10 kilo, between 5 and 10 kilos, pace got up, and then the Japanese Nakamoto, he got fourth or fifth, went back, and I should have been with him, but I didn't go. I decided to go with Martin, an Ethiopian guy, so I used my legs way too much. And also so after 10 kilos, it was really tough. And then after 20 kilos, because of the heat, I took too much water, and then kind of I have a stomachache, and I couldn't catch up. It happened in '09, and that's something I have to fix it, like I have to kind of calm down like in a big race. Q. You don't run with a corporate team? You run independently. And you've been called a citizen runner. Can you explain why you've chosen this? Given your success, you would probably make a lot of money in sponsorships. YUKI KAWAUCHI: I went to the high school really good in the track team, but I got injured, and then I couldn't run for almost like a year. At that time, I decided not to go really‑‑ like the college are good in the track. So I went to the college that isn't popular among the track teams or things like that. But luckily, I did really good in the team. The senior year in May, I got recruited by the IT steel company for the corporate team, but I already started preparation for the exam for like a prefecture job. Q. Civil servant? YUKI KAWAUCHI: Okay. And then also the company wasn't the one I wanted to go, so I decided to get the job. And also, after I got the job, some corporation team recruited me, but for the race that is the same day at the New York City Marathon. I wanted to run in New York. So I'm happy with my freedom, and also I want to run with my freedom more than money. Also, it's not his comment, but it's not citizens runner. It's more like amateur runner would be better to use it. Q. You've been celebrated very popular because you're still working a regular job, regular hours, and you use your vacation to come to New York. Do you appreciate that popularity? YUKI KAWAUCHI: Except for the elite runner, most runners in Japan are running like same style as myself, like they have full‑time job, and they train. I'm just the first‑‑ like the first of them, and I'm just happy they consider me as their mate. Q. Can we ask what his goal is in the race? YUKI KAWAUCHI: In Chicago marathon, Japanese men got seventh. So I want to be higher than them, possibly sixth or higher. And also I did peak for this race. Q. What's the definition of his peaking, since he ran the Melbourne marathon not too long ago? YUKI KAWAUCHI: I did use Melbourne for training purpose, and then the week after the Melbourne, I run the 20 kilos with 59:17. As a quality mark on training, it's pretty good. Q. So usually elite runners, they run like two or three marathons. You seem to be running like every other week another marathon. You run against all odds. What is your idea behind running so many marathons? YUKI KAWAUCHI: I did train by myself. So sometimes it's really hard to push myself in the training, but like in the race, I can use some others as‑‑ I can use them to push myself. And then some races can be like a good quality of training. Like I said before, my career goal is I want to be the number one runner in the Boston Marathon for Japan? Q. Does he have any idea what that number is? YUKI KAWAUCHI: I started running when I was 6 years old, and then it's not just a marathon, like 1 kilo, 3 kilos, such races. I run over 330. So it's possible to run over 1,000 when I end my career. Q. Over 1,000 marathons or 1,000 races? YUKI KAWAUCHI: 1,000 races. Q. How many marathons have you run so far this year? YUKI KAWAUCHI: Including New York, it's going to be nine, and then I have a plan to run two more races in this year. So it's going to be 11. Q. What are those two? YUKI KAWAUCHI: Fukuoka in December and also Hofu in Yamaguchi. Q. Don't you think running so many marathons will shorten your career as an elite marathon runner? YUKI KAWAUCHI: I'm running with my pacers. So like if I'm tired, I can pace down. Also, compared with corporate team runner, I only train once in a day. Also, that's because of the job as well. So like the running and then like the job, it's really well‑balanced. I get injured after two years in high school, but right now I've been running like this for four years as a full‑time job runner, and it's working now. Q. There's an awful lot of races in Australia. Are Japanese runners‑‑ I don't know how many great distance runners Australia has, but is it very common for Japanese runners to go to Australia and compete quite a bit? He ran Sydney, Gold Coast, Melbourne all in one year. Is it