Wladimir Balentien still remembers all the running.
Balentien spent his first day in a Tokyo Yakult Swallows uniform in a constant state of motion. There was so much running, even on Day 1, he almost couldn't believe it. Balentien had arrived in Japan to play baseball, but maybe he'd stumbled upon an ultra-marathoning group that just liked to hit the ball around sometimes during breaks.
"I'd never run so much in my life," Balentien told The Japan Times. "I didn't think I would survive over here."