NMB48 Fukumoto Aina, interview on her first full marathon as a charity runner at Osaka Marathon

  October 6, 2012

-May I ask your impression on the marathon?

“I've joined the event 'Running Camp' and run 3km at a pace of 6minutes and another 3km for 7 minutes. I run total 6km in the event. Though it was so hot, it was not so hard and I didn't breathe unsteadily after I run. I think I've been gradually getting used to running. I've declared my set time for the event is 5 hours and 30 minutes.
Though running itself is an individual conduct, and it's ultimately a fight against yourself, but people who run around me, people who send cheers to runners, I think all of them are buddies. I feel we share the same feeling.
I heard there're 1500 thousands people applied to the marathon, and only 3o thousands people had a chance to actually run the marathon event, so I feel that I will run with all those people's feeling in my heart. It's like we will fight together.”

-So you are good at sports, aren't you?

“I've attended the swimming school since when I was a senior at kindergarten until 7 grade. I can swim 4 different swimming styles. I've attended a volley ball school since I was 3rd grade until 6th grade. I've belonged to a soft tennis club in a junior high school. I've done whatever I wanted to do. Basically I love sports and there were reasons for each sports I've done. Swimming was to gain stamina and tennis was because I wanted to wear a uniform.

Team sports and individual sports, each sport brings us a different joy but it improve your mental strength and you have to face a win and loss. I've been thinking sports will do good for your daily life and study.
But Marathon is something I've never experienced before. I don't want to walk during the race, but I heard legs will scream after we passed the 20km mark. Because the distance I've been running for the training doesn't gi

ve me any hurt, I can't still imagine how it will hurt and whether it will really make me unable to run anymore. But because of the training, I feel that my body has been used to running, and it's made running fun.

Because I didn't join sports club at a high school, I can't confidently say I have a lots of stamina, but after I joined NMB48, I think I've gained stamina through practice before concerts and theater performances. It's not only your stamina but your mental strength that make it able to run a full marathon, I heard, so I'm feeling that I need to improve my mental strength.”

2 comments

  1. I didn’t know Ainyan is that athletic O__O

  2. El Bicho Loco says:

    “and there were reasons for each sports I’ve done. Swimming was to gain stamina and tennis was because I wanted to wear a uniform”

    And I thought she would say somethin’ like “I wanted to improve my reflexes” or sumthing when she started mentioning “tenis” but no, it was for the uniform. lol That’s was deep girl, you caught me with my pants down. Love this girl.