Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website Yuma Hattori: "I remembered all the things…that let me run with room to spare, both mentally and physically."
june 28, 2019 - Toyota

Yuma Hattori: "I remembered all the things…that let me run with room to spare, both mentally and physically."

Long-distance runner #yumahattori, 25, works in #toyota Motor Corporation's Tahara Plant/Tahara Plant Administration Division.

It was September, and we were waiting in the lobby of the office building at the #toyota Tahara plant for a young man, #yumahattori, that we expected would be donning the familiar #toyota work uniform. Hattori, a long-distance runner, had just finished working from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. We caught him before he was leaving to go on a solo run in the evening. Hattori is one of the "Hattori brothers", the other being his one-year-younger brother, Hazuma, and both are well-known in Japan for their fast #running abilities from when they ran for Toyo University, in the "New Year Ekiden", Japan's famous long-distance relay race.

The challenge of leaping from soccer to long-distance running

We started talking about his #running history―why he decided to run and what that meant to him.

In his elementary school days, Hattori, who was born in Niigata Prefecture, excelled in soccer. Playing on a regional club team, he progressed annually, eventually being selected not only as a member of the prefectural team, but also for the Hokushin'etsu team, a semi-regional team representing five prefectures in central-north Japan. As he began attending junior high school, however, he learned that they did not have a soccer squad, so Hattori had to make a decision of what he would be pursue―he decided to make the leap to track & field as a long-distance runner.

"I chose long-distance [running] because I thought I was good at endurance #running. I also started to wonder if my [soccer] ability was good enough to [continue]. With encouragement from my parents, I felt I wanted to take up a new challenge by switching sport[s]."

In junior high, Hattori set a goal to keep pace with the strongest team members. He trained diligently, and, by the time he was in his third year, he placed seventh nationwide in the 1,500 meter relay race. The results led to being scouted by Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School in Miyagi Prefecture, known for fielding strong ekiden teams. Hattori was hesitant, at first, to jump at the opportunity.

"I had been thinking about attending a local high school, so that I could commute from home. [I] wonder[ed] to myself: 'This could change my life. Maybe I should go?'. With my parents' backing, I decided to attend."

One thing that's for sure is that if Hattori had not made that choice, he wouldn't be where he is today. His parents, behind him at each step along the way, provided their support when he took up long-distance #running and again when he decided to go to a high school with a strong ekiden team. Hattori reminds us all of the importance of having support from others and believing in ourselves and others during times when we challenge ourselves.


Further information in the press release to download