Skip to main content

Noguchi in Boulder: "I'm Running Strong Again"

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2011120900213

translated by Brett Larner

Aiming to qualify for the Japanese women's marathon team for next year's London Olympics, Athens Olympics marathon gold medalist and national record holder Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) talked about her marathon training on Dec. 8 at her base in Boulder, Colorado.  She appeared happy and optimistic as she said, "I'm running well.  I feel nearly as good and strong as I did before the Beijing Olympics."

Aiming for January's Osaka International Women's Marathon, the second of Japan's domestic Olympic selection races, Noguchi began altitude training in November.  Her training has gone smoothly and she has gotten through all the key workouts on the menu, including days on which she has run nearly 60 km.  Before the Beijing Olympics, where she had hoped to defend her Olympic title, she suffered an injury to her upper left leg and was forced to withdraw.  The years since then have been filled with disappointment and serial injuries, and Noguchi's sincerity and depth of feeling was clear when she said, "I'm so, so happy to be doing this kind of tough training again."

Looking toward the Osaka International Women's Marathon, which will be her first marathon in more than four years, Noguchi hinted at an aggressive race plan when she said, "Of course I'm nervous about it, but I don't want to run defensively.  I want to be assertive and take this on in a 'London at all costs' state of mind."

Comments

Kevin said…
The field wasn't strong in Osaka last year. Just 5 people run under 2:30:00 MIzuki might make the team because of the weak Osaka 2012 field.

Most-Read This Week

2026 Tokyo Marathon Elite Field

The Mar. 1 Tokyo Marathon has great fields this year, so let's get right to it. The women's field has 3 of last year's top 10, winner for the 2nd year in a row and Tokyo CR holder Sutume Asefa Kebede , 3rd-placer and 2025 Chicago winner Hawi Feysa , and 5th-placer and 2025 Berlin winner Rosemary Wanjiru , plus 2024 Valencia winner Megertu Alemu , 2025 Prague winner Bertukan Welde , 2024 Paris winner Mestawut Fikir , 2024 Osaka winner Waganesh Mekasha , former WR holder Brigid Kosgei , and a lot more. Japanese hopes pretty much go to all-time #7 Ai Hosoda , 2:20:31 in Berlin 2024 but who announced this month that she is retiring after Tokyo despite having qualified for the 2028 Olympic marathon trials with her 2:23:27 for 6th in Sydney last year. Other internationals include Canadian Malindi Elmore , American Sara Hall , a big Chinese group led by Yuyu Xia , Poland's Aleksandra Brzezińska and Australian Vanessa Wilson . The men's race has 5 of last year's top 1...

'Kobe 2024: Aitchison, Athmani Lead Record-Breaking Thursday'

  https://www.paralympic.org/news/kobe-2024-para-athletics-world-championships-aitchison-athmani-lead-record-breaking-thursday Complete results and daily schedule from the Kobe World Para Athletics Championships are here .

Chesang Wins Osaka Women's Marathon in 2:19:31, Yada Drops 2:19:57 Debut NR

This year's Osaka International Women's Marathon was a race run with a high level of methodicalness, starting slower than the planned 3:19/km but ramping up until the lead pack was skimming around the 2:20:15-30 projected finish level. After hitting halfway in 1:10:13 with a group of 6, by 25 km only 4 were left up front, sub-2:19 runners Workenesh Edesa , Stella Chesang and Bedatu Hirpa , and the debuting Mikuni Yada , and when the last 2 pacers stepped off at 30 km it was Yada who went to the front. Despite never have raced longer than the 10.6 km Third Stage at November's Queens Ekiden where she had helped the Edion team score its first-ever national title, Yada was very, very impressive, fearlessly surging from 12 km and never letting up, even laughing and smiling to fans along the course. When she started sustaining a pace around 3:15/km the projected finish dropped under 2:20 and all the way down to 2:19:28 by 35 km, and even when all 3 of the more experienced ru...