The Yomiuri ShimbunSometimes running can not only bring you better health, it can also help you find your life partner.
Many factors can lead to successfully finding a partner through running.
For example, while running with a potential partner, considerately remaining aware of speed and ensuring that you keep the same pace can help bring you and your running mate closer together.
Matchmaking companies have recently been holding running events at various locations. These events are dubbed “Run-kon,” a name that combines the English word “run” and the Japanese word “kon-katsu,” which means seeking a marriage partner.
A considerable number of people have found potential partners at these events, and a wristwatch popular among joggers has served as a facilitator for bringing some of them together.
Haruhiko Noma, 43, of Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, and his wife Keiko, 51, owe their marriage both to running and the wristwatch. Before marriage, Keiko was a company employee in Tokyo.
Noma, a native of Kobe, used to work for an optical shop. He moved to Shirahama in 2003 and started working at a local forestry association. He also began running to build up his physical strength.
In 2009, he bought a wristwatch manufactured by the U.S. company Garmin Corp. that comes equipped with a global positioning system to automatically record the courses and distances its wearer has run.
He also registered with a system to report his running records on his blog. He got to know Keiko, who also wears the wristwatch, through his blog.
The couple first met face-to-face at a gathering of bloggers in the autumn of 2011.
They then began communicating via blogs as they wanted to know what scenery the other saw every day when running. When Keiko participated in the Osaka Marathon that year, Noma attended the event to cheer her on. They married at the end of 2012.
They now make it a habit to run together on weekday evenings and during holidays.
“We lived really far away before—in Tokyo and Shirahama. I never would have imagined that we would meet and get married like this. Life works in mysterious ways,” Noma said.
“When we are running together, I feel like she is really considerate of me.” he added.
Keiko said she felt the same way.
Although such dramatic stories as Noma’s marriage are rare, participating in matchmaking running events has become increasingly popular.
Exeo Japan, a Yokohama company, has hosted about 120 Run-kon events in Osaka, Tokyo, Nagoya and other places since 2012, attracting a total of about 2,000 runners in their mid-20s to mid-40s.
In these events, participants get to know each other first by chatting, and then they run for about an hour. Afterward, they change clothes and dine together. They get a chance to see different sides of each other, in running wear and ordinary clothing and before and after running.
According to the company, about 40 percent of the participants have met potential partners at the events.
“Our events attract many people as they feel they can meet each other in good mental and physical condition after running and feeling refreshed,” said an employee of the company in charge of publicity.
Junichi Taniguchi, associate professor at Tezukayama University’s Faculty of Psychology, who studies the psychology of love, said: “People who are interested in running can share values through the hobby. They also feel closer by sharing the process of reaching their respective goals such as running the whole distance and breaking their own records. Also, when our heart rates increase because of running, we develop a more positive mood that can help us find Mr. or Ms. Right.”
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