japan running news

JRN is back in Switzerland this weekend to cover Sunday's Harmony Geneva Marathon.  An IAAF bronze label race, Geneva features quality men's and women's fields led by 2:07:29 man Ronald Korir (Kenya) and defending women's champion Jane Kiptoo (Kenya).  With good weather in the forecast the course records of 2:11:00 and 2:32:34 should be on for updating.  Look for coverage throughout race weekend.

12th Harmony Geneva Marathon Elite Fields
Geneva, Switzerland, 5/8/16
times listed are 2013-16 bests except where noted

Men
Ronald Korir (Kenya) - 2:07:29 (Frankfurt 2014)
Julius Chepkwony (Kenya) - 2:09:00 (Daegu 2014)
Hailu Shume (Ethiopia) - 2:09:27 (Nice-Cannes 2014)
Nixon Machichim (Kenya) - 2:10:14 (Lyon 2015)
Emmanuel Sikuku (Kenya) - 2:11:20 (Zurich 2014)
Daniel Songok (Kenya) - 2:11:46 (Brescia 2013)
Ronny Kiboos (Kenya) - 2:12:08 (Hefei 2014)
Petro Mamu (Eritrea) - 2:15:54 (Zheng Kai 2015)
Tariku Kinfu (Ethiopia) - debut - 1:03:35 (Remich Half 2015)

Women
Jane Kiptoo (…

by Brett Larner

Shut out of inclusion in the selection races for the Rio Olympics men's team the 65th running of the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon was largely a developmental race, the small international field and large field of second-tier and debuting Japanese men setting out in hopes of sub-2:10 times.  #1 seed Evans Ruto (Kenya), the only athlete in the field to have broken 2:09, was an early casualty, dropping out just past 15 km as the pace accelerated from high 2:09 to low 2:08 territory.  Over a dozen were still in touch at halfway in 1:04:22, including #2 and #3-ranked Shume Hailu (Ethiopia) and Anthony Maritim (Kenya), Japanese men Naohiro Yamada (YKK), Kenichi Shiraishi (Asahi Kasei) and Shogo Kanezane (Chugoku Denryoku), 22-year-old Myeung Jun Son (South Korea) and debuting Melaku Abera (Ethiopia/Kurosaki Harima), Yuki Munakata (Kanebo) and Keisuke Kusaka (Hitachi Butsuryu).

Past the halfway point Kiflom Sium (Eritrea) was the next main casualty, and just after 25 km a…

by Brett Larner

The 65th Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon has announced the elite field for its 65th running on Feb. 7.  Coming just before the second and third selection races for Japan's Olympic marathon team it's small up front but features a solid mid-pack of relatively young runners including some good first-timers.

Evans Ruto (Kenya) leads the internationals with a 2:08:55 at last year's Gold Coast Airport Marathon, with competition from sub-2:10 men Hailu Shume (Ethiopia) and Anthony Maritim (Kenya).  Japan-based Ethiopian Melaku Abera (Team Kurosaki Harima), the course record holder at Oita's Half Marathon, is scheduled to debut and should be another to watch.

On the home front, Kenichi Shiraishi (Team Asahi Kasei) is the only Japanese man on the list sub-2:11 recently with a 2:10:36 in Beppu-Oita two years ago.  High-volume marathoner Taiga Ito (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) follows close behind with a 2:11:15 in Tokyo in 2013.  Most interesting among the debuting Japanese …