Lessons from the running club

Every year in August or September, I see announcements and flyers for the Nagoya Women’s Marathon (NWM) that will happen the following March. Each time, my heart starts beating faster; I’d love to take part but . . . will I be able to actually do it?

In the late summer of 2022, I was already able to run 10 km comfortably, so it looked possible to to run a race four times that distance by March. I applied for the NWM! As I read training plans and listened to podcasts, many people mentioned it is helpful to have a group to run with.

Finding a club

I usually run along the Tenpaku River in Nagoya, where I live. I had once seen a group that looked like they ran marathons regularly, but when I tried to look them up online I couldn’t find them, and the Tenpaku Sports Center didn’t know of any running club. However, in a shoe shop I saw a leaflet about a running gathering in a local park in Nagoya. The shop clerk also told me about another group: the “Tenpakugawa Sōyūkai” (天白川走友会). I didn’t understand the word, so he explained it: sō (走 from 走る hashiru) and yū (友 from 友達 tomodachi), so “Tenpaku River Running Friends Club.”

I went home and found their homepage. I couldn’t read much, but I did make out their meeting place and time. Every Sunday morning at 6:30 a.m. in summer and 7:00 a.m. in winter—that was perfect for me. The place was under a certain bridge with a name I couldn’t read either, but it did mention that the bridge was red, and along the river there was only one red bridge. I decided to try the next Sunday. The only question was which side of the bridge? I guessed the left side and was right! Around 20 people in running gear were warming up and chatting. I approached one who looked like he might be the leader and asked whether this is the Tenpaku Sōyūkai and if I could join.

He said, “Well, yes, you can, but today we’re doing the long run that’s about 18 kilometres. If you like, you can come along on your bike.”

Eighteen kilometres! I had just gotten up to 12km in my training schedule. Thankfully I had come by bike and decided to follow along. Meanwhile, the others looked at me with a mixture of bewilderment and interest, and I could hear them whispering about me. One brave soul came over and told me he was an English teacher. Another wanted to know whether I spoke Japanese. Soon enough, we arrived at the Higashiyama Zoo, where they ran the 10,000-step course. The course has a lot of ups and downs, and I was soon the last person (despite biking there rather than running). But I made one round and decided to go back by bike earlier to be in time for the Bible study before Sunday service. As I left, I called out, “See you next week.” One lady was kind enough to explain that from next week they would be meeting at the winter schedule time.

As I would learn is the usual format, the next week’s meeting started with reports from races people took part in. Some seemed to be running marathons biweekly. When they learned I wanted to run the NWM, they got excited and wanted to know what my usual marathon time was. As I explained that it would be my first marathon, they got even more excited and encouraged me. After the third week of coming to the group, I decided that I would join them regularly.

The weeks went by. I was still the slowest runner apart from an 83-year-old, and most of the members were older than me! Because I was so slow, I usually ran by myself. The others chatted while running, but that was impossible for me at their speed. After a few weeks, I realized that I wasn’t the slowest runner anymore, and the others encouraged me as well: “You got faster! Well done!” As our verbal exchange was limited to simple phrases, there was no chance to share about my faith yet, although some of them were interested in me and wanted to know what kind of work I do and why I was in Japan.

In December, they held an end of year party (忘年会 bōnenkai). The leader invited everyone to share their reflection of 2022 and goals for 2023. People gave me advice to prepare for running the NWM, and after the meal, the coach approached me and said he had a lot of experience, so if I ever had any questions, I shouldn’t hesitate to ask him. I felt supported and got the impression they really wanted me to do well.

Encouragement

Joining this club has improved my life immensely. It helps me stick to the training, and it’s fun to run together with others. It’s a really nice fellowship, and as far as I can see, they don’t compete against each other. Instead, each one is working on his or her own goals while helping others along. When one is injured or doesn’t make the race in the time she thought she would, the others encourage her. Older ones who have already had all kinds of injuries show stretching exercises to those who encounter this particular injury for the first time. “You got faster!” is a comment I hear more and more. They’re able to share their joy in successes, whether that is to run the marathon in 2.5 hours, or 10K in under one hour for the first time.

What can Christians learn from this?

Sometimes I wish church was more like this. I often feel people in the church are “competing,” and there can be envy as we compare ourselves to others. There can also be a sense of defeat and inferiority as we feel the need to do more or be more, thinking things like “I should pray more” or “I should be more outgoing like him.” In the running club, everyone is encouraged to push on wherever they are on the journey, and we can honestly and joyfully admire a fast runner without envy. We help each other along, and we are simply encouraged to take the next step without pressure to reach a certain goal. It’s okay that we’re all at different stages. We should see church the same way: everyone is on the same journey, but at different stages. Instead of wishing we were ten stages ahead and being intimidated, we could learn from runners who just work towards the next achievable goal.

Every Sunday I encounter two different worlds. Before going to church, I dive into the world of a non-Christian Japanese, their worries and their struggles. A couple of members have admitted that, to their dismay, their adult children hardly keep in touch.

One evening after the Wednesday training, another lady asked me more about what I do. Trying to explain my role at KGK, I said, “Basically I’m like a pastor for students.”

Suddenly she opened up and I was able to have a deeper conversation with her about something that deeply troubled her.

I wished to comfort her but didn’t really know how. Even if I said something like “God is with you,” what she understands as “God” is totally different from what I mean. She prays every day, she told me. I hope that I will encounter more of such conversations and gradually be able to talk about the good news of Jesus, bringing these two worlds closer together.

By the way, I did finish the Nagoya Women’s Marathon in March.