Need Evolution

There are so many special events in the new year of Japan. Among them, “Hakone Ekiden” is the one of them. That is competition between universities by the relay marathon both ways from Tokyo to Hakone. The two-day, round-trip race is limited to teams of university students. It is held each year on the second and third of January.

This year, the big topic was that Aoyama-Gakuin University could win five consecutive rows. The head coach of that school has now so popular that he has been in TV shows as a commentator over ninety times last year.

His team was one of the candidates winning this year, too. But he was paying attention to the other team that was Tokai University. He was commended that if some little failure was occurred they would lose.

On the way to Hakone from Tokyo starting point where is in front of Yomiuri newspapers Headquarters that is an original sponsor of this race, other school won. It was Toyo University, which was third last year.

Aoyama-Gakuin was unexpectedly sixth place in the first day 5 minutes 29 seconds behind from the top while Tokai University was second 1 minute and 14 second behind from Toyo University.

The second day, on the returning way to Tokyo, Aoyama-Gakuin made a big charge. The time of returning way itself Aoyama-Gakuin made a record time ever since 1920, so that it became first place, however, both ways, two days total, Tokai University became a champion in 2019 first time ever followed by Aoyama-Gakuin University.

The comment by a head coach of Aoyama-Gakuin was impressed, “If we evolve, we will degenerate”.

That is true.