Daisuke Yasuhara to Run 10K Race in Okayama with Prosthetic Limbs

On October 11, 2026, 39-year-old corporate employee Daisuke Yasuhara will compete in the 10-kilometer run at the Okayama Kibi Kogen Wheelchair and Friendly Road Race in Kibichuo, Okayama Prefecture, running on prosthetic limbs just over a year after losing his hands and feet to a severe infection, yomiuri.co.jp reported.

Daisuke Yasuhara Faces 10-Kilometer Road Race in Okayama

Yasuhara completed a full 10-kilometer training run on October 4, 2026, at the Prefectural General Ground in Kita Ward, Okayama City, wearing rain gear alongside physical therapist Atsushi Sekito, 26, and occupational therapist Mayuka Yanagida, 36, who will pace him during the race, yomiuri.co.jp reported.

KSBニュース noted that the condition carries a reported fatality rate of 40 percent, and survivors frequently face limb amputation.

Hospital Rehabilitation and Return to Work Lead to Race Entry

Following his surgeries, Yasuhara spent about a month running high fevers before transferring to the Kibi Kogen Medical Rehabilitation Center in Kibichuo in July 2025, yomiuri.co.jp reported. KSBニュース added that Kibi Kogen Medical Rehabilitation Center Director Kazunari Furusawa noted Yasuhara’s exceptional drive, stating that he performed continuous independent training in hospital hallways and therapy rooms beyond scheduled sessions.

Yasuhara’s daily rehabilitation involved one hour of prosthetic arm training with Yanagida in the mornings and one hour of prosthetic leg balancing and standing exercises with Sekito in the afternoons, yomiuri.co.jp reported. KSBニュース detailed that his physical therapy began with learning to walk on his knees, and he exceeded staff targets by walking more than 5,000 steps daily. Having completed his inpatient rehabilitation, Yasuhara was discharged in June 2026 and returned to his job in September 2026, working three days remotely and driving his car twice a week to a company facility in Tadotsu, Kagawa Prefecture, according to KSBニュース.

Support Systems and the Meaning of the Okayama Race

Reflecting on his recovery, yomiuri.co.jp reported that Yasuhara experienced a pivotal moment while recovering in bed, dreaming of a choice between a difficult life and an easy death before choosing to live for his children. His wife inscribed I am who I am on his prosthetic arm, and his children have encouraged him by telling him his prosthetics allow him to do anything, yomiuri.co.jp noted.

The race finish line is positioned directly outside the Kibi Kogen Medical Rehabilitation Center, allowing Yasuhara to show his recovery to the medical staff and supporters who assisted him, according to KSBニュース.

Unresolved Challenges in Daily Life and Next Steps

Despite his return to work and athletic training, yomiuri.co.jp reported that Yasuhara still faces mornings where he wakes up feeling despair over his missing limbs and experiences frustration with routine daily tasks. The extent to which he can continue expanding his physical capabilities and whether he will transition to longer running distances following the October 11, 2026 race remain open questions as he continues his adjustment to daily life.