Hajime Nishi Profile

Hajime Nishi, an author founder of Ecoamrathon International was born in Kyoto, an environmental capital of the world, in 1949. His first trip to abroad was Soviet Union and 15 European countries in the summer of 1970.

It had opened his eyes to the world and people.

In 1988 he lost his wife by cancer and he'd experienced the serious crises of his life. Since 1990, he'd been attending as a seminarian to take various workshops about personal growth in Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California and running marathons around the globe. Through these unique combination of both spiritual and physical experiences, he'd created a new philosophy called Ecomarathon and had started to pass his message to the people around the globe through his marathon participation since 1995.

He became the first person who ran seven marathons on each of seven continent in seven months in 1997 and the Guiness Book Publishing, UK had certified his accomplishment and created a new world record, "The fastest time to run marathons on each of seven continents" or simply,"The Triple Seven"

In 2000, he became the first non-North American resident who'd completed marathons in all 50 USA States plus DC and 50 countries.*1 Guiness Record
He was a president and CEO of Nishi Film. Inc., an interectual property firm specialized in fitness video licensing for 14 years and a single father who raise three children to be independed before he became an Ecomarathoner, a missionary for the environment, humanity and world peace for future generation.

In 2003, he'd published the first edition of "Ecoamrathon Data Book" to introduce 255 marathons in 54 countries on seven continents.In 2004, this first book about Slow Running Philosophy, "Losing is Winning" was published in Japanese.

His middle term goal in marathon is to run 1,000 marathons in 250 countries by the year 2049.And his life time goal is to realize "One People, One Planet", a healthy peaceful planet for all species and their future generation by year 2101.

*1.GUINESS RECORD
Hajime Nishi of Japan, a founder of Ecomarathon Int'l,who completed 42.195Km marathons on 7 continents in 168 days had been certified as the world record holder of "THE FASTEST TIME TO RUN A MARATHON ON EACH OF THE 7 CONTINENTS" by Guinness Publishing Ltd.,UK on 11 Jan.,1999
------------------------------------------------------------
7 Continents Details certified by Guiness Publishing

17 Feb.,1997 ANTARCTICA MARATHON, Antartica
23 Mar.,1997 CATALINA ISLAND MARATHON, North America
03 May,1997 FLETCHER CHALLENGE MARATHON, Oceania
01 Jun.,1997 SAO PAULO MARATHON, South America
05 Jul.,1997 MIDNIGHT SUN MARATHON, Europe
20 Jul.,1997 PATTAYA INT'L MARATHON, Asia
03 Aug.,1997 MT.MERU INT'L MARATHON, Africa

人、企業】　06/22

マラソンの環境格付けを提唱した～～エコマラソナー　西　一　さん

エコマラソナー　西　一　さん 　「時間を競争するレースでは、ランナーが走ると必ずゴミが落ちる。ゴミ箱を探すよりもタイムを縮める方が大切だからだ。これは20世紀型のスポーツの習性で、21世紀には違った楽しみ方をしないとランナーは受け入れられない」 　６月14日に開催された「ラグーナ・プーケット・インターナショナル・マラソン」にゲストとして招待され、42.195キロメートルを６時間38分かけて完走した。自身では５５９回目のマラソンとなる。 　競技者でない一般の人々が自然や人との触れ合いを楽しみながら参加できる非競技性スポーツイベント「エコマラソン」を提唱している。その普及を目指し、世界各地のマラソン大会で独自の評価基準「エコマラソン国際環境評価」による格付けを行っている。 　２０１１年４月３日には自らが主催して「エコマラソン印旛」を開催する計画だ。参加者にはゴミ捨て、自動車での来場を禁止する。 　「勝者が主役ではない。環境にいい影響を与える人がエコヒーローなのだ。一般の競技者がタイムを目指したら体を痛める。人生の楽しみを失ってしまう。マラソンというのは自分の心を開放し、日常生活と違ったものを味わうものだと思う。それには競争という日常生活での論理を超えていかなくてはいけない。これをエコマラソンで実践していく」 　きっかけは１９９５年に米国モニュメントバレーのマラソンでコースに落ちているゴミを拾いながら走ったこと。美しい土地への畏敬の念を感じた。走り終えた後、これまでどのマラソンでも味わえなかった充実感を得た。 　今世紀中にエコマラソンを通して、国境のない世界、戦争のない恒久平和社会「ワン・ピープル、ワン・プラネット」の実現を目指す。自身が１００歳になる２０４９年末までに、世界２５０の国・地域で１０００のマラソンを完走することを掲げる。これからもメッセージを伝えながら、世界各地で走り続ける。エコマラソンの普及に向けた熱い思いが伝わってきた。 （芸能・イベントに関連記事） （聞き手・構成 渡部博之記者） Ref:

