japan running news

On Dec. 3, Tokyo Olympics marathon team member Yuma Hattori (27, Toyota) announced that he has withdrawn from Sunday's Fukuoka International Marathon due to pain in his right calf. Hattori won Fukuoka in 2018, and in September last year he finished 2nd at Japan's MGC Race Olympic marathon trials to secure his place on the Olympic team. In Fukuoka this time he had planned to target the 2:05:29 Japanese national record. Through Fukuoka organizers Hattori released the following statement: "I have been forced to withdraw from the Dec. 6 Fukuoka International Marathon. To the race organizers, the media, and to the fans who had been looking forward to cheering me on in the race, I apologize from the heart. This setback has made me realize the difficulty of just making it to the start line of a marathon in peak condition. I believe this experience will help me grow further and succeed in my future goals. One of those will be to return to the Fukuoka International Marathon as

December kicks off with another big weekend on the track and roads across Japan. First up it's Friday's rescheduled long distance segment of this year's National Track and Field Championships in Osaka, strategically positioned just inside the reworked qualifying window for next year's Tokyo Olympics. Across men's and women's 3000 m steeplechase, 5000 m and 10000 m, anyone who wins their event with the Olympic standard will be guaranteed a place on the Tokyo team. It doesn't look like there's any official streaming, but the meet will be broadcast on NHK-BS1 starting at 16:00 local time. The 9:30.00 standard in the women's 3000 mSC is faster than the Japanese national record, and with defending national champ Reimi Yoshimura (Daito Bunka Univ.) the closest at 9:49.30 there's not much chance that spot will get taken barring a big step up from her. Her main competition is Yuno Yamanaka (Ehime Ginko), close behind on PB at 9:50.05, with two other

Next generation 3000 m steeplechase star Ryuji Miura (Juntendo Univ.), 18,  has withdrawn from the Dec. 4 National Track and Field Championships to be held at Osaka's Yanmar Stadium Nagai. According to a statement from the university, Miura struck his left leg while practicing his hurdling. In July Miura ran 8:19.37, missing the Japanese national record by a fraction of a second. A win under the Olympic qualifying standard of 8:22.00 at Friday's Nationals would have secured his place on the Tokyo Olympic team.   source article: https://this.kiji.is/706080186705118305 translated and edited by Brett Larner

At Saturday's Saga Long Distance Time Trials at Saga Sunrise Park Field, Aritacho resident Yoshitsugu Iwanaga , 60, ran 33:39.52 to break the 10000 m world record for the men's 60-64 age group. Running alongside athletes bound for the National High School Ekiden and New Year Ekiden his pace was fast from the start. Sustaining a pace around 3:20 per 1000 m, with a last surge he took over 18 seconds off the previous 60+ record of 33:57.6 set in 2013 by a British runner. "I haven't run that fast before so it was challenging, but I'm glad I was able to get the world record," Iwanaga said afterward. At age 50 when he broke the Japanese men's 50+ national record for 10000 m Iwanaga set out on an enthusiastic pursuit of a world record. In September he broke the 60+ world record for 3000 m and earlier this month did the same for the 5000 m world record, making this his third world record once the certification process is completed. Asked about his future goals I

Usually held every February, the Iwaki Sunshine Marathon has launched a new promotional video campaign featuring Athens Olympics marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi and sumo wrestling comedian Akatsu . The campaign is promoting a new "alternate reality" event in place of the Iwaki Sunshine Marathon. By scanning QR codes installed along the Iwaki Sunshine Marathon course, participants can take pictures of themselves altered to look as though they are running in the race at that point on the course. Following a cancelation due to bad weather in 2019 and coronavirus cancelations of the 2020 and 2021 races, the goal of the campaign is ask the event's fans not to forget it. Kota Furuhashi of the event organizing committee explained, "All of us on the organizing committee hope that this will inspire people to take part in the real Sunshine Marathon the next time it's held." Noguchi commented, "Doing work on this project has been so much fun that I can

A Chuo University team video from Iwasa's senior season last year. He turns up in the Ageo City Half Marathon clip starting at 1:42. Local Hiratsuka resident Kaito Iwasa , 23, will run the 74th Fukuoka International Marathon on Dec 6. With the number of entrants limited to a select few due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, Iwasa earned the right to stand on the starting line by meeting the strict qualifying standards. "Fast times will come later," he said. "Before anything else I just want to enjoy this one." Iwasa graduated from Kasugano J.H.S. and Oiso H.S. He attended Chuo University. where he was part of the ekiden team. After graduating from Chuo this year he started working at a local company in April, training all the while for next spring's Tokyo Marathon. When Tokyo was postponed until next October due to the coronavirus crisis, he started looking for another race he could run and heard that Fukuoka would be happening.  In March this year Iwasa ra

The JAAF has announced the entry lists for the long distance events for this year's rescheduled National Track and Field Championships , to be held Dec. 4 at Osaka's Yanmar Stadium Nagai. The program features men's and women's 5000 m, 10000 m and 3000 m steeplechase, with two heats of men's 10000 m due to the large number of entries. The defending national champs in five events, Hiroki Matsueda (Fujitsu, 5000 m), Kazuki Tamura (Sumitomo Denko, 10000 m), Ryohei Sakaguchi (SGH Group, 3000 mSC), Rina Nabeshima (Japan Post, 10000 m), and Reimi Yoshimura (Daito Bunka Univ., 3000mSC), are all entered. After initially announcing her entry, women's 5000 m national champion  Tomoka Kimura  (Shiseido) is an early scratch following disastrous runs at both major fall ekidens. Due to the one-day schedule doubling would be very unlikely, but that hasn't stopped men's 5000 m and marathon national record holder  Suguru Osako  (Nike) from entering both the 5000 m an