japan running news

Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura , 44, appeared remotely on a morning news talk show on May 31. Asked by one of the hosts whether the Nov. 29  Osaka Marathon , one of the world's ten largest marathons, would be held this year, Yoshimura answered, "I think it would be pretty difficult this year, but the organizers are in the final stages of their decision-making process. They will make an announcement soon." Held annually since its launch in 2011, this year the Osaka Marathon is set to celebrate its tenth edition and its first running as a World Athletics label race. As mayor of the city of Osaka Yoshimura himself ran and finished the 2017 race. With a new course finishing at Osaka Castle Park, last year's race had 32,989 finishers. With that number of people it is likely that they would come into close proximity to each other at the start in front of the Osaka Metropolitan Government offices. "We are in discussion with all involved parties," said Yosh...

by Brett Larner photos by Tsukasa Kawarai In a career teeming to overflow with double medals at the Olympics and World Championships and an unprecedented triple crown of Great North Run wins earned to varying degrees, Great Britain's Mo Farah staked the ultimate claim to the title of Greatest of All Time with the single most important victory of his career, a win at Saturday's Akasaka 5-Chome Mini Marathon . Running on a hilly 900 m four-loop course around and through broadcaster TBS' Akasaka studios as part of its semi-annual All-Star Kanshasai variety show, Farah overcame a 5 minute, 55 second handicap start to run down a cavalcade of Japan's finest models and comedians for the win, catching the last trio led by entertainer Kenji Moriwaki on the final uphill run up to the studio. 【オールスター感謝祭 TBS】 ファラー速い！💨💨💨🏃 やっぱりファラーはロードでも強かった！😊 pic.twitter.com/tFdpxEXT3K — NOBUKI T&F (@hagechabin123) October 8, 2016 Farah covered the 3.6 km cours...

by Brett Larner 神野大地(コニカミノルタ)@赤坂5丁目ミニマラソン pic.twitter.com/sM95E0dMdN — EKIDEN_MANIA (@ekiden_mania) April 9, 2016 Hakone Ekiden Fifth Stage star Daichi Kamino made his pro debut for the Konica Minolta team in surprising style, running Saturday night as part of the 50th edition of the All-Star Kanshasai variety show's twice-annual Akasaka 5-Chome Mini Marathon.  Broadcast live during the show, the race covers four laps of a twisting 900 m course with a steep downhill start, two 180-degree turns, a 200 m-long uphill with a nearly 10% grade, and a section through the TBS studios in front of the hundred or so comedians and TV personalities assembled for the variety show.  Each edition features a well-known pro runner racing several dozen other comedians and celebrities, each carefully handicapped for the staggered start to make the outcome as close as possible.  Past editions have featured Olympic and World Championships medalists including Joan Benoit Samuelson , M...

by Brett Larner 1984 Olympic marathon gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson (U.S.A.) took time out from her preparations for next month's New York City Marathon to appear on Japanese broadcaster TBS' All-Star Kanshasai variety game show on Oct. 3. On the biannual five-hour show, a panel of 200 celebrities compete for cash prizes by trying to predict the winners in a series of contests starring other celebrities. Samuelson appeared on the Akasaka Go-Chome Super Ekiden segment running a relay with two-time World Championships medalist Masako Chiba and marathon great Mari Tanigawa before running in the show's climax, the Akasaka Go-Chome Mini-Marathon. A handicap race on a hilly 3-loop course around and through TBS' Akasaka studio, the Mini-Marathon saw Benoit Samuelson square off against Chiba, Tanigawa, defending champion and two-time Olympic marathon medalist Erick Wainaina (Kenya), Wainaina's 'Zeitoku Marathon' TV spot co-star Hiroshi Neko, 'Running Man...

by Brett Larner photos by Mika Tokairin and Brett Larner Runners at the 5:00 a.m. start. The island of Phuket on the west coast of Thailand used to be one of the big three overseas tropical resort destinations for Japanese tourists. When the Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami hit the island over 5000 people were killed, including both local residents and foreign tourists. Foreign tourism dropped precipitously, causing more damage to the local economy which was already struggling to cope with the direct effects of the tsunami. In 2006 the Laguna Phuket association of resorts began holding a marathon in an effort to bring people back. Along with the full marathon, organizers included half marathon and 10.5 km distances along with a 5 km walk and a 2 km kids' race, all featuring a seaside start and finish in the heart of the Laguna Phuket resort district. Out of the 2038 entrants in the first edition of the combined races, 571 came from overseas. The view on the way back. Now in its fourth running...