japan running news

by Shoko Egawa Egawa is an investigate journalist who made her name doing early work on the Aum death cult. Here she looks at the situation surrounding 2005 Helsinki World Championships marathon team member Yumiko Hara , who blamed a string of arrests for shoplifting on an eating disorder she claims to have developed as a result of the psychological trauma of the strict dietary and weight restrictions her corporate league coach put upon her. "The weight restrictions were severe, way beyond what any other team did, and it was especially hard to take because I was the only they were being applied to. At meals the head coach told me, 'Eat this. Don't eat this.' I was weighed repeatedly throughout the day to the point that I was afraid to drink water because I thought my weight would increase by the amount of the water." Earlier this summer former marathon national team member Yumiko Hara underwent questioning under Maebashi District Court Ota Branch judge Ma...

Accused of shoplifting 380 yen [~$3.50 USD] worth of candy from a supermarket in Ota, Gunma in February while under probation in another shoplifting case, former World Championships marathoner Yumiko Hara , 36, now a restaurant worker, underwent questioning in her second trial at Maebashi District Ota Branch Court under judge Masaya Okuyama . Crying as she spoke, Hara confessed to having shoplifted as an elementary school student. She said that as an athlete she had developed an eating disorder due to the strict weight restrictions and had resorted to stealing food. Even after retiring, she said, "I would throw up food after eating it." "I was always hungry, always felt thirsty," Hara said of her time as an athlete. "They put severe restrictions on my weight that went way beyond what any other university or corporate team would do." She said that after joining the corporate leagues her coach would take her wallet away from her at training camps so t...

On May 8 the organizers of the Nov. 3 Gunma Marathon held the first session of the Gunma Marathon 180 Day Project, a new training support program aimed toward first-time marathoners, at Jomo Hall in Maebashi. Project leader Wataru Okutani , head coach of the Subaru corporate team and a two-time World Championships marathon team member with a 2:08:49 best, took questions from the 26 participants and told them, "Don't try to do the impossible. It's the accumulation of the little things you do daily over a long span of time that make up the body of success." source article:  https://www.jomo-news.co.jp/sports/gunma/51035 translated by Brett Larner

Convicted of shoplifting from a convenience store in her hometown of Ashikaga, Tochigi, former World Championships marathoner and current restaurant employee Yumiko Hara , 36, has been arrested again on suspicion of shoplifting in Gunma following her previous conviction. The Maebashi District Prosecutor's Office Ota Branch has charged Hara with theft. The charges were brought on Mar. 2. According to the indictment, on Feb. 9 at about 8:45 p.m. Hara stole a bag of candy and two other items with a total value of 382 yen (~$3.60 USD) from a supermarket in Ota, Gunma. The Gunma Prefectural Police Department said that Hara was stopped by supermarket staff and then arrested by Ota officers on the current charges. Hara denied the charges, saying, "I meant to return the items before leaving the store." In November Hara was sentenced to one year imprisonment with a three-year suspension before implementation of the sentence for shoplifting makeup and food from a convenience ...

On Sept. 1 Jinsei Gakuen H.S. announced that it has named alumnus and two-time World Championships runner Yu Mitsuya , 32, as the new head coach of its track and field team. According to school officials, Mitsuya will transfer from his current position at the Toyota Kyushu corporation to assume his duties at the school by the end of the year. Longtime Jinsei Gakuen H.S. head coach Chikara Onishi passed away suddenly in mid-April at age 56. While searching for a replacement who could coach the team with expertise the school consulted with alum Mitsuya, famed in athletics circles for his record of success as an athlete. Mitsuya expressed his interest. Yu Shimoyama , 42, who has served as interim head coach and general manager since Onishi's passing, will continue as team manager. Mitsuya entered Jinsei Gakuen H.S. in April, 2000, leading the team to the National High School Ekiden all three years. After graduating he joined the Toyota Kyushu corporate team coached by Barcelona...

Former World Championships marathoner Yumiko Hara , 35, was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting cosmetics and other goods. A resident of Ashikaga, Tochigi, Hara is suspected of shoplifting eight items including cosmetics and soft drinks with a total value of 2700 yen [~$25 USD] from a local convenience store on July 30. According to police, a clerk performing a store inventory found that the item totals did not match. When police reviewed security camera footage they identified Hara as a suspect. Hara represented Japan at two World Championships, finishing 6th in the marathon at the 2005 Helsinki World Championships. During her interrogation Hara admitted her guilt in the charges, saying that there was "no mistake." Translator's note: Along with the 2005 Helsinki World Championships and 2007 Osaka World Championships, Hara represented Japan at the 2003 Vilamoura World Half Marathon Championships. She was the winner of both the 2007 Osaka International Women...

