Hello, this is Chiken from the Inner Communication Group.
The athletes of the Daihatsu Track and Field Team run throughout the year with little to no rest.
While we often hear about their spectacular achievements, we rarely get a chance to learn about the passion they bring to their daily training.
I felt that their attitudes and words while talking about competitions resonated somehow with our daily lives. This time, I interviewed these athletes, shedding light on their thoughts.
“How do you keep running?”
One day, just before the Queen’s Ekiden.
While covering practice, I was filming the group’s run when one of the athletes noticed me. Panting but speaking clearly, they called out to me.
“Sorry, but we need to focus right now, do you mind?”
That single remark sent a wave of tension through me, and I could sense the sheer determination of someone who was putting everything on the line to take this step.
After that, the athletes’ various approaches to running started to become clearer.
― Athletes who keep pushing forward silently, believing that training would definitely produce results, even when injured
― Athletes who face each run with total commitment, striving to surpass themselves
― Athletes who keep running alone after finishing an 8,000-meter group run, without being told to do so
― Athletes who continuously seek tuning methods that suit them, consulting with their head coaches and trainers
Each had their own unique expression of “determination,” and they all resonated with me.
“How do you keep running?”
When I asked this question in an interview, the athlete answered without hesitation.
“Running is my job. That goes without saying…but that alone isn’t enough to keep me running.It’s because the people who always support me do so happily that I can push myself even harder. I want to repay them with my results.”
Hearing those words, I strongly felt that the very presence of employees, partners, families, head coaches, trainers, managers, and others who support them is one of the major reasons they keep running.
Queen’s Ekiden 2025—Amidst the Cheers of the Daihatsu Cheer Group
In the Queen’s Ekiden held in November, six athletes carried the hopes of 13 as they passed the relay sash.
The result: ninth place. Just one step short of securing next year’s seeding rights. Yet the cheers—from the venue, the public viewing, and across the screens–definitely propelled them on their final stretch.
The video we released this time captured everything: what the athletes value in their daily lives, their driving force, their true selves, and even their appearance on the day of the Queen’s Ekiden (both athletes and supporters).
Words alone can’t convey the intensity, so please watch the video!
Let’s go, Daihatsu Track and Field Team!!
▽Send your messages of support to the staff and athletes here!
Messages of support｜Daihatsu Track and Field Team｜DAIHATSU TRACK & FIELD
Text: Chiken/Yagi , Inner Communication Group
