http://mainichi.jp/enta/sports/graph/2009/marathon100/index.html
translated by Brett Larner
On March 21, 1909, the first 'marathon' in Japanese history took place. Announcing the race in its February 19, 1909 edition, the Osaka Mainichi Newspaper wrote of the "Great Osaka - Kobe 20 Mile Marathon Run." Describing the upcoming race, the newspaper said, "Such races frequently take place in Europe and America," and went on to describe the historical origins of the marathon in ancient Greece. This race is now considered the birth of Japanese marathoning.
The race's course covered 32 km between Osaka and Kobe and had a field of 20 athletes. Okayama Prefecture native Chonosuke Kaneko [featured in the first of the pictures linked above] won the race in 2:10:54. 100 years later, Japanese marathoners are competitive at the Olympic and World Championships and amateur marathons take place regularly across the country. Whether people run for a time goal, for health, or to lose weight, Japan is now in the midst of its greatest running boom. The landscape seen by the runners in the Great Osaka-Kobe 20 Mile Marathon Run has long since passed, but as long as there are roads in the next 100 years there will be Japanese marathoners to run them.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Credit Where Credit is Due: American and Japanese Men Aged 18-22 pt. I
by Brett Larner
special thanks to Ken Young at ARRS, the IAAF and All-Time Athletics for their database assistance in preparing this article
Last month I published a comparison of the results from the American NCAA Pre-Nationals XC Meet and the Hakone Ekiden Qualifier Road Race which showed that more Japanese university runners were running as fast or faster for a hilly 20 km on the roads than American university runners were running for a hilly 8 km XC. I received a fair amount of response to this comparison, much of it negative and much of it from American university runners, in the comment section, on message boards such as letsrun.com, and in my email inbox. One such letsrun poster asked what was apparently supposed to be a rhetorical question:
Thinking some more about this, I wondered how the numbers would look if you expanded the question out from its original one-dimensional form to include data for 19 year olds, 20 year olds and other comparable ages and distances. I compared runners from the U.S.A. and Japan at five ages from 18-22 and looked at results for 5000 m, 10000 m, half-marathon and marathon, even though the latter is rarely raced at such ages in either country. Setting the letsrun poster's arbitrary criterion of sub-13:30 as a benchmark, I used the popular McMillan calculator to find comparable marks for these longer distances. The McMillan calculator gives times of sub-28:03 for 10000 m, sub-1:02:24 for half-marathon, and sub-2:11:36 for the marathon as equivalent to a sub-13:30 5000 m. The results are quite interesting and seem to show clear trends in where the emphasis in coaching, racing, ability or some combination of all three lie.
The table below shows the complete all-time listings by age and distance for runners from the States and Japan who have achieved these times. With the exception of the marathon, in cases where no runners of a given age have achieved the mark, such as Sato at age 18 in the 5000 m, the fastest mark is listed. Click image for a full-sized version. You might need to enlarge it a bit.
Among 18 year-olds, German and Derrick have set new standards in the 5000 m and will hopefully continue to do so as they grow older. Looking at the the 10000 m and half-marathon, no athletes from either country have performed comparably, but Japanese athletes have performed at a higher level with their advantage increasing with distance.
At age 19 Japanese runners surpass their American counterparts at every distance. Each country has produced two sub-13:30 athletes, but Japan's Kensuke Takezawa and Yuki Sato each recorded times around 5 seconds better than America's Dathan Ritzenhein and Hassan Mead. In the 10000 m two Japanese runners are under the 28:03 mark, with Ryuji Ono's 27:59.32 nearly 25 seconds ahead of top American Galen Rupp. The half-marathon is similar, two Japanese 19 year-olds coming close to breaking 1:02 while the best U.S. runner clocked 1:04:32.
Age 20 is where things start to diverge and thereby become more interesting. American runners show notable development in the 5000 m, with five men going sub-13:30. Only one Japanese 20 year-old, Kensuke Takezawa, has achieved the same mark. His time of 13:19.00 is considerably better than top American Bob Kennedy's 13:22.17 but there is no question that the U.S. excels in depth at this age. Looking at the longer distances the States begins to show development in the 10000 m, with two runners under 28:03 led by Galen Rupp's sensational 27:33.48. Japan likewise shows progress in the 10000 m, five men going under 28:03 topped by Yu Mitsuya's 27:41.10. Japan's progress in the half-marathon is identical, again five men going under 1:02:24 with top 20 year-old Masato Kihara's 1:01:50 over two minutes ahead of top American Herb Wills' 1:03:58.