http://www.nishinippon.co.jp/nnp/f_toshiken/article/203976 translated and edited by Brett Larner A former Japanese national representative at the World Championships is getting ready to take on his second marathon.  Injuries having forced him into retirement at just age 30, this time he will be running in a new role.  With two World Championships appearances on the track behind him, Yu Mitsuya will run the Nov. 8 Fukuoka Marathon as a guide runner for blind marathoner Misato Michishita , 38, already named as a member of the women's marathon team for next year's Rio de Janeiro Paralympics.  "I want to be a source of strength that will help Michishita on her road to Rio," Mitsuya said. A native of Kagawa prefecture, Mitsuya emerged as a star in high school before joining the Toyota Kyushu corporate team after graduating in 2003.  At Toyota Kyushu he was coached by Barcelona Olympics marathon silver medalist Koichi Morishita and trained alongside future Beijin...

http://gazoo.com/my/sites/0001453813/toyokyu/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=2116 translated and edited by Brett Larner click here for these and more photos from hosts Life Style Running and the Toyota Kyushu Booster Club Toyota Kyushu member Samuel Wanjiru pacing training partner Mitsuya in June, 2005 There was a major announcement at the post-race reception at a hotel in Takasaki following the New Year Ekiden.  After a 12-year career at the Koichi Morishita -coached Toyota Kyushu corporate team where he leaves a record of achievement including two World Championships teams and numerous track and ekiden records, Yu Mitsuya announced that he will retire from competition at the end of this season.  Other athletes quickly surrounded Mitsuya to throw him into the air in premature celebration. Wanjiru and Mitsuya on the way to Mitsuya's 27:41.10 Japanese-soil record in June, 2005 Mitsuya currently plans for his final race to be the Feb. 21 Fukuoka International Cross...

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2012/12/04/kiji/K20121204004700020.html translated by Brett Larner Two-time World Championships marathoner Satoshi Irifune  (36, Team Kanebo) announced Dec. 3 that he has decided to retire from competition.  Irifune ran the Dec. 2 Fukuoka International Marathon but dropped out after only 10 km.  "I think it's time to call it a day and move on," he said in announcing his decision. A native of Kagoshima, Irifune ran the 10000 m at the 1999 Seville World Championships and the marathon at both the 2005 Helsinki World Championships and the 2009 Berlin World Championships.  He won the 2005 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon in 2:09:58 and set his marathon best of 2:09:23 at the 2008 Fukuoka International Marathon.  Following his retirement he plans to take a coaching position at his corporate team to help shape the next generation of athletes.

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/flash/KFullFlash20100215133.html translated and edited by Brett Larner Two-time World Championships marathoner Yumiko Hara, 28, announced on Feb. 15 that in April she will be joining Team Universal Entertainment where she will be coached by Yoshio Koide (Sakura AC). Hara won the 2005 Nagoya International Women's Marathon in her debut, going on to finish 6th in the Helsinki World Championships marathon. She also ran in the 2007 Osaka World Championships marathon. She quit Team Kyocera in March last year, and, unsuccesful in securing a place with another team, returned home to her native Tochigi Prefecture. Now looking to revive her career, Hara stakes her future on Koide's guidance and is hopeful that the new training environment will help her to return to peak level.

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/flash/KFullFlash20090615111.html http://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/sports/0002019671.shtml translated and edited by Brett Larner On June 15, Team Subaru announced that its leader Wataru Okutani, 34, a member of the 2005 and 2007 World Championships marathon teams, has retired from competition to take a coaching position on the Subaru staff. Okutani ran a PB of 2:08:49 at the 2006 Fukuoka International Marathon and was the fastest runner on the Japanese 2007 World Championships marathon squad, but shortly before the competition he had emergency internal surgery which forced him to withdraw. He spent the next year and a half trying to make a comeback but could never regain his prior form. Okutani was born in the town of Harima in Hyogo Prefecture and attended Nishiwaki Kogyo High School. In 1992 he was a member of Nishiwaki's winning team at the National High School Ekiden Championships. After unsuccessful stints with Team Daiei and Team Sekisui he jo...

