At the 2026 Tokyo Marathon, popular Japanese marathoner Ota Sosei finished in 2:10:07 and failed to qualify for the MGC. In four career races he has one DNF, a 2:08, a 2:10 and a 2:14 — still well short of external expectations.
After the race, his strength coach Nakano analyzed the reasons he didn’t perform well.
Last year Ota raced the Berlin Marathon but only finished in 2:14:02, which exposed his weaknesses and problems — he even broke down in tears. From that point he decided to change course and travel to the Kenyan highlands to train.
After training in Kenya, Ota became leaner and his legs slimmed down. Since it was his first time doing high-altitude training abroad and to reduce stress on his body, they avoided high-intensity resistance sessions and focused instead on core work and movement pattern training.
At altitude the athlete's metabolism sped up, they were constantly hungry, and the unfamiliar environment and food didn’t help. With energy intake unable to keep up with expenditure, they still pushed through and completed a high training load.
Therefore, the harder they trained, the greater the toll on the body. They may not have adjusted in time, which led to a severe slowdown after 30 km at this year's Tokyo Marathon.
The strength coach reflected on himself and felt deep regret. Although there is still pain, it will surely become a driving force for moving forward in the future.
On a TV program before the 102nd Hakone Ekiden, Coach Susumu Hara named Japan’s top 10 runners. From Aoyama Gakuin’s "Miracle Four," Hiroki Wakabayashi and Asahi Kuroda were both on the list, while Sosei Ota did not make the cut — to some extent this was also the coach’s way of observing and judging his athletes’ abilities.
However, judgment ultimately belongs to others; he hopes Sosei Ota can still make 203 an important goal for himself. The road may still be long, but believing in himself is what matters most.
Sosei Ota also reflected on the Tokyo Marathon. I got thin because my diet was poor; nutrition couldn’t keep up with the training — body fat dropped and muscle decreased. From now on he plans to base himself at a single training location during the marathon season. His next race is likely to be the Berlin Marathon.
Regarding age, Sosei Ota still has room for trial and error, of course, but as time goes by, will his confidence be gradually worn down? More practically, after repeated failed attempts, will his sponsors still remain patient?
Text:CC / Editor:CC
