Skip to main content

Two Pro Runners Hit By Truck During Half Marathon

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2011/03/08/kiji/K20110308000390760.html

translated by Brett Larner

Tamana city officials announced on Mar. 8 that two corporate runners at this year's 62nd edition of the Kanaguri Hai Tamana Half Marathon, held Mar. 6, were hit from behind by a small truck during the race. The city's spokesperson said, "We have been late in issuing reports on the accident to the local athletics federation and media. We deeply apologize."

According to city officials, the athletes injured in the accident, both belonging to the Kurosaki Harima corporate team, were team captain Mamoru Iwaida, 28, and Shuzaburo Kubo, 20. Iwaida suffered only minor injuries, but Kubo's left ankle was broken and he will be out of training for at least six weeks as a result. Both runners dropped out of the race after being hit.

At the time of the accident the two runners were roughly 16 km from the start running southbound on the prefectural highway when a small truck driven by a locally-residing 84 year-old man struck them from behind. The driver said he did not notice the two athletes until it was too late to avoid them. Investigators said the road at the site of the accident was a single lane in each direction and that the city had not properly closed it to traffic.

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Keita Satoh Running New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile

1500 m U20 NR holder Keita Satoh (Nike Swoosh TC) is running this weekend's New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile , the first time that a Japanese man has been invited in the race's 45-year history. In university Sato had to change focus away from middle distance to the half marathon-scale lengths of the Hakone Ekiden stages, but since graduating in March and relocating to Flagstaff he has refocused on the 1500 m, going from 3:43.19 in April in his first 1500 m in almost 4 years to 3:38.30 over the course of 5 races. Fifth Avenue will be his last race before heading back to Japan for one more track 1500 m and some down time. Men's entries with best 1500 m times in last 3 years: Stefan Nillessen (NED) - 3:29.23 (2025) Flavien Szot (FRA) - 3:30.74 (2025) Oliver Hoare (AUS) - 3:31.07 (2024) Jake Heyward (GBR) - 3:31.18 (2026) Titouan Le Grix (FRA) - 3:31.46 (2026) Romain Mornet (FRA) - 3:31.62 (2025) Adam Spencer (AUS) - 3:31.83 (2026) Pieter Sisk (BEL) - 3:31.85 (2025) Gary Martin (...

Multiple National Records This Weekend

Olympic and World champion Haruka Kitaguchi got the biggest headlines among Japanese athletes this weekend, overcoming a rough last year and a half that included injury and a coaching change to break her own javelin throw NR by over a meter and a half to win the inaugural WA Ultimate Championship in Budapest. U20 WR and Asian AR holder Ziyi Yan opened with a big 68.05, 0.67 m further than Kitaguchi's best-ever from back in 2023. That could have been the end, but Kitaguchi came back from a 61.15 m first attempt to throw a massive 68.92 m NR on her next one, ultimately enough for the win. She still has a long way to go to match the 18-year-old Yan's 71.74 m from May, but it was a clear statement that Kitaguchi is back. Back home at the National Corporate Track and Field Championships in Kyoto, women's pole vault NR holder Misaki Morota continued a solid comeback season of her own, bettering her NR from May by 1 cm with a 4.51 m on her first attempt. Morota took another 3...