japan running news

Ryu Takakuage: 26
sponsor: Yakult
graduated from: Nasu Takuyo H.S., Toyo University

best time inside MGC window:
2:10:03, 7rd, 2019 Hamburg Marathon

PB: 2:10:03, 7rd, 2019 Hamburg Marathon

other PBs:
5000 m: 13:57.89 (2016) 10000 m: 28:36.71 (2015) half marathon: 1:01:58 (2019)

marathons inside MGC window (Aug. 1 2017 – April 30 2019)
7th, 2019 Hamburg Marathon, 2:10:03 – PB
9th, 2019 Tokyo Marathon, 2:11:49
30th, 2018 Fukuoka International Marathon, 2:19:51
6th, 2018 Gold Coast Marathon, 2:11:45
7th, 2018 Beppu-Oita Marathon, 2:12:12

other major results:
2nd, 2019 Hakodate Half Marathon, 1:02:43
10th, 2019 Marugame Half Marathon, 1:01:58 – PB
2nd, 2019 New Year Ekiden First Stage (12.3 km), 35:56
13th,, 2018 East Japan Corporate Ekiden Second Stage (15.3 km), 45:53
2nd, 2017 Kumanichi 30 km Road Race, 1:31:18
18th, 2017 Marugame Half Marathon, 1:02:34
5th, 2014 Kumanichi 30 km Road Race, 1:30:32 – PB
1st, 2014 Hakone Ekiden Eighth Stage (21.5 km), 1:04:35

Takaku is one of five graduates o…

Kengo Suzukiage: 24
sponsor: Fujitsu
graduated from: Uwajima Higashi H.S., Kanagawa University

best time inside MGC window:
2:10:21, 19th, 2018 Tokyo Marathon

PB: 2:10:21, 19th, 2018 Tokyo Marathon

other PBs:
5000 m: 13:57.88 (2016) 10000 m: 28:30.16 (2016) half marathon: 1:01:36 (2017)

marathons inside MGC window (Aug. 1 2017 – April 30 2019)
13th, 2019 Hamburg Marathon, 2:11:36
DNS, 2019 Tokyo Marathon
19th, 2018 Tokyo Marathon, 2:10:21

other major results:
4th, 2018 Hakone Ekiden Second Stage (23.1 km), 1:07:26
3rd, 2017 Taipei Universiade Half Marathon, 1:06:56
1st, 2017 National University Half Marathon, 1:01:36 – CR
1st, 2017 Hakone Ekiden Second Stage (23.1 km), 1:07:17
3rd, 2016 Hakone Ekiden Qualifier 20 km Road Race, 58:43
3rd, 2016 National University Half Marathon, 1:03:08

Suzuki’s breakthrough to the top level of Japanese distance running came early in 2017 with a win on the Hakone Ekiden’s most competitive stage and two months later with a 1:01:36 to win the National Universit…

15 Japanese men and 6 Japanese women lined up at overseas marathons Sunday to try one last time to qualify for the MGC Race, Japan's new 2020 Olympic trials marathon event, ahead of its Apr. 30 deadline, or to try to get under the Olympic standard before the Sept. 15 MGC Race. For men the needed marks were 2:08:30 or two races inside the qualifying window averaging 2:11:00 or better. For women, 2:24:00 and 2:28:00.

Already in, Kentaro Nakamoto (Yasukawa Denki) ran the Krakow Marathon in hopes of clearing the 2:11:30 men's standard. Running steadily and under control on 2:10:20 pace, Nakamoto lasted until a final move by eventual winner Cyprian Kotut (Kenya) around 37 km put him away. As Kotut took off to win in 2:09:18, Nakamoto began to fade, holding on the 2nd place but just missing the Olympic standard in 2:11:34.

The Hamburg Marathon saw the largest number of Japanese athletes, with 4 women and 13 men. Among the women Yuka Takashima (Shiseido) had the easiest task, only n…

http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/lemi-berhanu-warsaw-marathon

Chiharu Takada (Team JR Higashi Nihon) ran 2:12:27 for 13th in Warsaw, just missing the 2:12:13 run in Zurich last week by Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) as the year's fastest time by a Japanese man outside Japan.Click here for complete results.

