japan running news

The regional qualifier for the Jan. 1 New Year Ekiden national championships, the Chugoku Corporate Men's Ekiden took place Nov. 10. Eight teams competed for the four places at the New Year Ekiden up for grabs. Aiming for a fifth-straight win, the Mazda team led from the start. On the Second Stage Chudenko overtook them for the top position, holding on to the lead through the Third and Fourth Stages. But with a stage record-breaking run on the Fifth Stage Mazda's Masatoshi Teranishi succeeded in turning the team's fortunes around, putting it in position for a first-ever fifth-straight Chugoku title and leading it on to the New Year Ekiden. Chudenko, Chugoku Denryoku and JFE Steel all likewise qualified. 58th Chugoku Jitsugyodan Ekiden Sera, Hiroshima, 11/10/19 8 teams, 7 stages, 80.8 km complete results Team Results  - top 4 qualify for New Year Ekiden 1. Mazda - 4:00:10 - CR 2. Chudenko - 4:02:35 3. Chugoku Denryoku - 4:03:51 4. JFE Steel - 4:06:13 -...

On Jan. 23 the JFE Steel men's corporate team announced the hiring of former Kanebo head coach Kumimitsu Ito , 63, as its new head coach effective Feb. 1. During his days as an athlete Ito was named to the 1980 Moscow Olympic team prior to Japan's boycott of the Games. At the 1986 Beijing Marathon he ran 2:07:57 for 2nd, breaking the then-national record along with winner Taisuke Kodama . As a coach he led Toshinari Takaoka to set the current Japanese national record of 2:06:16 in the marathon. Takaoka later succeeded him as head coach at Kanebo. JFE Steel's roster features 12 athletes including Kenyan Charles Ndirangu , a graduate of Sera H.S. , and Yudai Okamoto , an Okayama Kogyo H.S. and   Chuo Gakuin University graduate. This season the team failed to qualify for the New Year Ekiden national championships for the first time in 42 years. Hired as head coach in 2014, Takashi Matsuyama , 44, will step down from his position on Jan. 31. source article:   http://w...