Skip to main content

Kenji Kimihara and Others Handing Off the "Tasuki of Reconstruction" on 1000 km Relay

http://www.minyu-net.com/sport/running/news/140804/news1.html

translated by Brett Larner

With the goal of boosting reconstruction efforts in the northeast, runners taking part in the "Road to Tomorrow 1000 km Relay" from Aomori to Tokyo passed through Fukushima on Aug. 3, starting the day in Koriyama Sports Park in Koriyama and heading to Iwaki's Misaki Park. 

At the morning's departure ceremony, Koriyama mayor Masato Shinagawa gave his support to participants, telling them, "Let your hearts be touched by the nature and people of Fukushima as you move on toward your goal."  Guest runner and Mexico Olympics marathon silver medalist Kenji Kimihara, 73, told the assembled runners, "Let us pray for the recovery of the northeast, for a successful Tokyo Olympics, and to hand off our tasuki without giving in to the midsummer heat."  When Major Shinagawa fired the starter's pistol, around sixty amateur runners from Fukushima and elsewhere set off alongside Kimihara for the ten-stage run to Iwaki.

On Aug. 4 the relay will continue from Misaki Park to Oarai-machi, Ibaraki.  Scheduled guest runners on the 4th include former Hakone Ekiden star and Iwaki native Ryuji Kashiwabara (Team Fujitsu), and model Momoko Kozuka.

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...