A star Hakone runner throughout his days at Hosei College, Tokumoto took over as head coach at Surugadai in 2012. In his tenth season in 2021-22 Surugadai made the qualifying bracket on the Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai qualifying race, incomes the precise to make its debut at Hakone 2022. That was adopted up with a second look in 2024. Assistant coach Nobuhiro Goto, 42, will take over from Tokumoto within the head coach’s function. In keeping with a supply, Tokumoto had already knowledgeable the athletes, their dad and mom and different concerned events of his choice to depart this system prior to creating the general public announcement.
The announcement makes Surugadai the 4th Hakone contender faculty to switch its head coach for the 2025-26 season, following Asia College, Reitaku College and Meiji College. Others are anticipated to make their very own bulletins.
At this previous October’s Yosenkai Surugadai was solely sixteenth, lacking the 10-deep qualifying bracket by a large margin. However out of its 10 quickest finishers there just one was a 4th-year, and Yosenkai total Fifth-placer Stephen Lemayan, presently a 2nd-year, prime Japanese member Taiga Tosen, a Third-year who has run 28:32.29 for 10000 m, and 1st-year Gakuto Sato who ran the uphill Fifth Stage at this yr’s Hakone as a part of the Kanto Area Pupil Alliance choose crew, all return because the core of a powerful program. “The Surugadai crew is powerful sufficient to make it by the Yosenkai this yr and make it to Hakone, even with out me,” Tokumoto wrote.
In his Hakone days at Hosei College Tokumoto made waves as the primary athlete to run it with dyed hair and sun shades, changing into a part of the occasion’s historical past. As a 2nd-year he gained the First Stage. Present Hosei head coach Tomoo Tsubota additionally gained the Second Stage, incomes the crew the nickname The Orange Specific. As a Third-year Tokumoto was the highest Japanese finisher and 2nd total on the Second Stage, positioning him on the very prime of the collegiate circuit. Proper afterward he did a reside interview on Nippon TV sporting weird Ultraman-style sun shades, surprising dwelling viewers throughout the nation.
However as a 4th-year issues went mistaken. Operating the Second Stage once more on the 2002 Hakone Ekiden, Tokumoto pulled a muscle in his proper calf and needed to cease solely 7.3 km into the 23 km stage. At solely 28.6 km from the beginning in Otemachi it was the earliest DNF in Hakone historical past.
Precisely 20 years on from that nightmare, Tokumoto pulled off a miracle comeback when he led Surugadai to its first Hakone. Takao Imai, a trainer who had taken a depart of absence to enter Surugadai’s Psychology Division as a Third-year in hopes of operating Hakone, made nationwide information when Tokumoto selected him to run its Fourth Stage. He completed final on the stage, handing off to Fifth Stage runner Ryuji Nagai who had been his pupil at Saitama’s Ogose J.H.S. As he completed Tokumoto referred to as out to him over the chase automotive loudspeaker, saying, “Thanks for the final 2 years! Should you apologize I am going to kick your ass so laborious you may go flying!” That second grew to become one other iconic a part of Hakone historical past, one a part of Tokumoto’s legacy in his 13 years at Surugadai.
translated and edited by Brett Larner
