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Tips for the bread-eating race: key points summarized

A bread-eating race isn’t just about running—it’s the fun of taking a bite out of bread along the way.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, you may not see it as often as before, but it still seems to be held at elementary school sports days and at events for seniors.

Speaking of bread-eating races, some of you might have bitter memories of feeling frustrated because you couldn’t quite get a good bite of the bread.

This article summarizes key points and tips you’ll want to keep in mind when participating in a bread-eating race.

Be sure to use it as a reference when practicing for a bread-eating race with your child!

All that's left is to run to the goal. But wait a second!

Let’s improve our concentration

Let's improve our concentration

In a bread-grabbing race, you have to bite into the bread in the middle of an otherwise normal footrace, so concentration becomes extremely important.

This connects to what I mentioned earlier—“stay calm after you’ve secured the bread”—but many people have probably experienced losing focus once they finally get the bread and then dropping it.

You could say there are two critical moments in a bread-grabbing race: first, concentrate on biting the bread; then, once you have it, calm down and focus solely on the finish line.

Keep these points in mind!

Mindset for the Bread-Eating Race

Throw away your shyness and go for it with gusto!

Throw away your shyness and go for it with gusto!

You might be joining a bread-eating race at a sports day or event, but feel embarrassed about desperately biting into the bread.

Does that sound like you? Worrying that the crowd will laugh if you can’t bite into it quickly won’t get you anywhere.

This isn’t just about bread-eating races, but in general: let go of unnecessary embarrassment and charge in with confidence—doors will open.

When people see you giving it your all, they’ll cheer you on!

Let’s have a blast!

Let's have a blast!

Up to this point I’ve talked about the importance of boldly casting aside your embarrassment and charging ahead, as well as keeping calm and composed.

But the most fundamental and most important thing is that you—the participant—truly enjoy the bread-eating race from the bottom of your heart.

Even if your opponent is a fast runner, if they can’t bite into the bread well, a dramatic upset can happen—that’s the real thrill of a bread-eating race.

Since you’re taking part, try to enjoy it with the mindset of “Hey, at least I’ll get to eat some tasty bread!”

In conclusion

As mentioned at the beginning, due to the lingering effects of COVID-19, traditional bread-eating races like in the old days have become less common.

However, it seems that some facilities for the elderly have devised alternatives—for example, replacing the bread with cards and handing out the bread afterward.

If you plan to hold a bread-eating race as part of an event, be sure to incorporate ideas that everyone can enjoy, and aim for victory using the foolproof methods we shared this time!