Skip to main content

Takaku, Hattori and Fujimoto Headline Fukuoka International Marathon

 
With strict limitations on immigration still a reality in Japan, the Dec. 6 Fukuoka International Marathon has announced an almost entirely domestic field of less than 100 that includes only five Japan-based foreign-born athletes plus an all-Japan-based Kenyan pacing crew led by Bedan Karoki (Toyota).

Not that the field is hurting for quality. Ryu Takaku (Yakult), 2:06:45 in Tokyo this year, 2018 Fukuoka winner and Tokyo Olympics marathon team member Yuma Hattori (Toyota), and Taku Fujimoto (Toyota), a bump up to the 2019 Fukuoka winner's position pending after the subsequent suspension of the Moroccan who crossed the line first for biological passport violations, make up the front end of a field that includes eleven current sub-2:10 men and seven of last year's top ten. Hattori has said publicly that he'll be going for Suguru Osako's 2:05:29 national record, and with pacing support from teammates Karoki and Fujimoto, his former Toyo University teammate Takaku there with him, and no dirty athletes to effortlessly tear him in half at the end, if the weather is good his chances will be too.

Shizuoka-based Kenyan Michael Githae (Suzuki) is the top international in the field with a best of 2:09:21 from Lake Biwa in 2018, but sub-60 half marathoner Paul Kuira (JR Higashi Nihon) still has potential to improve on his 2:11:58 best, and likewise for former Takushoku University ekiden team captain Derese Workneh (Hiramatsu Byoin). Workneh's teammate Cyrus Kingori (Hiramatsu Byoin) looks promising in his debut with a 1:01:31 for 4th at last year's Gifu Seiryu Half. 

One promising name for a breakthrough in the Japanese field is Taiki Suzuki (Raffine), 9th last year in 2:12:09 in his marathon debut. It'll be interesting as well to see if Yuya Yoshida (GMO) can build on his inspiring at-the-time-career-ending 2:08:30 debut at Beppu-Oita this year, and it still feels like Olympic team alternate Shohei Otsuka (Kyudenko) has more waiting in him than his 2:10:12 best from Beppu-Oita two years ago. Toyo fans will be hoping the same for Keita Shitara (Hitachi Butsuryu), twin brother of former NR holder Yuta Shitara.

Check back closer to race date for more info on TV broadcast and live streaming options.

Fukuoka International Marathon Field Highlights

Fukuoka, 6 Dec. 2020
times listed are best within last three years except where noted

Ryu Takaku (Yakult) - 2:06:45 (8th, Tokyo 2020)
Yuma Hattori (Toyota) - 2:07:27 (1st, Fukuoka Int'l 2018)
Taku Fujimoto (Toyota) - 2:07:57 (8th, Chicago 2018)
Yuya Yoshida (GMO) - 2:08:30 (3rd, Beppu-Oita 2020)
Naoki Okamoto (Chugoku Denryoku) - 2:08:37 (20th, Tokyo 2020)
Tsukasa Koyama (Subaru) - 2:08:53 (4th, Beppu-Oita 2020)
Naoya Sakuda (JF Higashi Nihon) - 2:08:59 (4th, Lake Biwa 2020)
Yuki Kawauchi (Kawauchi) - 2:09:21 (8th, Lake Biwa 2019)
Michael Githae (Kenya/Suzuki) - 2:09:21 (4th, Lake Biwa 2018)
Hayato Sonoda (Kurosaki Harima) - 2:09:34 (2nd, Beppu-Oita 2018)
Jo Fukuda (Fukuoka T&F Assoc.) - 2:09:52 (3rd, Gold Coast 2018)
Kento Otsu (Toyota Kyushu) - 2:10:01 (11th, Beppu-Oita 2020)
Yoshiki Takenouchi (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 2:10:01 (7th, Fukuoka Int'l 2017)
Shohei Otsuka (Kyudenko) - 2:10:12 (3rd, Beppu-Oita 2018)
Koki Yoshioka (Chuo Hatsujo) - 2:10:13 (10th, Lake Biwa 2020)
Asuka Tanaka (Hiramatsu Byoin) - 2:10:13 (16th, Tokyo 2018)
Daichi Kamino (Cell Source) - 2:10:18 (18th, Tokyo 2018)
Yuichi Yasui (Toyota) - 2:10:19 (12th, Beppu-Oita 2020)
Junichi Tsubouchi (Kurosaki Harima) - 2:10:19 (13th, Beppu-Oita 2020)
Satoru Sasaki (Asahi Kasei) - 2:10:25 (14th, Beppu-Oita 2020)
Ryo Matsumoto (Toyota) - 2:10:32 (11th, Lake Biwa 2020)
Derese Workneh (Ethiopia/Hiramatsu Byoin) - 2:10:52 (3rd, Fukuoka Int'l 2019)
Natsuki Terada (JR Higashi Nihon) - 2:10:55 (4th, Fukuoka Int'l 2019)
Taiga Ito (Suzuki) - 2:10:59 (6th, Fukuoka Int'l 2019)
Tatsunori Hamasaki (Nanji AC) - 2:11:26 (2nd, Hofu 2017)
Hiroki Sugawa (Toyama T&F Assoc.) - 2:11:46 (1st, Nobeoka 2019)
Paul Kuira (Kenya/JR Higashi Nihon) - 2:11:58 (2nd, Hokkaido 2018)
Kenta Iinuma (SGH Group) - 2:12:06 (36th, Tokyo 2020)
Taiki Suzuki (Raffine) - 2:12:09 (9th, Fukuoka Int'l 2019)
Hiromasa Kumahashi (Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 2:12:10 (38th, Tokyo 2020)
Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (Mongolia/NTN) - 2:12:12 (2nd, Hofu 2018)
Keita Shitara (Hitachi Butsuryu) - 2:12:13 (40th, Tokyo 2020)
Yasuyuki Nakamura (Suzuki) - 2:12:22 (3rd, Hofu 2019)
Shusei Ohashi (Kodaira T&F Assoc.) - 2:12:58 (47th, Tokyo 2020)

