On 2000Km mission from Kolkata to Delhi, Japanese Dribbler Nono runs 100 -165 km a day

New Delhi, India –  Nozomu Hagihara (Nono), who has been on a 2,000-kilometer solo dribbling journey from Kolkata to New Delhi since March, is completing his tiresome voyage in the middle of May. Before finally hitting the Guinness World Records of running that long a stretch manoeuvring football all along the way, this 31-year old Japanese soccer enthusiast and social activist ran 100-167 kms a day braving brutal Indian summer weather hovering around 40-45 degree Celsius, pollution, and other adverse conditions through Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and finally New Delhi.

Initially covering about 25-53 km a day, Nono sped up the run as he wanted to reach the destination well on time. Even the harsh weather conditions and other limitations, such as adequate Japanese food, could not deter him from scaling the run up to 100 to 165 kms, as he started running during the evening hours too, to beat the heat and time.

The first 100km stretch Nono achieved was during his run between Varanasi and Lucknow sometime around April 24. Later, he intensified the run and managed to cover 165 km when he was meandering through Mathura and Palawal on his way to New Delhi.

The first 100 km feat came after he crossed 1,200 kilometers. He achieved this in 15 hours, 10 minutes, and 56 seconds and arrived in Lucknow at 12:30 a.m.

“It was not easy, and I had tears of joy in my eyes when I ran 100 km for the first time during my journey between Varanasi and Lucknow. This feat motivated me to stretch the daily running to even further limits,” Nono told Asian Community News (ACN) Network.

He took off on his journey from Kolkata on March 3, 2025, from the Consulate General of Japan in Kolkata in the presence of Consul-General NAKAGAWA Koichi.

Throughout the journey, Nono not only conducted football workshops in villages along the route, focusing on gender equality, hygiene, and nutrition. He also made this initiative a charity campaign to fund his project of taking 20-30 children from Bihar to Japan for a sports exchange program. This challenge is also an official attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest dribbling distance, marking a historic milestone in sports and social impact. Nono’s mission is to inspire children across India to take on challenges and believe in their potential.

Nono has a rich football player experience of 19+ years throughout most of his life, including playing for the Ritsumeikan University Soccer Club and J-League Oita Trinita U-18 division.

As the founder of FC Nono, Non founded NOZOMU FOUNDATION – a Section-8 company in India dedicated to providing underprivileged children in rural Bihar with opportunities through sports, Nono sees this challenge as a way to motivate young people to embrace perseverance and self-belief.