japan running news

by Brett Larner

With 30 days to go until South Africa's Sanlam Cape Town Marathon the organizers have announced the men's elite field for a race the hope will elevate Cape Town from IAAF silver label status to become the first gold label race in Africa.  Defending champion and course record holder Willy Kibor Koitile (Kenya) returns to face 2013 Dusseldorf Marathon winner Dereje Debele Tulu (Ethiopia), 2014 Hofu Marathon winner Yuki Kawauchi (Japan) appearing with support from JRN, 2013 Prague Marathon winner Nicholas Kipngeno Kemboi (Qatar), 2013 Castellón Marathon winner Andualem Belay Shiferaw (Ethiopia) and more.  Also in the field is South African great Hendrick Ramaala competing in the masters' division.  With course changes this year to take out some of the hills Koitile's 2:10:45 course record should be in range of a field featuring eight men who have run faster than that within the last three years.

Making his South African debut, Kawauchi will be hoping for a…

by Brett Larner

Update: Current forecast as of 7:00 p.m. on Mar. 6 is for light rain, moderate wind and temperatures of 6-7 degrees at the start.

The 2010 Biwako Mainichi Marathon, known as Biwako in Japan and Lake Biwa overseas, takes place this Sunday, Mar. 7. One of the oldest marathons in Japan, Biwako has taken steps in the last two years to ensure its continued prominence in the elite marathon circuit including securing Japan's first IAAF gold label despite not meeting any of the published criteria. This year's race unveils a new and purportedly faster course, a new main sponsor, and a good field with some top overseas talent.

The race will probably come down to one between the two men with the best recent times, 2009 World Championships 4th placer Yemane Tsegay of Ethiopia and 2009 Chicago Marathon 4th placer Charles Munyeki of Kenya, but should weather intervene or incentive be lacking quite a few people have a chance of stepping up and presenting a challenge in even a sl…

by Brett Larner

On Feb. 15 the Biwako Mainichi Marathon, also called the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon for the convenience of non-Japanese speakers, announced the complete field for this year's 65th anniversary edition to be held Mar. 7. Biwako, as the race is universally abbreviated within Japan, survived a scare last year with the loss of main sponsor Rohm and comes to this year with a new sponsor, K-Opticom, a new course designed to be faster, and a renewal of its questionable IAAF Gold Label, the first in the country. Three of the top eleven men at the 2009 Berlin World Championships will line up at the start.

The biggest name in the field is 2004 New York City Marathon winner Hendrick Ramaala (South Africa). Still an aggressive racer at age 38, Ramaala faces a tough challenge from the man who will wear the #1 bib, Berlin World Championships 4th place finisher Yemane Tsegay (Ethiopia). Also in contention are 2009 Chicago Marathon 4th place finisher Charles Munyeki (Keyna) and 2009…