Debut
Cyrus Kingori (Kenya/Hiramatsu Byoin) - 1:01:31 (4th, Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon 2019)

© 2020 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee
Labels:

Comments

Stefan said…
I've marked this event on my calendar as a must watch. Hattori must be itching to break the national record time of Osako but I think it will be a very tall order. I hope he does it. We will find out soon!
October 27, 2020 at 3:37 AM
Andrew Armiger said…
Plenty of interesting angles, I'm not sure the race loses much with the current restrictions in place. Will definitely be watching with interest!
October 27, 2020 at 7:47 AM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

10000 m National Championships Preview

  Less than five months since the 2023 10000 m National Championships went down at the 2021 Olympic stadium in Tokyo, the 2024 edition happens Friday at Shizuoka's Ecopa Stadium, with NHK broadcasting it live starting at 19:25 local time. Doubling up on Nationals like this lets Japanese athletes double dip on placing points to try to get into the Paris Olympics on rankings. But between the number of people who've hit the 30:40.00 women's standard and 27:00.00 men's standard and the lopsided eight spots given away to top placers at World XC, there are only four women's spots and three men's available via rankings. Of those, three of the four women's spots and two of the three men's spots are currently occupied by top placers at December's 2023 Nationals, Ririka Hironaka , Haruka Kokai and Rino Goshima for women and Ren Tazawa and Tomoki Ota for men. The 2023 Nationals did get close to the standards, with Hironaka leading the top four women under
3 comments
Read more

Goshima and Kasai Win 10000 m National Titles, Maeda Breaks U20 Asian Record

Rino Goshima and Jun Kasai stepped up with PBs to win the 2024 National Championships 10000 m titles Friday at Shizuoka's Ecopa Stadium. In the women's race, Goshima, 4th in last December's 2023 National Championships 10000 m, went out front from the start with Kenyan teammate Judy Jepngetich pacing and 2023 3rd-placer Haruka Kokai in tow. Things were never on track to hit the 30:40.00 Paris Olympics standard, but except for a brief dip to 3:08 at 7000 m Goshima held steady at 3:05 to 3:06/km even as Kokai and Jepngetich fell off. With blood dripping from her left knee after getting spiked by Jepngetich, Goshima closed in 3:03 to take 5 seconds off her best from December's Nationals and win in 30:53.31, moving up to all-time Japanese #6. Jepngetich also PBd at 31:09.42 without counting in the standings, with Kokai 2nd in 31:10.53 and Kazuna Kanetomo 3rd in a PB 31:59.29. The runner-up last time, Yuka Takashima was last in 33:33.27. The men's race went out in a
1 comment
Read more

Weekend Track and Road Roundup

  The Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon aside, a quick roundup of results from this past weekend: At the Nittai University Time Trials , aka the Nittaidai Challenge Games, Shadrack Kipkemei (Nihon Univ.) led a great men's 10000 m A-heat in 27:20.05, with the top six men all going under 27:28. James Mutuku (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) was the only other collegiate runner among them at 3rd in 27:23.09, with 2:06 marathoner Hidekazu Hijikata (Asahi Kasei) the top Japanese finisher at 8th in 28:23.27. Mutuku's YGU teammate Brian Kipyegon won the 5000 m A-heat in 13:30.88, James Karuri (Aomori Yamada H.S.) next in 13:33.67 and Kaisei Okada (Chuo Univ.) 3rd in 13:48.44. Soya Katayama (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) had the fastest 1500 m with a 3:46.19 to win the A-heat. In the women's races at Nittai, Tabitha Njeri Kamau (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) was the only one to clear 16 minutes in the 5000 m A-heat, running 15:27.12 for the win. Lucy Nduta (Aomori Yamada H.S.) was likewise the only one u
Post a Comment
Read more