http://www.bangkokshuho.com/article.aspx?categoryid=10&columnid=862

非競技で環境優先、千葉で４月「エコマラソン印旛」初開催

　「世界初のゼロエミッション（ごみゼロ）マラソン」を掲げた「第１回エコマラソン印旛」が４月３日、千葉県印西市で開かれる。完走時間計測や順位付けをしない非競技のマラソンで、参加者はマイボトルを持参して給水機で水を補給し、コースに落ちているごみを拾ったり写真撮影をしながら走る。

　本格的な環境配慮型マラソンは日本では初めての試みだ。毎日新聞はメディアパートナーとして大会を支援する。

　企画したのは、主催するＮＰＯ法人「エコマラソン・インターナショナル」理事長で印西市在住のランナー、西一さん（６１）。西さんは９７年に７大陸でのマラソンを完走するなど計５８４回のマラソンに参加した。その経験を通じ、環境優先で非競技を特徴とするエコマラソンの開催を思い立った。世界の２５５マラソンの環境格付けをした「エコマラソンデータブック」（英語版）の刊行などを経て０８年に同ＮＰＯを設立した。

　エコマラソン印旛は北総鉄道・京成電鉄印旛日本医大駅前の印西市松虫姫公園を午前５～１０時に出発し、印旛沼周辺を回って同公園に戻る。距離は４２・２キロと２１・１キロ。交通規制はせず、ランナーは歩道や自転車道を走り、交差点では信号を守る。途中、２７カ所にトイレや給水機を置く。給水所で紙コップやボトルが散乱する既存のマラソンとは全く異なる方式となる。

　参加費は１万２０００円（２１・１キロは９０００円）。通常より割高だが、「特定のスポンサーに頼らず、参加費だけで運営する」方針だからだ。海外のランナーも多く参加する見込みで、西さんは「世界中から訪れた参加者たちとともに、自然環境や交流を楽しんでほしい」と呼びかけている。

　申し込みはインターネット（http://www.sportsentry.ne.jp/event.php?tid=22659)か、西さん（０５０・３４４８・９５２３）へ。

Ref:http://mainichi.jp/life/ecology/info/news/20110201org00m100016000c.html

Japanese man comes to Bozeman with unique take on running and the world

Ask Nishi Hajime what his best time in a marathon is, and he'll quote an inordinate, 10 hour-plus time clocked in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. His worst time, he says, was a three-hour course time in Southern California.

Not that Nishi, a 61-year-old man from Japan, uses time to measure his performance. He's more likely to tell you how many pictures he took while running a course. During his most recent run, he took 150 snapshots, a low number.
Nishi has run marathons on all seven continents - yes, Virginia, there are marathons on Antarctica - and all 50 states.
He's run marathons in "only" 72 countries, which he says leaves him with 278 nations to run in. And he has run two marathons in Montana, with an upcoming third this Sunday at the Lewis and Clark Marathon in Bozeman.

Marathons, Nishi said, help him understand other cultures and places, and going slow helps him spread his philosophy, which is, basically, anti-competitive. "You don't need to be a winner all the time. The best is to be the last runner," he said Friday in an interview. "Losing is winning. Everyone can't be first, but everyone can be themselves, and that is what's beautiful." His approach draws attention. He said Germans, whose have a zeal for competition, were perplexed. "They couldn't understand why this guy looked so happy being the last runner to cross the finish line," Nishi said.

