1.
endurance run; long-distance run
Running over a long distance at a steady pace to test or build stamina. Commonly used in Japanese school physical education classes as a standard fitness activity.
持久走が苦手だ。
I'm not good at long-distance running.
体育の授業で持久走をした。
We did an endurance run in PE class.
冬になると学校で持久走大会がある。
In winter, schools hold endurance-running competitions.
持久走を続けていると、体力がついてくる。
If you keep doing endurance running, you build up stamina.
Composed of 持久 (endurance, lasting) + 走 (running). Refers specifically to long-distance running as a form of exercise or fitness testing. In Japanese schools, 持久走 is a staple of winter PE classes, often culminating in a 持久走大会 (endurance-running competition) where students run distances from 1 km up to several kilometers.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 持久走大会: endurance-run competition
- 持久走が苦手: bad at endurance running
- 持久走をする: to do endurance running
- 持久走の練習: endurance-running practice
SIMILAR WORDS:
- マラソン: marathon — technically a specific 42.195 km race, but used loosely in Japanese for any long-distance run
- 長距離走: long-distance running — the formal athletic-event term
- ジョギング: jogging — more casual, for fitness at a relaxed pace
CULTURAL NOTE:
持久走大会 is a well-known Japanese school event, often associated with cold winter weather and mixed feelings among students — seen as tough training but also a rite of passage.