Skip to main content

2009 As Seen By JRN Readers

JRN's most-read articles of 2009 by month:

January
Japanese runners to watch in 2009.Jan. 8
Bringing back the classic: Fukushi in Osaka. - Jan. 23

February
Masters runner Yoshihisa Hosaka sets 60+ world record at Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon. - Feb. 2

March
Reiko Tosa's "homemade" training for Tokyo finale. - Mar. 18
The man in the wig speaks. - Mar. 25

April
Mimura leaves Asics to start own company. - Apr. 5
A report from Rikuren's New Zealand training camp. - Apr. 11

May
Weekend Japanese track action roundup. - May 18

June
Phuket Marathon helping to rebuild local economy. - June 16

July
From the editor: women's marathoning and the autumn sky. - July 2
Big Mouth scores the big ticket - Ueno in Berlin. - July 28
Life after 2:08 - an interview with Takayuki Nishida. - July 29

August
Osaka Mayor Hashimoto announces Osaka Marathon for 2011. - Aug. 6
Showing women a new way: Yukiko Akaba's challenge. - Aug. 12
Yukiko Akaba talks about her final training for World Championships marathon. - Aug. 14

September
30 runners stung by killer hornets during mountain race near Kyoto. - Sept. 21

October
The Hakone Ekiden Trials from the inside. - Oct. 18
University men's weekend in review: NCAA Pre-Nats vs. Hakone Ekiden Qualifier. - Oct. 19
Training for the Hakone Ekiden with Josai University.Oct. 21
Morinomiyako Ekiden preview - Kojima and Nishihara. - Oct. 22
"No Bridges, No Fun" - Speed, Beauty and Mystery at the Venice Marathon. - Oct. 28

November
Credit where credit is due: American and Japanese men aged 18-22 pt. I.  - Nov. 26

December
Fukuoka time. - Dec. 4
The 2010 Hakone Ekiden preview. - Dec. 30

(c) 2009 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Goshima and Kasai Win 10000 m National Titles, Maeda Breaks U20 Asian Record

Rino Goshima and Jun Kasai stepped up with PBs to win the 2024 National Championships 10000 m titles Friday at Shizuoka's Ecopa Stadium. In the women's race, Goshima, 4th in last December's 2023 National Championships 10000 m, went out front from the start with Kenyan teammate Judy Jepngetich pacing and 2023 3rd-placer Haruka Kokai in tow. Things were never on track to hit the 30:40.00 Paris Olympics standard, but except for a brief dip to 3:08 at 7000 m Goshima held steady at 3:05 to 3:06/km even as Kokai and Jepngetich fell off. With blood dripping from her left knee after getting spiked by Jepngetich, Goshima closed in 3:03 to take 5 seconds off her best from December's Nationals and win in 30:53.31, moving up to all-time Japanese #6. Jepngetich also PBd at 31:09.42 without counting in the standings, with Kokai 2nd in 31:10.53 and Kazuna Kanetomo 3rd in a PB 31:59.29. The runner-up last time, Yuka Takashima was last in 33:33.27. The men's race went out in a

Golden Games in Nobeoka Top Results

  For everyone not running yesterday's 10000 m National Championships , where the Asahi Kasei corporate team dominated the men's race with four out of four men sub-28 including winner Jun Kasai , 27:17.46, the grand dame of Japan's long distance time trial circuit was happening on AK's home ground in Miyazaki at the Golden Games in Nobeoka . Not including kids' races, a total of 74 women and 227 men ran in 14 heats of 5000 m, with a packed-in crowd of fans lining the track beating on metal sponsor boards with batons. It's a pretty awesome meet, and memorable performances included: National champion Kamimura Gakuen H.S. standout Caroline Kariba continued to kill it in the second month of her corporate league career, winning the 5000 m A-heat in 15:00.95 in a race where 3 out of the top 4 including her ran PBs. National champion Meijo University seemed flat at this point in the season, with none of its people under 16 minutes and star Nanase Tanimoto leading

Ichiyama 8th at Copenhagen Marathon

Currently the #10-ranked Japanese man in the marathon with the fastest-ever domestic time at the elite Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, Tsubasa Ichiyama (Sunbelx) made his international debut at Sunday's Copenhagen Marathon , literally an international debut as it was his first time outside the country. Ichiyama hoped to be in contention to break the 2:08:23 CR and go for the win, and with cool and breezy conditions ran easy in the lead group through 30 km. But something ate away at almost everyone as time went by, several people in the lead men's and women's groups saying humidity, and past 30 km Ichiyama fell off. Falling as low as 9th, he rallied after 40 km to finish 8th in 2:13:07. "It was different than in Japanese races," he said. "I'm used to bigger packs and more even pacing, but this was a kind of racing I hadn't done before. There's a lot to think about. I didn't feel like I was sweating a lot, but I got really thirsty and started sk