The trends of rapidly-growing depth in the 5000 m and gradual progress in distance for Americans and of a shift in emphasis to the half-marathon and beyond for Japanese runners continue unabated at age 21. While there is roughly equal quantity and, with the exception of Dathan Ritzenhein's 27:38.50, quality in the 10000 m, the U.S. dominates Japan in the 5000 m, ten men to three and Bill McChesney's 13:18.6 leading Toshinari Takaoka's 13:20.43. The converse is true in the half-marathon, ten Japanese men led by Hidemori Noguchi's 1:01:55 against lone American Scott Bauhs' 1:03:04. Japanese 21 year-olds even take the occasional swing at the marathon. Masakazu Fujiwara's 2:08:12 list-topper would be a noteworthy result at any age, but two more Japanese men have broken 2:10 at age 21, well below the 2:11:36 cutoff.
The trends again continue at age 22. Seventeen American men have broken 13:30 at this age including Galen Rupp's 13:18.12 indoor mark, and Alan Webb's 13:10.86 is the fastest on the chart. While the U.S. numbers in the 10000 m do not improve in quality, the depth shows progression with six athletes cracking 28:03. The gradual move toward longer distances continues as one American 22 year-old, Todd Williams, has broken 1:02:24 in the half-marathon. Japan's numbers in the 5000 m and 10000 m remain relatively constant with the exception of Yuki Sato's 27:38.25 just over a second shy of top American Rupp. The Japanese depth in the half-marathon likewise remains constant at ten runners under 1:02:24, but there is a noticeable improvement in quality as four 22 year-olds have broken 1:02. The reverse is true in the marathon where the quality tops out with another 2:08, this one from Muneyuki Ojima, but the depth has improved to eight men under 2:11:36.
So, in summary, prior to Fernandez and Derrick Japanese teenagers consistently performed at a higher level than their American counterparts from 5000 m up, shifting in focus to longer distances as they entered their 20's while Americans continued to improve their speed at shorter distances and exceeded the achievements of Japanese men at such distances. Not exactly a secret, but those are the numbers. Fernandez and Derrick are clearly talented athletes who may well rewrite the lists. In a follow-up article later this weekend I will look at some of the reasons for these trends and what they might mean for both countries' young runners.
Update: With an exciting, record-breaking generation of young runners present in both the U.S.A. and Japan, the purpose of this series of articles is to recognize and examine the achievements of both sets of runners, their similarities and differences, to generate informed discussion of these points using available numerical data, and hopefully to provide perspective with which to contextualize current trends in both countries. Its purpose is not to bash either country or to say one is subjectively better than the other. As such, unproductively negative comments or those of an excessively disrespectful, jingoistic or racist nature will be deleted. Those compelled to leave such comments are free to do so elsewhere.
(c) 2009 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
special thanks to Ken Young at ARRS, the IAAF and All-Time Athletics for their database assistance in preparing this article
Last month I published a comparison of the results from the American NCAA Pre-Nationals XC Meet and the Hakone Ekiden Qualifier Road Race which showed that more Japanese university runners were running as fast or faster for a hilly 20 km on the roads than American university runners were running for a hilly 8 km XC. I received a fair amount of response to this comparison, much of it negative and much of it from American university runners, in the comment section, on message boards such as letsrun.com, and in my email inbox. One such letsrun poster asked what was apparently supposed to be a rhetorical question:
So how many of these "Rising Sons" have run sub-13:30 at age 18?The poster was referring to Americans German Fernandez and Chris Derrick, both of whom achieved this impressive feat in late spring this year, clocking times of 13:25.46 and 13:29.98 to become the first American 18 year-olds to break this barrier. At the time I didn't know the answer, but it struck me as a good question. I recently had the time to look into it and found, unsurprisingly, perhaps, that the answer is 'zero.' Japan's best current track runner, 22 year-old Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) came the closest, clocking 13:31.72 at age 18. Very close, but no cigar. Were Sato an American this time would put him at all-time #3 well behind Fernandez, just behind Derrick, and far ahead of star Galen Rupp's 13:37.91 mark, but the letsrun poster is correct, the U.S. has two men with such times while Japan doesn't.
