Episode IX - the Ekiden episode with Jeremy Kuhles

What happens when an outsider stops observing Japan and begins to understand it through running?Japan’s running culture is rich, structured, and deeply rooted - from neighbourhood clubs to university powerhouses and the Ekiden relays that captivate the nation each winter. To those on the outside, it feels uniquely Japanese: disciplined, collective, steeped in tradition - and almost impossible to fully grasp from afar.This episode follows Jeremy K, a Westerner who arrived in Tokyo as a non-runner, but found himself slowly immersed in that world - from city streets to university tracks, and increasingly, into the under-recognised sphere of women’s Ekiden. Supporting a university team while training within elite circles, he brings a rare inside perspective to a culture built on teamwork, respect, and the symbolic weight of the tasuki.It’s a conversation about belonging earned over time, and the under-recognised stories within Japanese distance running.