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Fujiwara, 2nd in 2:07:48: "I Went Out for Korean Barbecue"

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20120227-909700.html

translated by Brett Larner

After finishing 2nd overall as the top Japanese man at the 2012 Tokyo Marathon, Arata Fujiwara (30, Tokyo T&F Assoc.) spoke happily the morning after the race.  Last night he broke his week-long ban on drinking alcohol, raising celebratory cups until "an hour when athletes aren't supposed to be up.  I wanted to eat meat, any kind, so I went out for Korean barbecue.  I had a craving for red meat so I had five or six people's worth of harami.  It tasted.....pretty normal," he said with a laugh.

Having set a new PB of 2:07:48 in Tokyo Fujiwara is certain to make the London Olympics team.  "I'm thinking about the blueprint for where to go next," he said.  "For the time being I'm just going to do nothing at all but take it easy for a week," he said as he looks forward to his recovery.  A measure of the sensation his run has caused: "My Facebook has gone so crazy that I don't know what to do," he laughed.
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Comments

Brett Larner said…
Some stats on Fujiwara's performance:

-3rd time finishing 2nd in Tokyo (2008, 2010, 2012)

-fastest 2nd half in field: 1:04:27

-fastest last 2.195k in field: 6:41

-12th Japanese man to break 2:08; all-time #7

-10th Japanese man to break 2:09 more than once

-8th Japanese man to break 2:10 more than three times

-3rd Japanese man to break 2:09 more than once and win overseas sub-2:10 (along with Takeyuki Nakayama and Toshihiko Seko)
February 27, 2012 at 5:58 PM
Matt said…
Sounds like a great race, and celebration for a great performance. Looking forward to Fujiwara at the Olympics.
February 29, 2012 at 10:04 AM
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