Elsewhere, Yuko Watanabe (Team Edion) was an apparent DNF at the Hamburg Marathon.  Click here for complete results.

http://www.runnersworld.com/races/yuki-kawauchi-runs-seventh-sub-210-marathon?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunningTimes-_-Content-Races-_-YukiKawauchiQA

by Brett Larner

Despite gusty winds and intermittent rain the Haspa Hamburg Marathon saw fast times all around, particularly on the men's side where Ethiopian-born Shumi Dechasa (Bahrain) negative-splitted a PB 2:06:44 for the win over pre-race favorite Eric Ndiema (Kenya). Through halfway in 1:03:32, Dechasa and Ndiema were alone and side-by-side by 35 km before Dechasa threw down and opened a 17-second gap for the win. First-timer Philemon Rono (Kenya) was another 7 seconds back in 2:07:08, a solid debut to get onto the podium.

Further back, Japan's Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't), appearing with support from JRN, ran a rare time trial performance, sticking close to dedicated pacer Wilfred Kigen (Kenya) on track to just break 2:09 in a bid both to deal with the jet lag issues that have so far troubled his international racing and, if successful, to surpass national record holder Toshinari Takaoka and become the first Japanese man to clear 2:10 seven times in his car…

by Brett Larner



Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) returns to German soil for the first time in two years at Sunday's Haspa Hamburg Marathon.  Running with support from JRN, Kawauchi faces an ideally-poised field including 2:05 man William Kipsang (Kenya), 2:06 runners Laban Korir (Kenya) and Eric Ndiema (Kenya), 2:07-level runners Shumi Dechasa (Bahrain) and Felix Keny (Kenya), sub-hour half marathon first-time marathoners Silas Kipruto (Kenya) and Lucas Rotich (Kenya) and more in a race set to go off with a 1:03-flat first half.  Appearing at the pre-race press conference on May 2, Kawauchi was clear and honest about his goals:
"Up to now I've broken 2:10 six times in Asia and have run 2:10 and 2:11 in Australia, but the best I've done in Europe and North America when I've been racing with jet lag is only 2:12.  I view the marathon as a sport of learning, one where you can keep applying the new knowledge you gain each time to your future races.  Hamburg wil…

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/p-sp-tp0-20140427-1291697.html
http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20140426-1291316.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

2014 Asian Games marathon national team member Yuki Kawauchi (27, Saitama Pref. Gov't) laid out a new goal on Apr. 26: the sub-20 marathon.  To date Kawauchi has run 34 marathons, going sub-20, 2:19:59 or better, in 33 of them and sub-10 in 6. If he runs sub-10 in his next marathon, the May 4 Hamburg Marathon, he will surpass national record holder Toshinari Takaoka to become the Japanese man with the most career sub-10s.  The new goal Kawauchi is adding to Hamburg is something he saw on a website: the Japanese record for most sub-20 marathons. "Apparently Takeshi Soh has the sub-20 record at 34 times," he said.  "Including two races on uncertified courses, I'm going to tie that number in Hamburg."

Just before the interview Kawauchi ran the 1500 m at the Nittai…

by Brett Larner
photos by t_tsuki

While Tokyo's Ome 30 km fell victim to the major snowstorm that hit the north half of Japan on Friday, the Kumanichi 30 km near the southernmost tip of the southern island of Kyushu picked up another piece of history on Sunday.

After a spectacular four-way battle last year saw a new course record of 1:29:31 from Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) and a university national record of 1:29:55 by Toyo University's Keita Shitara, this year's race was billed as a shot at Shitara's national record.  Over a half dozen of Japan's top collegiates, including 2014 Hakone Ekiden champion Toyo's Yuma Hattori and Ryu Takaku, 2013 National University Half Marathon champion Shogo Nakamura and outgoing team captain Shinobu Kubota of 2013 National University Ekiden champion Komazawa University, 2012 National University Half Marathon champion Toshikatsu Ebina (Teikyo Univ.) and ace Takumi Honda of 2012 Hakone winner Nittai University, lined u…