うたぴょんスポーツThis one isn't about Uta running — it's about the team she trains with. She filmed and narrated this video about two of her club-mates from Saitama RC, her running club, racing at the S&B Kids Health Marathon, a kids' race that's been going for more than 40 years.
Saku, a second grader (seven or eight years old), ran the boys' 1.5km. Shiori, a third grader (eight or nine), ran the girls' 2.0km. Both races, plus the awards ceremony after, are in the video.
How the day went
The video opens with a quick interview with Saku before his race. Asked what his goal was, he just said he wanted to beat his rival and take first place. No hedging, no nerves in his voice — that's what a seven-year-old's race plan sounds like when he's already put in the training.
You can tell from the footage that this is a big community event. Families lined the course, the commentary team called out splits and names, and there was a proper awards ceremony waiting at the end for the kids who did well.
The race itself
Saku's 1.5km went out fast, with him tucked near the front through the early laps. The commentary described a tight back-and-forth with another runner before Saku pulled clear in the closing stretch to take the win. Afterward, asked how it felt, he said he was happy he'd beaten his rival.
Shiori's 2.0km came later. The broadcast mentioned that the national top time for this age group sits at 6 minutes 48 seconds, with the event's own best ever at 7 minutes 9 seconds — numbers that put into perspective just how strong the field is at a race like this one.
What a parent took away from it
Watching someone else's kid race is still useful homework. Saku's pre-race answer — short, specific, no padding — is worth remembering next time I ask Uta what her plan is before a race. A clear goal said out loud seems to settle a kid more than any pep talk I could give.
The video's title calls this a historic day, pointing to one of the Saitama RC runners landing inside Japan's all-time top ten for the age group. That's a real marker, but it doesn't change what Monday's training looks like. The work stays the same either way.
The club, not just the race
What struck me most is that this is a video about team-mates, not about Uta herself. She's old enough now to turn the camera on someone else's race and take it seriously — asking questions, catching the finish, sticking around for the ceremony. That's its own kind of growing up.
Both Saku and Shiori got their moment on the podium at the end. For a club like Saitama RC, a day where two of the kids both race well is a good day for everyone, not just the two of them.
The bigger picture
S&B's event has apparently been running for over 40 years, which says something about how long kids' road races have been part of ordinary family life here. It's not a one-off — it's a fixture, the kind of race a club like Saitama RC builds a season around.
Uta herself isn't in this one, but she's part of the same pipeline: she was ranked nationally 10th in the 1000m for third-grade girls last year. Races like this one are where that kind of ranking gets built, one Saturday morning at a time.
Next up for the club is more of the same — weekly sessions, the next local race on the calendar, and Uta back behind the camera or on the start line herself.
The video itself is worth a watch just for Saku's pre-race interview and the finish of his 1.5km.