A French-born Kangoo that assists your hobby and lifestyle. vol.05 / Rui Ueda TRAIL RUNNER

One day in May, Mr. Ueda loads his luggage into a Kangoo at a parking lot near his home. France, the birthplace of Renault, is also an advanced trail-running country that hosts the aforementioned UTMB. Mr. Ueda has been an ambassador for this car brand since last April, and since then he has been driving the "Kangoo," which boasts outstanding loading capacity, as well as the "Caja," an SUV.

I'm very honored because there aren't many professional trail runners who are supported by Carbrand."

On this day, we are going to Mt. Takao in a " Renault " Kangoo for practice. . We loaded up the bike, a change of clothes and other tools for practice, as well as a mat and sleeping bag for rest, and set off.

Once upon a time, I had to travel by train even to attend conventions. I had to follow the timetable and carry a lot of luggage with me. Now that I have a car, I have much more freedom, and I feel more relaxed. I am able to practice more effectively at training camps and on trips because I have more luggage to carry.

Mr. Ueda said that he drives a "Kangoo" mainly as a means of transportation to his practice. On the way to his destination, he told us the following story.

. It's very comfortable to ride in the Kangoo. There is no feeling of oppression, and it is very comfortable to ride in. The wide front end gives me a good field of vision, so I don't get tired even after driving long distances after a race.

The "Kangoo" arrives safely at today's destination, Wadatoge on Mt. As soon as we arrive, we start preparing for practice while unloading our luggage.

. and the load capacity is also very attractive to me personally. . I also like the fact that the doors open from side to side, so it's easy to load and unload. I also like the fact that the doors open left and right, so it's easy to get stuff in and out.

After completing their preparations, the group heads for the summit of the mountain from Wada Pass, located halfway up the mountain. The way the group ran, stepping nimbly on the narrow road, steep stairs, and slopes, reminded us of playing with the mountains.

." "I don't have much fear just because I'm driving on a mountain road. . It's more like riding a roller coaster and enjoying the thrill of the ride. Instead of looking at my feet, I am looking a few meters ahead and inputting information about where the roots of trees and rocks are. It is not a simple '1,2,1,2' step like when running on the track or on the road, but I can adjust my stride according to the road surface and run in various rhythms, which is one of the interesting aspects of treerunning.

. and also the fact that you don't have to worry about your time. In a marathon, you basically have to keep running, but in a treerun you have the freedom to run or walk at any time you want. Depending on the weather and conditions in the mountains, records can vary even for the same 20-kilometer course. So the time is not a reference at all, and you can give it your all and genuinely enjoy running without being obsessed with such things.

Mr. Ueda says that he has enjoyed physical activity since he was a child. In the first grade of elementary school, he was the second fastest runner in his grade in an endurance run, and later in elementary and junior high school, he won several city and prefectural competitions.

I was playing soccer and running track at the same time when I was in junior high school, but when I became a high school student, I started to focus on track and field. I was scouted by Saku Nagasei, a prestigious track and field school, and my father also advised me that it would be better to live in an environment where I could aim to be the best in Japan, so I became enthusiastic and devoted my high school life to track and field.

However, he goes on to say that his high school years, spent with such pride, were in contrast to the glamorous path he had taken up to that point, and he was not able to run as well as he would have liked.

I had been injured for a long time, and my high school career ended without breaking my junior high school record. The year before we entered the school, it was the high school that had won the championship in Japan. So I felt that kind of pressure on my own. Even after my injury healed, I immediately pushed myself to train, and looking back now, I don't think I was able to properly deal with my body.

Reflecting on my high school life in this way, I decided to enjoy the freedom of running in college. I joined a club instead of a track team and prioritized having fun above all else. It was during my sophomore year of college that I first encountered trail running.

I ran a 100-kilometer marathon with a friend and won a prize. . I was scouted by my current team and given the chance to participate in a treerun race. I had read a book called "BORN TO RUN," a bible for trail runners, when I was in high school, and although I had never heard of treerunning before then, I had a vague idea that I wanted to run one someday.

In the first race he entered, he set a new event record and won the race. After that, it did not take that long for the name Rui Ueda to spread throughout the trail running world. The most decisive event was the Japan Alpine Endurance Race, the highest race in Japan. His previous event record was 7 hours, 19 minutes, and 13 seconds; in 2014, one year after he started trail running, he competed and finished in 7 hours, 01 minutes, and 13 seconds. . He broke the event record by an astonishingly fast time.

. I didn't have a single hard spot during the race, I was kind of in the zone (laughs). The year before that, I had finished sixth, one second behind the fifth-place runner, so I was really disappointed. I prepared for this race desperately, thinking, 'Next time, I'll do it again,' and I am very happy to have won because it was a race that I really wanted to win."

Looking back on that time, he answered, "It was a race I was really proud of," but there was another race that left a lasting impression on Ueda. That was the CCC race of the UTMB, which he participated in 2016. In this hard race, which was 101.1 km long and involved many ascents and descents of mountains in the 2000-meter class, Ueda finished runner-up.

I was in the top group until the 30-kilometer mark, but I got dehydrated and lost a lot of ground. . I used that experience to my advantage and took better measures in 2016. My legs hurt, I felt the limits of my strength, and I had many tough times during the race, but each time I came back and managed to catch up, regaining my energy in the final mountains. I feel a greater sense of accomplishment when I overcome my limits over and over again to reach the finish line."

Of course, behind the glory lies Mr. Ueda's tireless efforts. However, the driving force that keeps him going is nothing other than the feeling of "fun.

If I am too hard on myself, I end up stressing myself out, so I try not to be too hard on myself. . When I want to eat, I eat; when I want to drink, I drink. But I don't overdo it (laughs). I enjoy running, and that is the best motivation for me, so I try to prioritize what is most important to me.

For Ueda, who has been living this way since high school, there is no stress in sacrificing her life.

One of the reasons I do this sport is to enrich my life. Through trekking, I am allowed to visit various places in Japan and around the world, and I enjoy seeing scenery that can only be seen there, making local friends, and enjoying good food and drink. Of course, to become the best in the world, it may be necessary to be stoic and think only about the competition. But if I have come all the way to such a place, I want to know more about it, and I think this will lead to a richer life.

After the day's practice, Mr. Ueda went barefoot into the river for icing. At the end of the day, he told us about his future plans.

I have participated in many races, and I may need to run a longer distance next time to feel a sense of extreme accomplishment, but as I said before, I am now more interested in enjoying the various scenery. . I also want to enjoy the competitive aspect of the race. . Over long distances, it is more of a battle with myself than with other runners. As a former track and field athlete, I also enjoy the heated battles that take place when one second is at stake. So I plan to continue doing that for the time being."

Mr. Ueda is currently based in Japan, but is considering moving to France next year.

. France is the country where Renault was born (laughs). Eventually, I would like to compete in the main race of the UTMB, which is a round-the-clock race around Mont Blanc, and I hope to achieve good results."

Also, until now, most of the competitors were in their 30s and 40s. But recently, I feel that the number of people in my age group and even younger is increasing. I would be very happy if my successes could be the catalyst for more retired runners to enter the world of trail running. If a wider range of people can enjoy trail running, I think the level of competition in Japan will rise. I myself entered the trail world from track and field, so I would like to improve myself even further and contribute to the scene while being active.