Yeah.
Thinking some more about this, I wondered how the numbers would look if you expanded the question out from its original one-dimensional form to include data for 19 year olds, 20 year olds and other comparable ages and distances. I compared runners from the U.S.A. and Japan at five ages from 18-22 and looked at results for 5000 m, 10000 m, half-marathon and marathon, even though the latter is rarely raced at such ages in either country. Setting the letsrun poster's arbitrary criterion of sub-13:30 as a benchmark, I used the popular McMillan calculator to find comparable marks for these longer distances. The McMillan calculator gives times of sub-28:03 for 10000 m, sub-1:02:24 for half-marathon, and sub-2:11:36 for the marathon as equivalent to a sub-13:30 5000 m. The results are quite interesting and seem to show clear trends in where the emphasis in coaching, racing, ability or some combination of all three lie.
The table below shows the complete all-time listings by age and distance for runners from the States and Japan who have achieved these times. With the exception of the marathon, in cases where no runners of a given age have achieved the mark, such as Sato at age 18 in the 5000 m, the fastest mark is listed. Click image for a full-sized version. You might need to enlarge it a bit.
Among 18 year-olds, German and Derrick have set new standards in the 5000 m and will hopefully continue to do so as they grow older. Looking at the the 10000 m and half-marathon, no athletes from either country have performed comparably, but Japanese athletes have performed at a higher level with their advantage increasing with distance.
At age 19 Japanese runners surpass their American counterparts at every distance. Each country has produced two sub-13:30 athletes, but Japan's Kensuke Takezawa and Yuki Sato each recorded times around 5 seconds better than America's Dathan Ritzenhein and Hassan Mead. In the 10000 m two Japanese runners are under the 28:03 mark, with Ryuji Ono's 27:59.32 nearly 25 seconds ahead of top American Galen Rupp. The half-marathon is similar, two Japanese 19 year-olds coming close to breaking 1:02 while the best U.S. runner clocked 1:04:32.
Age 20 is where things start to diverge and thereby become more interesting. American runners show notable development in the 5000 m, with five men going sub-13:30. Only one Japanese 20 year-old, Kensuke Takezawa, has achieved the same mark. His time of 13:19.00 is considerably better than top American Bob Kennedy's 13:22.17 but there is no question that the U.S. excels in depth at this age. Looking at the longer distances the States begins to show development in the 10000 m, with two runners under 28:03 led by Galen Rupp's sensational 27:33.48. Japan likewise shows progress in the 10000 m, five men going under 28:03 topped by Yu Mitsuya's 27:41.10. Japan's progress in the half-marathon is identical, again five men going under 1:02:24 with top 20 year-old Masato Kihara's 1:01:50 over two minutes ahead of top American Herb Wills' 1:03:58.
The trends of rapidly-growing depth in the 5000 m and gradual progress in distance for Americans and of a shift in emphasis to the half-marathon and beyond for Japanese runners continue unabated at age 21. While there is roughly equal quantity and, with the exception of Dathan Ritzenhein's 27:38.50, quality in the 10000 m, the U.S. dominates Japan in the 5000 m, ten men to three and Bill McChesney's 13:18.6 leading Toshinari Takaoka's 13:20.43. The converse is true in the half-marathon, ten Japanese men led by Hidemori Noguchi's 1:01:55 against lone American Scott Bauhs' 1:03:04. Japanese 21 year-olds even take the occasional swing at the marathon. Masakazu Fujiwara's 2:08:12 list-topper would be a noteworthy result at any age, but two more Japanese men have broken 2:10 at age 21, well below the 2:11:36 cutoff.
