With the remarkable achievements he's accomplished in collegiate ekiden, including four Hakone titles, Susumu Hara could easily rest on his laurels.
Instead, he's chosen to voice his opinions about what he feels is right in hopes of bringing reform to Japanese track and field.
The Aoyama Gakuin University men's ekiden coach, said Japanese administrators and other leaders in the sport have to stand up and drastically change the status quo in order to attract more fans and create a deeper pool of potential athletes.