若岡拓也コラム「新しいスタートのためのゴール」 TAKUYA WAKAOKA Column "Goals for a new start"

I was reborn at age 30, when I pushed through thickets, got lost on the path in the Amazon River basin, and eventually completed running through the jungle. I had finished running a 275km-long race, spanning over seven days, and though it may seem like an exaggeration, it was true.

Prior to that, in my 20s, I lived only thinking about getting through the work day without getting angry. I lived quietly, like a dog nap-ping in a sunny place. Those were comfortable days, but by the time I reached the end of my 20s, I was terrified. In 10 years, I had no great successes nor failures.

The fact that I had no failures was because I had never challenged myself. I could not continue that way. My impatience grew, and I impulsively quit my company.

Driven by my deep urge to run away from any-thing related to civilization, symbolized by my company, I entered a race to run through the jungle with this impulse.

I had three months to prepare. I trained every-day. It was a perfectly happy time for me. Even so, it was crazy for me to attempt this race as someone without sufficient running experience.

Thinking about that now, as someone who regularly runs long distance, I think it was my determination to accomplish something, some-how, at that time.

Supported by such strong sentiments, I ran and pushed my worn-out body to its limit.

My knees creaked and my ankles became swollen. Every part of my body always hurt, and I was completely lost on the trail everyday, covered in cuts and scratches. Sometimes I gave up on running, dragging my heavy feet with a hanging head. But even then, it was fun. I felt like I was living with all my strength.

On the last day, as I approached my goal, something changed within me. I realized that continuing to challenge myself is everything. There was meaning in pouring all of my energy into this. That moment was the start of the next decade in my life, my 30s.

Five years have passed since my days in the jungle, and I’ve welcomed the turning points in my 30s as well. In that period, I’ve become a freelancer and my life has changed greatly, and now I have no impatience. I continue to run without stopping, towards my next goal.

TAKUYA WAKAOKA
Born in 1984, in Kanazawa City. Former newspaper reporter. After retiring from journalism in 2014, Takuya Wakaoka entered a week-long “jungle marathon,” spanning 250km in the Amazon in Brazil. Carrying a 10kg pack of provisions and clothes on his back, he ran through the jungle and completed the race. After returning to Japan, he moved to Kouge Town, located in the easternmost part of Fukuoka Prefecture. In July 2015, he began working as a volunteer for regional migration. His second job is as a writer, and he runs while winning races in Japan and abroad and competing. In August 2017, he began to live in a mountain hut.