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20090310-OHT1T00211.htm translated and edited by Brett Larner Beijing Olympics marathoner Tsuyoshi Ogata (35, Team Chugoku Denryoku) held a press conference in Hiroshima on Mar. 10 to talk about his plans for the Mar. 22 Tokyo Marathon, where he will try to earn a place on his fourth-straight World Championships team. "I want to make this [World Championships] team clearly and without any ambiguity," he said, revealing that he still has the ambition to think about winning. The Tokyo Marathon will be Ogata's first race since finishing 13th in the Beijing Olympics marathon. Discussing his condition, Ogata showed some uncertainty as he admitted, "Things haven't been going smoothly, but I feel like it's coming together now. I'll be ready just in time, but you never know what's going to happen." Nevertheless, he was determined as he said, "I'm running this because I want to win. I want it to be a ra...

http://www.nishinippon.co.jp/nsp/item/76204 translated by Brett Larner Photo courtesy of Rikuren. Long distance track ace Yu Mitsuya (Team Toyota Kyushu) won the 49th Karatsu 10 Mile Road Race on Feb. 8 with the kind of finish Japanese marathon fans love to see. Entering the stadium with just 300 m left to go on the track, Mitsuya outkicked Kenyan leader and 2007 Karatsu winner Silas Jui (Team Nissan) to win by 6 seconds after dueling over the last 6 km of the race. Mitsuya raised his hands triumphantly as he broke the finish tape, smashing through the first gate on the road to his debut marathon. "I think Silas had a cold or something, but we'll see each other again in the [Kumanichi] 30 km race. That's where I really want to win," a sweaty Mitsuya commented afterwards, looking toward his first 30 km race with eager eyes. This 10 mile race and the Feb. 22 Kumanichi 30 km Road Race are part of his development plan for a planned marathon debut next year, a series of t...

http://www.topics.or.jp/localNews/news/2009/02/2009_123362622264.html http://www.47news.jp/CN/200902/CN2009020201000205.html http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2009020200646 translated and edited by Brett Larner Veteran long distance runner Harumi Hiroyama (40, Team Shiseido) announced on Feb. 2 that she plans to retire following her run in March's Tokyo Marathon. "The Tokyo Marathon will be my last race as a professional athlete," she told reporters. If her preparations for Tokyo go smoothly Hiroyama will run the Feb. 22 Kaifugawa Marathon in her native Fukushima Prefecture as a tuneup race. However, Hiroyama's husband and Team Shiseido head coach Tsutomu Hiroyama (42) cautioned that she is currently injured and may be unable to run in Tokyo. If this proves to be the case she will target another race for her last run. "Since turning 40 it has become harder and harder for Harumi to stay mentally strong and to keep in top form," Coach Hiroyama explaine...

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/090120/oth0901201727016-n1.htm translated by Brett Larner March, 2008 Having finished 4th at the Nagoya International Women's Marathon and missed out on her chance to make the Beijing Olympic team, Yumiko Hara (Team Kyocera) goes home to her parents' home in Tochigi prefecture to recuperate. She thinks about what races she should target next season. She holds coach Kunio Omori's year-long training schedule and with a steady hand begins to write in her goals. January, 2009 "Last year I couldn't take a single step forward and it was a disappointment to a lot of people," says Hara. "I want to restore everyone's faith in me the only way I can, so I decided to run Osaka." A year ago Hara had signed up for Osaka as the defending champion to reserve her spot on the Beijing Olympic team. Feeling weak and drained, she withdrew shortly before the race and slid her target to Nagoya. Even that was too much. The Osaka co...

http://mainichi.jp/area/hiroshima/news/20080710ddlk34050608000c.html http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080709-00000034-nks_fl-spo translated and edited by Brett Larner Beijing Olympics men`s marathon runner Tsuyoshi Ogata (35, Team Chugoku Denryoku) gave a speech at the Kumanomachi Civic Sports Center in his hometown of Kumanomachi, Hiroshima Prefecture, on July 9th. The 2005 Helsinki World Championships marathon bronze medalist told the crowd of 574 supporters, "All of my training has been with the single thought of `Let's get a medal.` If I get there feeling my best then I have a chance." The event included a performance by the popular group Moebius of a song they had written to show their support for Ogata. Kumano High School 1st-year student Yuki Nidan (16) spoke on behalf of the school`s track and field team, saying, "We`re all waiting for you to bring the best-colored of all the medals back here." Kumano Junior High School 3rd-year student Yoshin Mae...

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/flash/KFullFlash20070702048.html translated by Brett Larner Wataru Okutani, the top member of Japan`s World Championships Marathon team, has been forced to withdraw from the team due to complications arising from an appendectomy. Okutani was the top Japanese finisher and 4th overall at last year`s Fukuoka International Marathon in a PB time of 2:08:49. He was also the third scoring member of Japan`s gold medal-winning team at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki. Okutani has been replaced by alternate Tomoyuki Sato who was the top Japanese finisher and 2nd overall in this year`s Tokyo Marathon where he ran 2:11:22. Sato also ran Fukuoka, finishing as 5th Japanese and 10th overall in 2:12:29.