Japanese man runs marathon in honor of wife, 3 children who died in earthquake

A Japanese man is making headlines for running a marathon to honor his family who died in an earthquake earlier this year.

Keisuke Oma, a 42-year-old police officer in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, participated in the 42.1-kilometer (26.1-mile) Kanazawa Marathon 2024 on Oct. 27, finishing in three hours and 58 seconds. Oma wore a shirt with a picture of his wife Haruka, 38, their daughter Yuka, 11, son Taisuke, 9, and son Minatosuke, 3.

Oma told reporters after the marathon, “I’d be happy if my family in heaven said, ‘You were so cool, Dad.'”

Oma and his family were staying at Haruka’s parents’ home in Suzu City for the New Year when a 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit Ishikawa Prefecture. The family was in the living room when the first tremor hit, prompting Oma to go outside to check. A second and more powerful tremor then triggered a landslide near the house, causing it to collapse. Oma and their neighbors searched the wreckage for his family, but their bodies were recovered days later.

Although Oma is still mourning, he is determined to continue living. “It is not just my life. I cannot always live in the past,” he said.