Kenta Abe

He has an 8years older sister and a 6years older brother. He has been active on TV and in lectures as ‘the handsome man with Down’s syndrome’, and has worked for an IT company for 13 years; his mother passed away in an accident in 2011; in 2020 he started ‘Kenta CHANNEL’ on YouTube and started living on his own at the same time; he is also a member of the ‘Kenta CHANNEL’ team.
With the motto [To convey the infinite possibilities ♾️] as his motto, he obtained his driving licence on his 55th attempt, even though there was no precedent of obtaining one due to Down’s syndrome.

(He passed the practical test in one shot, but passed the final academic test on his 55th attempt) and,
He has been taking painting classes since he was 15 years old, and her artwork was chosen for an Italian wine label and sold as a product called White KENTA. Part of the proceeds are donated to the Japan Down Syndrome Association.
Although he has never run a marathon before, he is currently training daily with a personal trainer to complete a full marathon, with the support of his family, who have agreed with him to “take on another challenge to convey the infinite possibilities”.

Supportive Runner

Junya Kato

Born 8 January 1988 (age 36)
Born in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

Has been active in the sports industry for a total of 16 years as a sports instructor, kids swimming coach, running coach and personal training coach.
He has experience running a full marathon and currently teaches more than 150 personal training sessions per month.
When I first heard about it, I was a bit apprehensive at first because it was an unknown experience to be a marathon runner for people with disabilities.

I watched all of Kenta’s YouTube videos to get to know him better, and my initial apprehension disappeared and I found myself rather excited.
Seeing Kenta’s positive, energetic attitude and his willingness to go through anything and everything cheered me up.
I decided to support Kenta because I thought he would bring energy and hope to many people by challenging this marathon.

Final Thoughts from the Representative

In the process of selecting athletes with Down syndrome, I was faced with many obstacles and events that almost made me want to throw myself away.
At such times, I was cheered on by friends who reached out to me and by the members who supported the NPO together. The fact that we continue to accomplish the long-term project of the NPO together with the athletes who take on a challenge as simple and gruelling as a marathon is made possible by the support of many people around us. Our first major goal is to support these athletes as a PURPLE HEART PROJECTS organization.