japan running news

Japan Running News has hit 500 posts. I started this blog just over a year ago and hope that it is achieving its goal of making some of the incredible running that happens here more visible to the rest of the world. I want to thank everyone who has helped me, the athletes, coaches and agents I've met through this work, and all the readers who have taken the time to contact me or leave comments.

In the next year I hope to expand JRN's scale to include more premium content and to work toward realizing some of the opportunities which came up this year both for Japanese runners to run overseas and for foreign runners to race here. I will also be moving toward increased legibility in format for those who do not like contrast. Thanks again.

Brett Larner

Comments

Al in Vancouver said…

Congratulations. I appreciate your work.

Al
www.terminalcitytraining.com

November 19, 2008 at 1:43 AM

Anonymous said…

As a fan of Japanese marathoners, I must say I am now much more informed about all Japanese runnning activities than ever before, thanks to your good work. Really appreciate it. Cheers.
Vincent

November 19, 2008 at 4:52 AM

Roberto said…

As terminal wrote, your work is much appreciated. Well done.

November 19, 2008 at 7:23 AM

Anonymous said…

MUCHAS FELICIDADES
MUY BUEN BLOG
ME MANTENGO INFORMADO SOBRE TAKAHASHI MI IDOLA Y LAS DEMAS NOTICIAS DE ATLETISMO JAPONES.
SABE SI FUKUSHI VOLVERA A OSAKA EN ENERO?
MARCOS CHILE

November 19, 2008 at 11:21 AM

Brett Larner said…

Thanks for the comments. Marcos, Fukushi and her coach have been noncommital about her marathon plans in the interviews I've read this fall. They just keep saying, "We're not thinking past the Jitsugyodan Ekiden Championships."

November 19, 2008 at 2:34 PM

Andrew Armiger said…

Thanks and kudos to you! Yours is a brilliant beacon in the blogosphere.

November 20, 2008 at 12:33 AM

Chris M said…

Great blog - keep up the good work!

November 20, 2008 at 2:44 AM

Anonymous said…

Really enjoy your blog - look forward to reading further entries!

November 20, 2008 at 4:26 AM

Brett Larner said…

The new format is still in progress.

November 20, 2008 at 9:46 AM

moguli said…

Thanks Brett! Your blog is absolutely awesome. Keep up the good work!

Jarno, Finland

November 20, 2008 at 7:39 PM

Most-Read This Week

Takeshi Soh Reflects on 54 Years in the Sport on His Retirement as Asahi Kasei Head Coach

After 54 years at the Asahi Kasei corporate team, first as athlete and then as coach, Takeshi Soh will retire at the end of this month. Together with his twin brother Shigeru Soh they formed a duo who were icons of the Japanese marathoning world and went all the way to the Olympics. After retiring from competition Takeshi devoted himself to coaching young athletes and came to play a primary role in the leadership of Japanese long distance. His list of achievements is long, and so is the list of those he influenced and inspired. His twin Shigeru was chosen for three Olympic teams in the marathon, Montreal in 1976, Moscow in 1980 and Los Angeles in 1984. Takeshi was named to the Moscow and Los Angeles teams, placing 4th in L.A. to confirm his position as one of the greatest names in the sport in that era. After becoming a coach the twins helped lead Hiromi Taniguchi to gold at the 1991 Tokyo World Championships, Koichi Morishita to silver a year later at the Barcelona Olympics, and o...

Tokumoto and Yamakawa Take Over at Shibaura Kogyo in Quest for Hakone Debut

In a quest to make its first Hakone Ekiden, Shibaura Kogyo University announced this week that former Surugadai University head coach Kazuyoshi Tokumoto , 45, and former Reitaku University head coach Tatsuya Yamakawa , 40, will take over as head and assistant coach starting in April. In a statement issued by the university Tokumoto commented, "I'm pleased to have been named head coach of Shibaura Kogyo University's track and field team. When they came to feel me I could feel their passion about achieving their dream of becoming the first science and technology university to compete in the Hakone Ekiden. I was happy to accept because I felt that this was an environment in which I could grow too. It's my responsibility to help them become the 45th university ever to compete in Hakone. I hope that you'll enjoy Act II of the Tokumoto Show and cheer us on as Shibaura Kogyo heads down the road to Hakone." Yamakawa's comments read, "I arrived early in Feb...

Japan Names Marathon Teams for Tokyo World Championships

On Mar. 26 the JAAF named its women's and men's marathon teams for September's Tokyo World Championships. On the women's side the team has veterans Sayaka Sato and Yuka Ando off the strength of a runner-up finish for Sato in Nagoya this year and a win in Nagoya last year by Ando, and newcomer Kana Kobayashi , 23, who has risen quickly from being a fun runner at Waseda University last year to a 2nd-place finish in Osaka Women's this year. Paris Olympics 6th-placer Yuka Suzuki was named alternate after finishing 3rd behind Kobayashi in Osaka Women's. On the men's side the team is led by last year's Fukuoka International Marathon CR breaker Yuya Yoshida and this year's Osaka runner-up Ryota Kondo . The 3rd spot on the team is reserved for JMC Series winner Naoki Koyama , who hasn't cleared the 2:06:30 World Championships qualifying standard and has to wait for the May 4 qualifying deadline for confirmation that the 1184 points he has in the Roa...