His approach also extends well beyond changing how people run races. He has a vision of a world drawn closer through running. Here's how he sees it working: First, he hopes more runners leave their countries to run elsewhere, so they can learn about other cultures. For example, before traveling to Lahore, Pakistan, to run a marathon there, all he had heard about the Muslim country was that it was the home of al Qaeda and the Taliban. But the thousands of people who lined the streets to cheer runners on changed his perception.

"Wherever I go, they love to see runners. People from all around the world love to see runners. If we open our minds about them, we can understand them," he said. Second, he hopes that as more people learn about other countries, they can begin coming together, he said. East Asian countries could form a union akin to the European Union, for example. By 2074, that union and the EU could form a trans-Eurasian group and eventually be merged with other continental unions. Nishi's travels require significant financial means, and he said he made his as the CEO of a film licensing company in Japan.

For years, he said, he focused on accumulating wealth and power. But at age 38, he lost his wife and decided to change focus."I had a mission to not just make money, not just be powerful, but be meaningful," he said.
If his vision of the future seems fanciful, he points to some of the popular movies he helped release in Japan, like "2010," a sequel to "2001: A Space Odyssey," in which Americans and Russians make a joint mission to Jupiter.
"I was very impressed by the movie, ‘2010,' he said. "2010, that's this year."

Daniel Person can be reached at dperson@dailychronicle.com
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/article_9f3ff8da-7033-11df-8449-001cc4c03286.html

Hajime Nishi, Globe-trotting Ecomarathoner

Hosteller Spotlight: Hajime Nishi, Globe-trotting Ecomarathoner

What's your name and where are you from?
My name is Hajime Nishi and I'm from Tokyo, Japan.

What are you doing in Chicago?
I'm in the United States running marathons. I ran one in Colorado last week, and I am doing two in Illinois week. The Rockford Marathon and the The Des Plaines River Canoe and Kayak Marathon.

Oh wow! So you run a lot of marathons? Yes, I have run 568 marathons in 72 different countries.
How did you get so into running marathons?In 1990 I started to experience a lot of personal and spiritual growth thanks to a series of workshops at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, and I began to run many marathons. By 1997 I was the first person who ran seven marathons on each of seven continents in seven months. I'm in the Guinness Book of World Records!

You're famous! What do you in Tokyo when you're not busy traveling the world running marathons?
Actually, I am the founder of an organization called Ecomarathon International. It's based on the philosophy of the ecomarathon. The idea is to lower the bar of the marathon - to make it more inclusive to society - and to increase the winnings of the environment. Before, I thought, "Winner takes all. It's very important to win." And now, I realize this is wrong. Everyone has value, not just the winner. Marathons should respect it's participants, the environment and local culture, and that is what I am trying to do.

When did you think of this idea?
Well, 1990 was a big turning point in my life. I realized that I did not want to run for competitive reasons, but to feel a connection with the environment. I was attending a personal growth workshop in California. I was also running in the Navajo Tribal Park Marathon, which is a very scenic and sacred race. I realized what a truly sacred place it was, and as I was running, I started to pick up trash as I went along. I wasn't racing to make a certain time and I realized I wanted to give back to the environment as I was running. That's where it started. Before competitive marathons spread like a disease, I want to spread the idea of ecomarathons so that we can live in peace and harmony with each other and the environment.

Have you organized an ecomarathon?
The first official Ecomarathon will be held on April 3, 2011 in Inba Nihon Idai & Lake Inba near the Tokyo International Airport.

What are the rules of an ecomarathon?
If you drop any garbage and don't pick it up - even if it's by accident - you are automatically disqualified. You are also disqualified if you arrive in a vehicle, unless it's electric. Otherwise you must come by foot, on bicycle, or by public transportation. You can only use reusable water containers, and the food served will be from the ground of local farmers. People will race with bags so they can pick up trash along the way. The race is not timed, and there will be three different start times so that the walkers can start early. People can take up to 9 hours to complete the race!

