A Toast to Our Alumni :
Now he wears two hats, those of a dedicated public official and a world-class mountain race runner.
Mr. Tsuyoshi Kaburaki

Mr. Kaburaki was born in Gunma Prefecture, 1968. He graduated from Kiryu Prefectural High School. After he graduated from the School of Education (Social Science Department), Waseda University in 1993, he obtained a position at Gunma Prefectural Government. When he was 28, he participated in the Noboru Yamada Memorial Mountaineering Race, and won the cup (This was the first mountaineering race for Mr. Kaburaki.). Since then he had won the championship of Mt Fuji Mountaineering Race, the most famous mountaineering race in Japan, in a row. He held the 16th position at the Mt Kinabalu (Malaysia) International Mountaineering Race. He is a co-author of the forthcoming book “An Introduction to Trail Running” published by Iwanami Shoten, (Publisher).

Many students have experienced hardships or setbacks which are next to indescribable. It is often said that we should sublimate our chagrin into driving power. However, there are not many people who can put this wise saying into practice. Mr. Kaburaki is a rare exception.

He could not participate in the Hakone Ekiden relay, but he did not give up running.

Mr. Kaburaki was on the track team in his junior high school and high school days. His ambition at the time was to participate in the Hakone Ekiden road relay as a Waseda student. After graduating from high school and spending two years studying for entrance examinations, he was admitted to Waseda and immediately went out for the team. He spent the beginning days in the track club with satisfaction. To strive hard for his dream made his days fulfilling. But the hard training he endured to make up for the two year gap had a bad effect on his lower back, which became very painful during his junior year. After a period of indecision, he quit, not wanting to be a burden to the team. His long-cherished dream, to run the Hakone Ekiden, was dead. Nevertheless he couldn't stop running. "I know that I couldn't reach my first goal but it didn't mean that I was no longer able to run." With that thought, he joined an athletic circle, did player registration at the athletic league, and kept on running, though he was in physical therapy. Although he looked for a job and was chosen by a major company, he declined their offer in the end because he needed time to run and thought that being a civil servant would allow him more free time. Staying in school one more year, he studied hard for the civil service examination. He passed it thanks to hard work and got a job in the Gunma prefectural office.

But he had been overoptimistic. He had a lot of work as an official and he could barely cope with both the job and running. A turning point came when he was 28. One day, he happened to notice a newspaper article about a mountain race and took part in it, and the result was that he won the race. "I got great pleasure and refreshment from running rough mountain paths during the mountain race. My competitor was nature rather than the other runners. Mountain running suits me" he said.

"When we establish a goal, the goal should be clear." This is an article of his creed. By doing so, he succeeded in putting into practice the saying "sublimate chagrin into driving power."

After winning the mountain race, Mr. Kaburagi's lifestyle changed dramatically. The race had a critical impact on him. Though he gave 100% of his energy to his job during working hours, he started devoting all his free time to running. For example, he runs up and down the stairs of the thirty-two story prefectural office building four times during his 30 minute lunch break every day, and often trains on his way home from work. His holidays have never been spent lolling around the house. He is always in a mountain race. As a result of these efforts he won several victories in the domestic rallies and made good showing even in the world competition last year.

Now, he is one of the best mountain runners in Japan, but he is not content to rest on his laurels. "By continuing to challenge myself, I can throw off the stress of being overtaken by other runners." Mountain racing still has no theory of training. So he is now absorbed in establishing unique methods of isometrics using his own body, and finds a lot of satisfaction in it. This too is a by-product of his "climbing the stairs".

He says that the frustration of his Hakone Ekiden ambitions stimulated his willpower. "I can clearly recall the frustration. But it is also my positive driving power. The power inspires me, though I do not have strong constitution." That regret may not go away even if he becomes the best in the world. "That would be fine” he laughs. He is constantly carving out his own future.