The trends again continue at age 22. Seventeen American men have broken 13:30 at this age including Galen Rupp's 13:18.12 indoor mark, and Alan Webb's 13:10.86 is the fastest on the chart. While the U.S. numbers in the 10000 m do not improve in quality, the depth shows progression with six athletes cracking 28:03. The gradual move toward longer distances continues as one American 22 year-old, Todd Williams, has broken 1:02:24 in the half-marathon. Japan's numbers in the 5000 m and 10000 m remain relatively constant with the exception of Yuki Sato's 27:38.25 just over a second shy of top American Rupp. The Japanese depth in the half-marathon likewise remains constant at ten runners under 1:02:24, but there is a noticeable improvement in quality as four 22 year-olds have broken 1:02. The reverse is true in the marathon where the quality tops out with another 2:08, this one from Muneyuki Ojima, but the depth has improved to eight men under 2:11:36.
So, in summary, prior to Fernandez and Derrick Japanese teenagers consistently performed at a higher level than their American counterparts from 5000 m up, shifting in focus to longer distances as they entered their 20's while Americans continued to improve their speed at shorter distances and exceeded the achievements of Japanese men at such distances. Not exactly a secret, but those are the numbers. Fernandez and Derrick are clearly talented athletes who may well rewrite the lists. In a follow-up article later this weekend I will look at some of the reasons for these trends and what they might mean for both countries' young runners.
Update: With an exciting, record-breaking generation of young runners present in both the U.S.A. and Japan, the purpose of this series of articles is to recognize and examine the achievements of both sets of runners, their similarities and differences, to generate informed discussion of these points using available numerical data, and hopefully to provide perspective with which to contextualize current trends in both countries. Its purpose is not to bash either country or to say one is subjectively better than the other. As such, unproductively negative comments or those of an excessively disrespectful, jingoistic or racist nature will be deleted. Those compelled to leave such comments are free to do so elsewhere.
(c) 2009 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
'Japanese-Trained Douglas Wakiihuri Won New York'
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1136217/index.htm
A propos of nothing, really, here's a great old article I stumbled across yesterday about pioneering Japan-based Kenyan great Douglas Wakiihuri. I last saw him at the 2006 Ohtawara Marathon near his then-home in Tochigi Prefecture. JRN's Mika Tokairin interviewed him a few months later, describing it as one of the two most interesting she has ever done. After retiring he pursued a music career in Japan and subsequently returned to Kenya where he helped establish the Sotokoto Safari Half Marathon.
Strangely enough, if you follow the 'Toshihiko Seko' link in the article it takes you to my YouTube channel to see the videos Mika filmed of Seko playing drums and singing 'Minnie the Moocher' in Japanese at last year's Tokyo Marathon.
Update: Here's another SI article from the archives, this one about Toshihiko Seko winning the '87 Boston Marathon.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1065895/1/index.htm
This one also has Seko's named linked to Mika's videos of Seko playing music. Strange choice.
A propos of nothing, really, here's a great old article I stumbled across yesterday about pioneering Japan-based Kenyan great Douglas Wakiihuri. I last saw him at the 2006 Ohtawara Marathon near his then-home in Tochigi Prefecture. JRN's Mika Tokairin interviewed him a few months later, describing it as one of the two most interesting she has ever done. After retiring he pursued a music career in Japan and subsequently returned to Kenya where he helped establish the Sotokoto Safari Half Marathon.
Strangely enough, if you follow the 'Toshihiko Seko' link in the article it takes you to my YouTube channel to see the videos Mika filmed of Seko playing drums and singing 'Minnie the Moocher' in Japanese at last year's Tokyo Marathon.
Update: Here's another SI article from the archives, this one about Toshihiko Seko winning the '87 Boston Marathon.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1065895/1/index.htm
This one also has Seko's named linked to Mika's videos of Seko playing music. Strange choice.
'Second Wind'
http://www.globerunner.org/blog/?p=306
An article by Pat Butcher about interesting Tokyo-based club Second Wind. One thing worth noting with regard to Mari Hirata is that the English word 'coach' is used in Japanese more in the sense that we would use 'trainer.' The word 'kantoku' denotes what we think of as the 'coach.' Manabu Kawagoe is the coach, while Hirata is one of the club's trainers. By contrast, 1991 World Championships women's marathon silver medalist Sachiko Yamashita is the coach of Team Daiichi Seimei and its star runner, 2009 World Championships women's marathon silver medalist Yoshimi Ozaki, the younger sister of Second Wind runner Akemi Ozaki.
