japan running news

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/8157832.stm

by Brett Larner

81 year-old Keizo Yamada, the 1953 Boston Marathon winner, returned to this year's race on Apr. 20. Yamada successfully finished his 18th Boston in 6:16:56 after a first half of 2:33:29. Universal Sports reports that Yamada intends this year's running to be his last.

A laughably slow women's race gave Team Toto's Tomoe Yokoyama and amateur runner Hiroko Sho some unexpected international camera exposure as they ran at the head of the elite women's pack in the earliest stages of the race. Yokoyama had suffered injuries since winning February's Ome Marathon 30 km road race and hoped only to break 2:40, meaning that the lead pack's speed throughout the first 10 km of the race suited her fine. As the pace crept glacially forward Sho drifted away, but Yokoyama moved to the front and alternated the lead with veteran American Colleen de Reuck. Only nearing halfway, for which Yokoyama clocked 1:19:59, did she begin to lose contact, eventually fading to…

by Brett Larner

Once again this year, the Tokyo Marathon has invited an all-star lineup of major international names current and historic to take part in the event's 10 km and marathon divisions as special guest runners. A listing of this year's scheduled guests:

Marathon
Keizo Yamada - 1953 Boston Marathon winner and 1953 Olympics marathoner
Kenji Kimihara - 1968 Olympics marathon silver medalist and 1966 Boston Marathon winner
Hideki Kita - 1981 Tokyo International Marathon winner and 1980 Olympics track runner
Hiromi Taniguchi - 1991 World Championships marathon gold medalist and 1992 Olympics marathoner
Eriko Asai - 1988 Olympics and 1987 World Championships marathoner
Mari Tanigawa - 1991 Tokyo International Women's Marathon winner

10 km
Constantina Tomescu-Dita (Romania) - 2008 Olympics marathon gold medalist
Rosa Mota (Portugal) - 1988 Olympics marathon gold medalist
Kaori Icho - 2004 and 2008 Olympics freestyle wrestling 63 kg. gold medalist
Chiharu Icho - 2004 and 2008 Olympic…