a common thing? YUKI KAWAUCHI: Starting with gold coast, the Gold Coast State is a sister state with Saitama Prefecture. And then after he ran the Kasumigaura Marathon, which is a sister city with Sydney. So he went to Sydney. And then the Melbourne High School is a sister city of Kasukabe High School, which he works for. So he made the decision to go. Q. I heard he made a decision to run ahead of the elite Japanese runners at the Olympics last year. He mentioned Meb Keflezighi, Kebede, and Kiprotich. Is there a reason why he put himself against those runners that ran the Olympics last year? YUKI KAWAUCHI: Nakamoto is a Japanese guy. He was fifth in London, and then Meb was fourth. Also, Kebede‑‑ in Moscow, Nakamoto also lost to Kebede. So I kind of wanted revenge for him. Q. He said he ran Melbourne more as training for this. Ask him if those other marathons in Melbourne, does he hold back? Does he not try as hard? He ran 2:11 in Melbourne. Will he try harder in New York? Or in it every marathon, is he running as hard as he can? YUKI KAWAUCHI: Some athletes run like a 40 kilo, like a 30, 40 kilo, before they're in the main race. That's some things that they target for. So I used it for Melbourne for that. So, of course, I tried my best to run the race, but my peaking strategy, I used that marathon‑‑ the previous marathon, the big marathon, as just a conditioning run. Q. And what did you hear about New York before you came, in terms of the course and the crowds and the atmosphere? And what do you expect from that? YUKI KAWAUCHI: I had heard the course has ups and downs, but I didn't feel like it. Yesterday I ran 25 kilos. And the road itself is pretty nice too. So it's going to be a good race. Q. What about the crowds? YUKI KAWAUCHI: About the crowd, I heard that you can't even hear anything like right before getting it. Not just as an elite runner, but as much a runner, I'm just excited too. Q. Can you talk us through‑‑ like he ran Melbourne on the 13th, and then seven days later he ran a 20K. Does he recover? Can he just talk us through the week? Does he need a few days to recover from a marathon, or does he start training the next day? YUKI KAWAUCHI: I didn't change any of my training. I do four days jog, and then one day I run 8,000, but it's more like a pace running. And then before the race, I run 1,000. Q. Is he aware‑‑ I was reading a couple of pieces about him before he came here, and a couple of the road race records were saying that they were aware they had larger crowds on the streets this year than they've had in the past. And they were attributing it to his popularity. Is he aware that there's really an increased attendance at some of these races and that there mainly there because they're fans of him? YUKI KAWAUCHI: I kind of hesitate to say it, but probably I have a little popularity in Japan. And after the race, people want to take photos with me and shake hands. Also, he has the guy, like someone imitate him and wear the same kind of uniform and pretend he's Yuki. And he's pretty good and really popular too. Q. But he's not as fast as him? YUKI KAWAUCHI: No. Q. Does Yuki have sponsors now? What does that say in Japanese? YUKI KAWAUCHI: That's the Saitama prefecture, like his New York State type of way. Q. Does he have an agent? Or like a manager? YUKI KAWAUCHI: He doesn't have an agent, but here and there, some people help him out. Q. Why does Yuki think that marathoning is so popular in Japan? Does he feel like he is part of it increasing in popularity? YUKI KAWAUCHI: Like in 1980s, or like even before, Japanese were really strong, and sometimes they made world records. And also as Japanese notoriety, we do like patience or put up with those kinds of things, like a bear. So Japanese like to watch that kind of race as well. And also on Japanese TV broadcast the New York Marathon from beginning to end. And also last year, the marathons are booming right now. Q. One question. They've been calling it the Kawauchi effect. A lot of runners have been running since Yuki ran fast times. Is he aware of that? Does he think he's been an inspiration for other Japanese runners? YUKI KAWAUCHI: About the men's marathon, a few years ago, like before him, like sub‑3:10 was the fleetest runner, but like this year, there are like ten something runners. And some Japanese women, the top elite runner is running a full marathon this year. So like the pace‑‑ usually, like the Japanese run one or two races this year. But now it's popular. So probably it's had some effect. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|