An article by Pat Butcher about interesting Tokyo-based club Second Wind. One thing worth noting with regard to Mari Hirata is that the English word 'coach' is used in Japanese more in the sense that we would use 'trainer.' The word 'kantoku' denotes what we think of as the 'coach.' Manabu Kawagoe is the coach, while Hirata is one of the club's trainers. By contrast, 1991 World Championships women's marathon silver medalist Sachiko Yamashita is the coach of Team Daiichi Seimei and its star runner, 2009 World Championships women's marathon silver medalist Yoshimi Ozaki, the younger sister of Second Wind runner Akemi Ozaki.
Reactions to Craig Mottram's Downhill 13:23 in Chiba
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
2908 Run Fuchu Tamagawa Half Marathon
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/e-japan/tokyotama/news/20091123-OYT8T00946.htm
translated by Brett Larner
The 32nd Fuchu Tamagawa Half Marathon took place Nov. 23. Featuring three events, a 5 km, 10 km and half marathon, this year's Fuchu Tamagawa hosted a total of 2908 runners. Starting from the baseball grounds in Fuchu's Kyodonomori Park, runners ran through the cheers of courseside supporters along the banks of Tokyo's Tama River.
Athletes from Aoyama Gakuin University took the top four places. Team member Atsushi Suzuki (20, 3rd yr.) clocked 1:06:37 to take the win. "I need to get my pace down faster to get picked for the [Hakone Ekiden] team," Suzuki commented after the race. "Winning was a good experience."
Translator's note: This may not seem very noteworthy, but Fuchu Tamagawa is a long-standing, celebrated race with past winners including Toshihiko Seko, Atsushi Sato, Komazawa Univ. head coach Hiroaki Oyagi and Second Wind AC head coach Manabu Kawagoe. Seko set two national records on this course in the event's early years. Fuchu Tamagawa has suffered a bit as a university-oriented race since the rise of the Ageo City Half Marathon a week earlier, but Komazawa, Aoyama Gakuin and a few others still use it as a Hakone Ekiden tune-up.
What's noteworthy this year is what isn't there: Komazawa's A-squad. They always run Fuchu Tamagawa instead of Ageo, but after failing to make the seeded bracket at the last Hakone Ekiden they had to run the Yosenkai 20 km qualifier in October, something which is not usually part of their schedule. Their absence here suggests a very different training schedule this year and is the direct cause of the slowest winning time in Fuchu Tamagawa history.
translated by Brett Larner
The 32nd Fuchu Tamagawa Half Marathon took place Nov. 23. Featuring three events, a 5 km, 10 km and half marathon, this year's Fuchu Tamagawa hosted a total of 2908 runners. Starting from the baseball grounds in Fuchu's Kyodonomori Park, runners ran through the cheers of courseside supporters along the banks of Tokyo's Tama River.
Athletes from Aoyama Gakuin University took the top four places. Team member Atsushi Suzuki (20, 3rd yr.) clocked 1:06:37 to take the win. "I need to get my pace down faster to get picked for the [Hakone Ekiden] team," Suzuki commented after the race. "Winning was a good experience."
Translator's note: This may not seem very noteworthy, but Fuchu Tamagawa is a long-standing, celebrated race with past winners including Toshihiko Seko, Atsushi Sato, Komazawa Univ. head coach Hiroaki Oyagi and Second Wind AC head coach Manabu Kawagoe. Seko set two national records on this course in the event's early years. Fuchu Tamagawa has suffered a bit as a university-oriented race since the rise of the Ageo City Half Marathon a week earlier, but Komazawa, Aoyama Gakuin and a few others still use it as a Hakone Ekiden tune-up.
