TOKYO -- Early in the morning, a small figure just 155 centimeters in height swiftly ascended a mountain trail, and soon disappeared into the distance.

Now aged 87, Kaneo Tsukioka still sometimes runs 40 kilometers a day as he prepares for races. People call him "superhuman" and "out of the ordinary." Yet he continues to enjoy a drink in the evenings and often eats instant noodles. So, what is the secret to his strong physique?

Pushing the limits without giving up

On Mount Takao in the suburban Tokyo city of Hachioji, Tsukioka moved at a surprisingly brisk pace with a light step. When he reached a ridge where the trail leveled off, he picked up his pace and began to run. On his shoulders he carried a black backpack, weighing about 2 kilograms, containing water and cold-weather gear.

Tsukioka, a resident of the Saitama Prefecture city of Kawaguchi, is a trail runner, and he has participated six times in the Japan Mountain Endurance Race (Hasetsune Cup), over a 71.5-kilometer course. It was after he turned 60 that he started trail running, and in May 2023 he completed a 160-km race.

In the latest Hasetsune Cup in October, the Yokohama-based Mountain Sports Association of Japan, which hosts the event, asked Tsukioka to make the athletes' declaration, and in front of some 1,800 participants, he pledged, "We will challenge our own limits to the end without giving up."

The declaration is usually entrusted to the previous year's winner, but Seiichiro Hara, the association's representative director apparently had no qualms about picking Tsukioka. "He's a legend after all," Hara said.

Born in Nagano, carrying charcoal

Tsukioka was born in the village of Sakae, in northern Nagano Prefecture, which gets heavy snowfall in winter. His family made a living from making charcoal and sericulture, and growing up he would carry loads of charcoal on his back after coming home from school, and go around selling it, somewhat like the character Tanjiro Kamado in the popular manga "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba." It may have been those days walking around the village deep in the mountains that gave him his robust legs and strong back.

"I've always been moving around since when I was a child and I can't just sit still," he said.

Tsukioka had many siblings, and so family didn't have a lot of financial leeway, and he started working after graduating from junior high school. He took up a live-in job at a confectionary store, and when he was in his late 20s he became a taxi driver in Osaka and later started running "because I had many days off and a lot of time."

Working hard until 60

Tsukioka eventually moved to Tokyo to acquire a trade, and after starting a welding job, he set up his own business at age 36. Not long afterward, his business ran into trouble with substantial debts but many friends came to his aid, recognizing his honest work, and he avoided bankruptcy.

Tsukioka continued to work hard at his job, to the extent of forgetting to eat and sleep at times. He handled the manufacturing and installation of drainage equipment, and was involved in the construction of Saitama Stadium and the new National Stadium. Flat out with work, he had no time to run, and by the time his business stabilized and he started training, he was already 60 years old.

At the age of 69, Tsukioka ran his first marathon, and completed it in under five hours.

Unexpected entry in a trail run

"I want to run longer distances," Tsukioka thought. The following year, he took part in a race in his home prefecture of Nagano, applying for entry without knowing that it was a trail run. The race had a time limit of 20 hours, and Tsukioka finished it in under 18. From that point, he was hooked. There were several reasons why he became attached to the sport.

"The downhill runs are just so much fun. I can even overtake younger people," Tsukioka explained. "And you get to experience different nature each time."

There were other things too: The feeling of speed as wind rushed by, the glimmer of sunlight filtering through the trees, and the changing of the seasons he felt from the mountain colors.

The octogenarian has taken part in events in various areas, mainly in Japan's Kanto and Koshinetsu regions, and while there are no other runners from his generation, he has made plenty of friends. He still takes part in one or two events each month.

Tsukioka continued to work until the age of 82. At one stage, his debts had ballooned to 100 million yen (about $646,000) but he has since paid them off, and he entrusted his business to his eldest son.

His legs and lower back haven't changed much, he says, though he feels his physical strength is declining. In recent years he has found himself out of breath during races, and more often he gets discouraged, thinking, "Maybe I can't go on." Still, when he reaches the finish line, he thinks, "That was a wonderful course. I want to run it again."

At his age, the mere task of staying healthy is hard enough. So just how stoic is his approach?

"I just do what I want to do, in the way that suits me," he replied bashfully.

A breakfast menu unchanged for 40 years

Tsukioka jogs every day, but he doesn't have fixed plans on where he will run or how far. Some days he might go as far as the vicinity of Mount Takao and run 40 kilometers, and on others he will visit the city-run sports center in his neighborhood or run along the local riverbed.

His breakfast has remained unchanged for about 40 years: white rice and natto, kimchi and miso soup, but "that's because I like it," he says, rather than choosing the meal for its health value. He also often has instant noodles "because they're easy to prepare," and frequently enjoys a drink at night.

"If I were to make everything too rigid, it might end up not lasting that long," he says. The 87-year-old's modest tone is full of strength.

Tomokazu Ihara, a 47-year-old professional trail runner living in Hachioji who has been in contact with Tsukioka for about 10 years, says he has been inspired by the older runner's stance of continuing to take on challenges. "Not only is he an amazing runner, I sense his strength from having overcome hardship and his positiveness," Ihara said.

During the 2024 Hasetsune Cup, Tsukioka retired partway through the race after being beaten by time. While this was no doubt disappointing, he was not bitter about it. "Oh well, it can't be helped," he said. "If I can compete next time, I'll finish it."

In order to compete with other runners with his small stature, he has recently made a conscious effort to increase his stride. Ambition and a spirit of challenge, as Tsukioka has shown, have no age limit.

(Japanese original by Buntaro Saito, Tokyo City News Department)