So there will be no winners?
No, we don't need winners. We need an eco-hero!

Eco-hero? Sounds like a superhero!
Yes! People will be encouraged to dress up in costumes too. And instead of getting a number, they will put a nickname on their shirt.

This is definitely a unique concept!
How will you explain this to people who are doubtful?
A marathon, and any sporting event, should be a reason to unite humanity. Sports are a great tool to promote peace, human rights, and the environment. A marathon can be very fulfilling to the runner if they are connected with the environment and humanity while they participate. I hope this concept will expand to many people and places.

Back to you - where are some of the unique places you've run marathons?
Dubai and Pakistan. The whole country knew about me when I came to Pakistan to run the marathon. They thought, who is this crazy Japanese guy running a marathon in Pakistan?!

Where was your favorite marathon?
I give ratings to each marathon based on the level of environmentally friendliness. The best one I ran, which was AAA rated, was in 1995 in Morea, Tahiti. In 2002, the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race was a AAA-. I picked up 25 kg of garbage during the 3 days. This marathon was very scenic and beautiful, and was also good for the local community. It brought a lot of cultural exchange and business.

What marathon has the worst rating?
Well, it's difficult to say. But some of the most famous marathons, in terms of the environmental effect, are very bad. The organizers care about the size and don't care about the bad effects on the environment. So where can people find out more information about you and your mission?They can go to http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=5jbuutdab.0.0.7i6fftbab.0&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecomarathon.org%2Fenglish%2F&id=preview. And they can come to Japan in April 2011 to run in the very first Ecomarathon!

Ref:
http://hichicago.blogspot.com/2010/05/hosteller-spotlight.html
http://hichicago.blogspot.com/

西 一のプロフィール

コスプレごみ拾いで、ZERO EMISSIONを印旛沼から世界へ！
をテーマとするエコインバ 主催：NPO法人エコマラソン・インターナショナル理事長

西　一のプロフィール

エコインバ は、印西市に居を構えるNPO法人エコマラソン・インターナショナル理事長であり、世界初のスポーツイベントの環境格付け（エコマラソン国際環境評価）考案者、国際スポーツイベントガイドブック、Ecomarathon Data Book著者、ギネスの７大陸マラソン最速走破世界記録創造者であるにもかかわらず、「世界で最ものんびり走れるランナー」として、1990年から2049年の60年間で250ヶ国の千マラソン参加を通し、世界の人々に環境への気付きを高め、全ての人が平等な機会の下、環境的に調和して暮らせる恒久平和社会、One People, One Planetの22世紀迄の実現をめざすことを生涯の使命として取組んでいる事実が独版Wikipediaに紹介されている西　一（http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajime_Nishi）が1990年から19年間で楽しんで来た7大陸72ヶ国の566マラソン参加体験（2009年12月現在）を基に考案されました。

