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

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...

Ngetich Breaks CR, Murayama and Sasaki Make U.S. Debut at New York Mini 10k

WR holder Agnes Ngetich  soloed a fast one at the 54th edition of the Mastercard New York Mini 10k, leading inside the first mile and pulling away the rest of the race to run a 30:07 CR for the win, the fastest time ever on U.S. soil albeit on a slightly net downhill course. On a warm day that saw over 10,000 women finish  Tsigie Gebreselama  was on her own most of the way too, a distant 2nd in 30:53 and 17 seconds up on past champ Hellen Obiri . Further back, 2026 World University Cross Country bronze medalist Amisa Murayama  and 2025 Morinomiyako Ekiden 3rd leg CR breaker Nazuki Sasaki  from 2025 National University Women's Ekiden runner-up Tohoku Fukushi University  made their U.S. debuts. Murayama was targeting the fastest-ever Japanese time at the Mini, 32:37, but struggled on the hills just before 5 km and late in the race, fading to finish 23rd in 34:08. Sasaki, recovering from a stress reaction in her upper back a few months ago, ran a conservative ...

Australian YouTuber Handed Lifetime Ban by Ageo City Half Marathon After Running 1:06 with Another Runner's Bib (updated)

After discussion with their race's chief JAAF referee, on Nov. 27 the organizers of the Ageo City Half Marathon handed down a lifetime ban from their event against 36-year-old Australian Matt Inglis Fox  for running the Nov. 15 race wearing the bib number of another JAAF-registered runner. The incident came to light after Fox posted on his personal Instagram account that he had run a PB of 1:06:33 and finished 203rd in Ageo with a 10 km split of 31:03, along with photos and video of himself in the race wearing a bib number beginning with 11. Fox did not appear in the results by name or in that time or place, the closest match being a 1:06:54 gross, 1:06:50 net finish time with a 31:21 10 km split for 18th place in the JAAF-registered division and 209th overall by bib number 1129, registered to a non-Japanese Tokyo-resident club runner. The club runner, Harrisson Uk , readily confirmed that he had given his bib to Fox, saying, "I gave my number to Matt. It wasn't me."...