This is Philip Cadzow, one of the Physical Education Teachers on ICT’s Hakusanroku Campus. On Saturday, November 8th, 2025, the second annual Ekiden (a team relay race) was held at Hakusanroku Campus. The goal of the race was for each team of 15 members to complete 25 laps around the campus (roughly 670 m per lap). The teams were composed of students from different year levels and teachers. 

The objective was not to finish in the fastest time, but to be the team that completed the laps in a time closest to their estimate. This goal system may sound confusing and overly complicated; it is certainly more so than the usual “fastest team” approach. This design was chosen for several reasons: to reduce the risk of student injuries from sudden intense movement, to relieve pressure on those who were not as fast as others, and to allow more teachers to participate without feeling bad about slowing down a team.

Three of the teams chose 100 minutes as their estimated time, and only one team guessed that they would finish in 86 minutes. The day had perfect weather—clear blue skies with only a cooling wind. There were no clouds, only a blue sky contrasting with the changing colors of the leaves. With everyone lined up and mixed into their teams, Yuzuki Komoto—a 4th year student—gave a very nice speech about the event being an opportunity for different year levels to mix socially. He encouraged the 1st year students, saying that while the older students may seem big and intimidating, they should not feel afraid to talk to them.

After a countdown, the teams took off sprinting! What was meant to be a challenge to guess everyone’s pace soon changed with the energy of the day. I did not expect the excitement of running to be so powerful. The first eight laps were finished in only 25 minutes. Everybody was sprinting their fastest, even though they had plenty of time. Therefore, I had to make an emergency adjustment to the times, otherwise everyone would be far off their estimated time! Therefore, the competition was changed to which team managed to get the closest to 80 minutes total time.

I was most impressed with the atmosphere of the event; the feeling was very friendly between all year groups, and there was plenty of cheering and general enjoyment of the day. As much as I love and enjoy movement, sometimes that passion is not embodied in the many different types of students, especially when it comes to running. So, I was very happy that the atmosphere of the day was so joyous and filled with friendly rivalry.

A spontaneous guessing game of “How many laps has Ian-sensei run?” began to develop as well, his insatiable need to run being an inspiration to the watching crowd. The race continued and each changeover was cheered; each person had their time in the spotlight. Unfortunately, this also brought some of the same injuries as last year, with ankles and lungs feeling the pressure—but in fewer numbers than last year, and it was self-inflicted rather than prescribed.

The last laps were run, and the finishing times were very close! Considering that nobody had a watch or phone to keep track of the time, this was very impressive. All teams were within 10 minutes of the 80-minute goal.

In the end, having a time goal rather than a race was less satisfying to watch at the finish, but we had fewer injuries, more teacher participation, and the students had a slightly more relaxed and fun day rather than the pressure of competition. I don’t know what next year will bring—whether the allure of competition will call me back—but this year we had wonderful weather and good people. A lovely reminder that with a separated campus, events like these are important for social bonding.

Philip Cadzow