略歴
1949 京都市に生まれる。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
1971 桑沢ﾃﾞｻﾞｲﾝ研究所ﾋﾞｼﾞｭｱﾙﾃﾞｻﾞｲﾝ課を卒業し、西武百貨店池袋店のﾃﾞｻﾞｲﾅｰとして就職。
1972 英語学習の為、ｻﾝﾌﾗﾝｼｽｺに渡航。英語習得後、北中南米、欧州、ｱﾌﾘｶ､アジアを旅行。
1974 帰国後、ブラジルへの技術移住をめざし京都建築専門学校に入学し、建築士試験に合格。
1976 JICA最後の海外技術移住者として妻と共にブラジル移住し、リオとｻﾝﾊﾟｳﾛで建築業開業。
1981 ブラジルでの建築業を売却後、帰国し、京都で輸入ビデオソフト通信販売業開業。
1983 輸入ビデオソフト通信販売業者として最大の輸入（通関実績による）・販売額を達成。
1987 妻をがんで亡くした後、輸入ビデオソフト通信販売業と並行し、(株)ﾆｼﾌｨﾙﾑｽﾞ開業。
1988 米国ﾌｨｯﾄﾈｽｽﾀｰのﾋﾞﾃﾞｵ独占頒布権を取得後、ﾌﾟﾛﾓｰﾀｰとして招聘し、各ｲﾍﾞﾝﾄを成功に導く。
1990 米国ｶﾘﾌｫﾙﾆｱ州のｴｻﾚﾝ研究所で自己成長のﾜｰｸｼｮｯﾌﾟ初受講後、ホノルルで初マラソン完走。
1995 北米ﾓﾆｭﾒﾝﾄﾊﾞﾚｰ80Kmﾚｰｽでのゴミ拾いを通し、ZERO EMISSIONのｴｺﾏﾗｿﾝを提唱開始。
1997 ７大陸ﾏﾗｿﾝ最速走破世界記録達成。筋ﾄﾚ+ﾊﾟﾜｰｳｫｰｷﾝｸﾞを解説する「超ｼｬｲﾌﾟｱｯﾌﾟ」が刊行。
2000 米国50州+DCと50ヶ国のマラソン走破を達成。
2001 地球上全ての生命体が自然と調和して暮らせる恒久平和社会、One People, One Planet
実現の為、(株)ﾆｼﾌｨﾙﾑｽﾞCEOを辞任し、エコマラソンの伝道師となる道を選択。
2003 55国255種類ﾏﾗｿﾝをｴｺﾏﾗｿﾝ国際環境評価で格付けしたEcomarathon Data Bookを刊行。
2005 スピードよりも環境を優先するエコマラソンの大切さを説く「エコマラソン」が刊行。
2006 日本を除く14ヶ国での72マラソンを楽しみ、年間最高国際マラソン走破世界記録達成。
2008 千葉県印旛村に移住後、印旛沼水質浄化をめざすZERO EMISSIONエコインバ 構想誕生。
© 2010-2011 Ecomarathon International, a Non-Profit Organization www.ecomarathon.org

マラソンブームに一石を

日本経済新聞　2009年11月26日夕刊15面「うたた寝」

マラソンブームに一石を

「人と競うよりもっと感動することはあるはず」。
世界72ヶ国、565のマラソン大会を走ってきた市民ランナーの西一さん（60）が、ユニークな環境マラソン大会を千葉県で実現させようと奔走している。走り始めたのは41歳、妻の死がきっかけだった。「仕事を口実に看病から逃げ出した自分が許せなかった」。虚無のふちから救ってくれたのがマラソンだ。全財産を売り払い、世界各地の大会を回った。だが、ただ他人より速く走ろうとして、ボランティアに感謝することなく、ゴミをまき散らす多くのランナーや、それを容認する大会運営に幻滅。世界各地の大会の様々なやり方を観察しながら、エコロジーとマラソンを組み合わせた「エコマラソン」を自ら提唱。独自の基準で大会を格付けした本を自主出版した。

　
２０１１年春開催を予定しているのが「エコマラソン印旛（エコインバ）」だ。場所は里山など豊かな自然が残る印旛沼。運営方法はその多くが既成の大会を反面教師にしている。26ヶ所に設けられる給水所では紙コップを全廃。ランナーは持参したマイカップ、マイ水筒で給水タンクから取水する。コース内でゴミを落とし、指摘されても拾わなかった場合は失格。会場への交通は公共交通機関や自転車を義務づけ、車での来場は禁止だ。達成感を味わってもらうため、制限時間は破格の９時間。最大の特徴はタイム計測をしないことだ。終了後、表彰されるのはゴミ拾いに奮闘したり、道中ほほえましい写真を撮った人たち。ランナー同士の交流も重視しており、１０００人の定員のうち半数は外国人と想定、海外への発信も続けている。　　　　　（編集委員　芦田富雄）