japan running news

Yuko Kawakami , Chiemi Takahashi , Ikumi Wakamatsu and Mari Ozaki go sub-32 as they battle to qualify for the 1999 World Seville World Championships. Future international-level marathoners Mizuki Noguchi , Takami Ominami , Megumi Oshima , Yuri Kano , Kayoko Obata , Yasuko Hashimoto and more were also in the race.

by Brett Larner The 2010 Rome Marathon elite field. The 16th Rome Marathon takes place this Sunday, Mar. 21. In the 50th anniversary year of 1960 Rome Olympics, the Rome Marathon has formed a partnership with the Tokyo Marathon, site of the 1964 Olympics, to work together to promote cooperative bids from each city for the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games. A handful of elite Japanese runners will join the Rome field this year for the first time, two as invited elites and three as special guests in honor of the Rome-Tokyo cooperative relationship. As the 50th anniversary of the legendary barefoot win by Ethiopian great Abebe Bikila in the 1960 Olympics, Rome organizers have offered a unique bonus: if either the men's or women's leader in this year's race runs the final 300 m over cobblestones barefoot they will receive a 5000 euro bonus and 20 seconds off their finish time to compensate for the time spent stopping and taking off their shoes. The men's race features a solid f...

JRN will be on location at the Mar. 21 Rome Marathon to cover Satoko Uetani and Toyokazu Yoshimura's runs. We apologize in advance for any interruptions to regularly scheduled service that this may create.

by Brett Larner With six elite marathons in seven weeks, the crowded 2010 Japanese marathon season gets rolling this Sunday, Jan. 31 with the Osaka International Women's Marathon . With only an Asian Games spot at stake in a year without a major worldwide championships this year's Osaka has nevertheless attracted an interesting field containing a good number of relative newcomers and a few solid pros. Osaka has been the site of some very memorable marathon debuts. Last year it was the site of track and half marathon star Yukiko Akaba's first marathon, 2nd overall in a credible 2:25:40. The Team Hokuren runner has been one of the main forces in the domestic track and ekiden scene for the last two years but her shaky appearances at the Olympics, the World Half Marathon and especially her disastrous run in the World Championships marathon have all weakened Akaba's reputation. With some expecting her to become Japan's next sub-2:20 woman Akaba is returning to Osaka to g...

by Brett Larner The Osaka International Women's Marathon has announced the elite field for the 2010 edition of the race to be held on Jan. 31. The domestic field should prove to be quite interesting, headed by Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren), including talented veterans Mari Ozaki (Team Noritz) and Kayoko Obata (Team Acom) and featuring promising first-timers Ryoko Kizaki (Team Daihatsu) and Azusa Nojiri (Team Daiichi Seimei). An elite women's marathon in Japan wouldn't be complete without Sydney Olympics silver medalist Lidia Simon (Romania), and Simon is sure enough slated to be on the starting line again this time along with Olympian Olivera Jevtic (Serbia), 2009 Los Angeles Marathon runner-up Amane Gobena (Ethiopia) and others. 2009 Osaka International Women's Marathon - Elite Field click here for more detailed profiles and athlete photos Lidia Simon (Romania) - 2:22:54 (Osaka 2000) Mari Ozaki (Team Noritz) - 2:23:30 (Osaka 2003) Kayoko Obata (Team Acom) - 2:25:14 (Osa...

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20080128-OHT1T00231.htm translated by Brett Larner On Jan. 28, the organizers of the Chiba International Cross Country meet announced the elite fields for this year's race, to be held Feb. 10 in Chiba's Showa No Mori. The men's 12 km field includes 5000 m national record holder Takayuki Matsumiya (Team Konica Minolta) and Hakone Ekiden star Yuki Sato (Tokai University). The women's 6 km field includes 2006 Asia Games marathon bronze medalist Kayoko Obata (Team Acom). This meet will be used as a selection race for the March's World Cross Championships in the U.K.

http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?key=&k=200801/2008010600071&rel=j&g=spo http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?key=&k=200801/2008010600076&rel=j&g=spo http://www.the-miyanichi.co.jp/contents/?itemid=4557 translated and edited by Brett Larner Kenyan Julia Mombi won the 28th Miyazaki Women's Road Race half marathon on Jan. 6 in a PB time of 1:09:34. She followed her pre-race plan precisely, attacking with 2 km to go and dropping Hiroko Miyauchi of Team Oki. Mombi attended Aomori Yamada High School and now runs for Team Aruze. She is preparing for the Jan. 27 Osaka International Women's Marathon , where she hopes to run 2:25 to qualify for the Kenyan marathon team at the Beijing Olympics. Mombi enthusiastically smiled, "I ran easily today. My legs have gotten stronger." Miyauchi finished 20 seconds behind Mombi in 2nd place, while Miyauchi's sister Yoko, also of Team Oki, finished 3rd. 2006 Asia Games women's marathon bronze medalist Kayoko Obata of Team Aco...