Yuki rocks white dudes world

The boy is running hard, his breathing loud and choppy. He sees his mother up ahead, standing at the spot on the asphalt path that marks the end of the lap. She's looking at the stopwatch in her hand. If he beats his personal best, even by a second, practice will end and there might be a reward. An ice cream or a burger, maybe. If he's slower, he'll have to run around the park again. He hates those penalty runs, but at age 7, he doesn't dare challenge his mother. She shouts, “Three minutes 34…35…36,” and each second declared propels him faster. When he finally reaches her, he collapses on the grass. Bits of twigs and dirt stick to his sweaty arms and legs as he rolls around on the ground and tries to calm his breathing. But soon his mother is shouting again. “What are you doing lying down there?” It's time for a penalty lap.

More than 20 years later, Japanese marathoner Yuki Kawauchi is still running hard. Very hard. Kawauchi, 28, races nearly every weekend, in distances that range from half marathons to ultras to the world marathon majors. Racing so ma

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