Running
Why surfer Kanoa Igarashi loves running free
In this Why I Run podcast episode, Kanoa Igarashi reveals why running even short distances brings him a sense of freedom and aligns with the meaning of his name, The Free One.
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Spending so much of his time in the ocean – where he was introduced to surfing in Southern California at the age of three – Kanoa Igarashi naturally feels at home in the water and experiences an extraordinary freedom there, stemming in part from a connection with nature.
But Igarashi, who scored a silver medal when representing Japan at the Tokyo Games in 2021, says that on solid ground, running also provides him with a way to enjoy natural settings and feel a sense of release.
“I love running. I love that idea of no machinery,” he explains. “There's nothing foreign – it's you, your legs and your body, and you're pushing yourself forward.”
Listen to the podcast below, and follow Why I Run on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon and wherever you listen to podcasts.
In the Wings for Life World Run this May, Igarashi will be challenging the event’s Catcher Car together with thousands of runners around the world. And like most participants in this charity event where everyone sets their own goals, he won’t be looking to achieve an ultramarathon pace. For him, it’s all about having a great day out while supporting spinal cord research in the run for those who can’t.
So, as usual, he won’t focus on short run versus long run, but rather on savoring the experience.
“Running for me has so many different faces,” says Igarashi. ”It’s part of my training as a professional surfer. It's cardio. It’s staying in shape. But at the same time, it's kind of my getaway.”
Igarashi finds freedom in running as well as in his career sport of surfing
© Ryan Miller / Red Bull Content Pool
“You know, it really reminds me of surfing," he says. "I love that feeling of taking the first few steps because I know it's going to be my time: my time to be free, my time to be myself. I can listen to the music that I want to and I can run where I want to, in any direction that I want.”
He concludes: “It's really empowering.”
With the Wings for Life World Run App, you can run wherever you want and still be part of the global movement to find a cure for spinal cord injury. Sign up here.
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