Yoa, from Ballarat, will run a 10,000m leg in the International Chiba Ekiden Relay on Monday.

He is part of a six-strong Australian men’s and women’s team making the trip for the marathon distance event.

The race consists of six legs – three run by men and three by women: first leg, men’s 5km; second leg, women’s 5km; third leg, men’s 10km; fourth leg, women’s 5km; fifth leg, men’s 10km; sixth leg, women’s 7.195km.

Other members of the Australian team: Madeline Heiner (SA) 5km, Bridey Delaney (ACT) 5km, Courtney Powell (Victoria, 7.1km), Casey Wood (SA) reserve, Brett Robinson (Victoria) 5km, Jack Rayner (Victoria), 10km, and David McNeill (Victoria) reserve.

Robinson is now based in Melbourne, but has spent the past few summers training in Ballarat.

They are expected to compete against the likes of the United States, New Zealand, France, Germany, Kenya and host country Japan.

This is the second year in a row Yoa, 24, has travelled to Japan for the Ekiden.

He was a reserve in 2013 and competed in a support 5km event.

Yoa qualified for this year’s team by taking out the Australian cross country championship.

He said he was in good shape, having recovered well from the Melbourne marathon – his first competitive marathon – last month.

Yoa had his last look at the track in Ballarat on Wednesday in a coaching role.

As an extension of his part-time work with Ballarat’s Centre for Multicultural Youth, the Sudanese-born Yoa leads a weekly running training session for a group of Phoenix P-12 Community College students with African backgrounds.

He has about six students in the group.

Yoa’s coach Rod Griffin said the training/coaching venture was proving popular with the youngsters.