is a Japanese

ultramarathon An ultramarathon is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon distance of . The sport of running ultramarathons is called ultra running or ultra distance running. Various distances, surfaces, and formats are raced competitively, from the ...

and

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

runner from

Sagamihara, Kanagawa is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 723,470, with 334,812 households, and a population density of 1,220 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Sagamihara is the third-most-populous city ...

. He is the current Asian record holder of the 24-hour run with the distance of , which he achieved in 2007 at Soochow International Ultra-Marathon. He is a four-time IAU 24 Hour World Championship winner, which makes him the athlete with the most wins in the event. Other notable wins of Sekiya include eight wins at the

IAU The International Astronomical Union (IAU; , UAI) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and developmen ...

-endorsed Soochow International Ultra-Marathon held in Taipei. He first won the event in 2001, and won in seven consecutive years in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 (there was no event in 2006). Sekiya won the

Spartathlon Spartathlon is a ultramarathon race held annually in Greece since 1983, between Athens and Sparti, the modern town on the site of ancient Sparta. The Spartathlon is based on the run of Pheidippides, who ran from Athens to Sparta before the ...

Ultra Race in Greece in 2002 and 2009.

International competitions

References

1967 births Living people Japanese ultramarathon runners Japanese male marathon runners Japanese male long-distance runners Sportspeople from Sagamihara Athletes from Kanagawa Prefecture Male ultramarathon runners 20th-century Japanese sportsmen {{Japan-ultradistance-athletics-bio-stub