japan running news

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20130117/ath13011720530000-n1.html

translated by Brett Larner

The Shiseido corporation has announced that women's long distance team head coach Tsutomu Hiroyama, 46, will retire from the team at the end of March.  The announcement comes partly as a consequence of the Shiseido team's 13th place finish at December's National Corporate Women's Ekiden, the latest in a series of increasingly shaky results in recent years.  Hiroyama's wife Harumi Hiroyama, 44, who beginning with the 1996 Atlanta Olympics made three straight Olympic teams in track distance events, has been serving as an assistant coach and according to the announcement will also retire from the team.  Following their departure current coaching staff member Toshitaka Andoji, 47, will be promoted.

Tsutomu joined Shiseido in 1989, switching the focus of his own career as an athlete to coaching and helping to develop Harumi and others.  The couple's stoic character and una…

http://www.47news.jp/CN/201003/CN2010030901000506.html

translated by Brett Larner

On Mar. 9 it was announced that retired Olympian Harumi Hiroyama, 41, gave birth to her first baby, a girl, at a hospital in Urayasu, Chiba on Mar. 7. The management of Hiroyama's former team, Shiseido, said that both mother and daughter are healthy and doing fine. Hiroyama ran on the track at the Atlanta, Sydney and Athens Olympics. She retired at the end of March last year following the Tokyo Marathon.

by Brett Larner

Updated 3/21/09 to reflect athlete withdrawals.

In an effort to bring the Tokyo Marathon into line with IAAF Gold Label status criteria, this year's third running is the first to feature a full international invited elite women's field. Although the women's race is not included among the selection races for the Berlin World Championships, the substantial prize money this year has attracted a competitive field both domestic and foreign rivaling that of many of the world's best events.

The overseas field is truly international, with four women from four nations, and well-matched with all but one of the women having run their best times within the last two years and less than 1 minute 20 seconds separating their times. Alevtina Biktimirova (Russia) was 2nd in both Boston and Chicago last year, the former with a memorable sprint finish in a time only 15 seconds off her best despite the challenging course. She weakened in Honolulu in December but should be a so…

by Brett Larner

On Feb. 23 the organizing committee of the Tokyo Marathon announced the elite athletes invited to the 2009 race to be held on Mar. 22. With the addition of substantial prize money and a women's field the Tokyo Marathon has taken on a new character this year, and its inclusion as a domestic men's World Championships selection race means that a large number of top Japanese men will also be lining up.

The women's race features 2008 Boston and Chicago Marathon runner-up Alevtina Biktimirova of Russia as the fastest foreign entrant. Alongside Biktimirova are two-time World Half Marathon bronze medalist Pamela Chepchumba of Kenya, two-time World Championships marathoner Shitaye Gemechu of Ethiopia, 2008 Vienna Marathon winner Luminita Talpos of Romania, and 2007 Beijing Marathon winner Rong Chen of China.

The Japanese women's field includes two greats running their final races, Harumi Hiroyama and Reiko Tosa. Hiroyama won the 2006 Nagoya International Women'…

http://mainichi.jp/enta/sports/news/20090204k0000m050050000c.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Rikuren has announced the lineup for the Chiba International Cross Country Meet to take place Feb. 15. As a selection race for the Japanese national team for this year's Jordan World Cross Country Championships in March, the Chiba XC Meet has attracted a range of top athletes looking to represent their nation.

The men's 12000 m race includes 3000 m steeplechase Olympian Yoshitaka Iwamizu (Team Fujitsu), 2009 Interprefectural Ekiden 7th stage winner Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku), two-time Olympic marathoner Jon Brown (Canada/U.K.) and 2009 Shibuya New Ekiden 1st stage winner Jason Lawrence (New Zealand).

The women's 6000 m race features Beijing Olympics 5000 m runner Yuriko Kobayashi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki), 2007 World Championships 6th place finisher Kiyoko Shimahara (Second Wind AC), and veteran Harumi Hiroyama (Team Shiseido).

In the junior men's 8000 m race, 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 explained. &q…

JRN's Mika Tokairin ran the Nagoya International Marathon. Below are photos she took before the race and at the post-race award ceremony and reception.


Competitors in Mizuho Stadium before the race.



Naoko Takahashi warming up.


Naoko Sakamoto getting last-minute advice from her coach.

Harumi Hiroyama warming up.


Naoko Takahashi comes around the track again.
















The top 8 finishers at the award ceremony.


Winner Yurika Nakamura.

Top 4 finishers Yurika Nakamura, Yoshimi Ozaki, Yuri Kano and Yumiko Hara, L-R.

Yurika Nakamura talking to Rikuren officials.

Naoko Takahashi at the reception.

all photos (c) 2008 Mika Tokairinall rights reserved

http://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/feature/niwm/CK2008022802191336.html

The organizing committee of the 2008 Nagoya International Women's Marathon, sponsored in part by Rikuren and the Chunichi Newspapers Group, announced the names of the 20 invited elite runners for this year's Olympic selection edition of the race. The field of 325, including 305 individual entrants, will start the 42.195 course at 12:15 p.m.

The domestic elite field includes 2000 Sydney Olympics marathon gold medalist Naoko Takahashi (Team Phiten), 2006 Nagoya winner Harumi Hiroyama (Team Shiseido), 2004 Athens Olympics marathon team member Naoko Sakamoto (Team Tenmaya), and 8-time Nagoya competitor Takami Ominami (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) along with 11 others. The foreign elite field of 5 is led by Kenya's Joice Kirui.

Invited Domestic Elites
Naoko Takahashi (Team Phiten), 35, PB: 2:19:46
Naoko Sakamoto (Team Tenmaya), 27, PB: 2:21:51
Harumi Hiroyama (Team Shiseido), 39, PB: 2:22:56
Takami Ominami (Team Toyota …

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2008020300056
http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/f-sp-tp0-20080203-316071.html
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080203-00000020-mai-spo

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Kenyan runner Philes Ongori (Team Hokuren) won the women's race at the 62nd Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon on Feb. 3 in a time of 1:07:57. Yoshimi Ozaki (Team Daiichi Seimei) was 2nd in 1:09:30. 14th place finisher in last summer's Osaka World Championships marathon Mari Ozaki (Team Noritz) was 3rd in 1:09:58, while veteran runner Harumi Hiroyama (Team Shiseido) was 4th. Ongori commented, "I really wanted to break [Kayoko Fukushi's course record of] 1:07:26." She plans to run a track event in the Beijing Olympics.

Yoshimi Ozaki will also be looking to qualify for the Olympics when she runs her marathon debut at the Nagoya International Women's Marathon in March. She ran Marugame to help her image training for the 2nd half of the full marathon, breaking…

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2008011600730

translated by Brett Larner

At a pre-race press conference on Jan. 16, race officials announced the elite men's and women's fields for the 62nd Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon on Feb. 3rd. The women's field includes veteran runner Harumi Hiroyama (Team Shiseido) and Osaka World Championships women's marathon competitor Mari Ozaki (Team Noritz). In the men's race, 30 km world record holder Takayuki Matsumiya (Team Konica Minolta) is scheduled to appear.

Translator's note: Matsumiya's appearance is significant in that he comes to Marugame fresh from a strong 2007 and in particular from running 1:02:28 for 22 km in the New Year Ekiden, a performance equivalent to 59:54 for a half marathon. This is 31 seconds faster than Atsushi Sato's national record set in October, albeit with a drop of 30 m over the 22 km distance. Mekubo Mogusu ran under 1 hour on the Marugame course last year, so it is entirely possible t…