What's noteworthy this year is what isn't there: Komazawa's A-squad. They always run Fuchu Tamagawa instead of Ageo, but after failing to make the seeded bracket at the last Hakone Ekiden they had to run the Yosenkai 20 km qualifier in October, something which is not usually part of their schedule. Their absence here suggests a very different training schedule this year and is the direct cause of the slowest winning time in Fuchu Tamagawa history.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Team Yasukawa Denki Scores First Kyushu Jitsugyodan Ekiden Win in Three Years
http://www.asahi.com/sports/update/1123/SEB200911230004.html
translated by Brett Larner
With just a narrow 4-second margin over defending champion Team Asahi Kasei, Team Yasukawa Denki scored its first Kyushu Jitsugyodan Ekiden win in three years at the 46th running of the seven stage, 78.8 km race from Fukuoka to Kita-Kyushu on Nov. 23.
Starting out in 8th place, Yasukawa shot up through the field thanks to Shinji Tateishi's stage best run on the Second Leg, taking the lead on the Sixth Leg. Anchor Ryohei Nakano battled with Team Asahi Kasei's Tomoyuki Sato before dropping him for the win.
In 3rd was Team Toyota Kyushu, which was unable to field a full squad for last year's ekiden. Led by Yu Mitsuya and Masato Imai's stage bests on the 4th and 7th legs, Toyota Kyushu was only 21 seconds off the leaders.
The Kyushu Jitsugyodan Ekiden served as the qualification race for the Jan. 1 New Year Ekiden national corporate championships. Along with the top three, 4th place Team Kyudenko and 5th place Team Mitsubishi Juko Nagasaki also qualified for the New Year Ekiden.
translated by Brett Larner
With just a narrow 4-second margin over defending champion Team Asahi Kasei, Team Yasukawa Denki scored its first Kyushu Jitsugyodan Ekiden win in three years at the 46th running of the seven stage, 78.8 km race from Fukuoka to Kita-Kyushu on Nov. 23.
Starting out in 8th place, Yasukawa shot up through the field thanks to Shinji Tateishi's stage best run on the Second Leg, taking the lead on the Sixth Leg. Anchor Ryohei Nakano battled with Team Asahi Kasei's Tomoyuki Sato before dropping him for the win.
In 3rd was Team Toyota Kyushu, which was unable to field a full squad for last year's ekiden. Led by Yu Mitsuya and Masato Imai's stage bests on the 4th and 7th legs, Toyota Kyushu was only 21 seconds off the leaders.
The Kyushu Jitsugyodan Ekiden served as the qualification race for the Jan. 1 New Year Ekiden national corporate championships. Along with the top three, 4th place Team Kyudenko and 5th place Team Mitsubishi Juko Nagasaki also qualified for the New Year Ekiden.
Gideon Ngatuny Breaks Own Course Record in Second Nagoya Half Marathon Win
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/091123/spg0911231501002-n1.htm
translated by Brett Larner
complete results coming soon
Defending champion Gideon Ngatuny (Team Nissin Shokuhin) won his second-straight Nagoya Half Marathon on Nov. 23, breaking his own course record with a new PB of 59:50 at the 25th anniversary edition of the Rikuren-certified event. Yoshiki Otsuka (Team Aichi Seiko) was the top Japanese finisher, 6th overall in 1:03:29.
Julia Mombi (Team Universal Entertainment) had an easy victory in the women's race, running 1:10:35 to take the win over Maho Matsuno (Chukyo Women's Univ.) who was 2nd in 1:19:12.
Translator's note: Well, that explains why Ngatuny was sitting around pouring water for his teammates during Nissin's track workout on Saturday. This was his first time under the hour mark.
translated by Brett Larner
complete results coming soon
Defending champion Gideon Ngatuny (Team Nissin Shokuhin) won his second-straight Nagoya Half Marathon on Nov. 23, breaking his own course record with a new PB of 59:50 at the 25th anniversary edition of the Rikuren-certified event. Yoshiki Otsuka (Team Aichi Seiko) was the top Japanese finisher, 6th overall in 1:03:29.
Julia Mombi (Team Universal Entertainment) had an easy victory in the women's race, running 1:10:35 to take the win over Maho Matsuno (Chukyo Women's Univ.) who was 2nd in 1:19:12.
Translator's note: Well, that explains why Ngatuny was sitting around pouring water for his teammates during Nissin's track workout on Saturday. This was his first time under the hour mark.
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