Senior cross country and long-distance track athlete and photographer Yusuke Hatano’20 from Tokyo, Japan talks with the Round Table. 

RT: How long have you been running?

YH: About six years.

RT: When did you join the cross country and track teams? 

YH: I joined cross country in my sophomore year in the middle of the season. I was training for [a] marathon and Joanna [Furlan’20] asked me to join the team. 

RT: How was the transition this season from cross country to indoor [track and field]? 

YH: Um… it was hard. I don’t like cross country because of my running form… I run with rhythm so it’s not good for cross country. So I was training entire cross country season for track season, basically. That was my plan. 

RT: What’s your favorite event in track? 

YH: 5K. Both indoor and outdoor 5K. But I like road races. Half-marathon is my favorite.  

RT: What’s the furthest distance you’ve ever run? 

YT: I don’t know. I ran for four hours when I was in high school. It was the final week of my first semester… So my school is combined, so there is no transition between [middle and high school]. The middle school I was having fun, but I had trouble with [the] transition to high school and I didn’t like class and school. So Sunday night I told my mom “I’m going to go for a run,” I run like four hours, and then slept outside [on] like a bench… not very long… I didn’t go to class; I didn’t go directly to my home. I went to my grandma’s house and they found out and I got in trouble…. It wasn’t that much– 36 kilometer, so like 25 or 26 miles. 

RT: Your birthday is coming up [on Monday, February 3rd]. Are you doing anything special? 

YH: No. Saturday night. 

RT: What’s your morning routine? 

YH: I wake up, go to the restroom, wash my face, have a cup of water, make coffee, listen to podcasts. [I listen to] ‘Up First’ on NPR. 

RT: What’s your favorite memory on the team? 

YH: I really had fun at the end of last season when we had the Beer Mile. It was fun… everyone died [and] I was thriving… No strategy. Just: Drink. Run. 

RT: How do you balance your photography with classwork and running? 

YH: Uh… just organized. I use the morning pretty much for everything. 

RT: Do you have a favorite thing to photograph? 

YH: Some like street photography. I like to photograph people. 

RT: What are your goals for your senior season? 

YH: Get a PR in the 10K… 35 [minutes] or 34. 

RT: What’s your dream date? 

YH: Dream date? Hmmm… I don’t know. I’m open to anything. Just have coffee; have fun… I have low expectations. I try to lower my expectations and then raise my standards. Have coffee in the morning and run and then drink at night. Yep. 

RT: Have you ever done a bell run? 

YH: No. Maybe [before graduation]. 

RT: Are you a big spoon or a little spoon? 

YH: Little spoon. 

RT: Do you have any words for the fans? 

YH: I don’t have any fans! Oh, see my graphics on Instagram. 

RT: What are your thoughts on Instagram Live videos?

YH: [Laughs] It’s just for killing time when I’m drunk