japan running news

http://www.yonden.co.jp/press/re1301/1180944_1968.html

translated by Brett Larner

The Shikoku Denryoku company regrets to announce that due to the difficulties currently facing the power industry our executive board has been forced to adopt strict efficiency measures throughout the company, and that as a part of these measures the Shikoku Denryoku men's and women's running team will be disbanded at the end of the current fiscal year in March.

The running team was founded in April, 1992 as part of our company's 40th anniversary with the aims of:
Contributing to the development of sports within the Shikoku region and fostering an atmosphere of interaction and exchange with local residents.Building morale, unity and camaraderie within the company by uniting employees in supporting the team's activities. Over the last 20+ years through its record of achievement in the National Corporate Ekiden Championships and at major marathons, in the number of team members who have run a…

by Brett Larner

Half marathon Asian record holder Atsushi Sato (Team Chugoku Denryoku) headlines the field at the 49th Himejijo 10 Mile Road Race on the national holiday of Feb. 11, just 10 days after finishing 3rd overall and as the top domestic runner at the Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon. As he prepares for the London Marathon Sato will face a wide range of challengers including the runner who finished just behind him in Marugame, Team Nissin Shokuhin's Satoru Kitamura, and 2:07:52 marathoner Tomoaki Kunichika (Team S&B), but his biggest competition is likely to be the only other sub-28 minute 10000 m runner in the race, Terukazu Omori (Team Shikoku Denryoku). The field also includes American Steven Crane, the lone foreigner among the elite runners.

2009 Himejijo 10 Mile Road Race Elite Field
times listed are PB marks for 10000 m and half marathon

Terukazu Omori (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 27:43.94 / 1:02:14
Atsushi Sato (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 27:56.86 / 1:00:25
Sat…

http://www.shikoku-np.co.jp/sports/local/article.aspx?id=20080301000085

translated by Brett Larner

For those who want to make the Beijing Olympics men's marathon team, Sunday's Biwako Mainichi Marathon is the last chance. Team Chugoku Denryoku's Tsuyoshi Ogata, who was 5th at last summer's World Championships, and Atsushi Sato, who was 3rd at December's Fukuoka International Marathon, are both likely to be picked for the team. After these runners remained 2 races to decide the 3rd man. At the Tokyo Marathon, Arata Fujiwara (Team JR East Japan) ran 2:08:40 to finish 2nd and make Biwako the object of intense observation.

The favorite for top Japanese in Biwako is Satoshi Osaki (Team NTT West Japan). At the World Championships last summer he was 6th, leading some to advise him to sit out the selection races and hope for a slot. Having finished in the top 3 in 6 of his 8 marathons, Osaki was unsatsified with his World Championships result and went back into training …

http://osaka.nikkansports.com/news/f-on-tp2-20080211-319855.html
http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/flash/KFullFlash20080211030.html
http://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/sports/0000834508.shtml

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Japanese men's national marathon record holder Toshinari Takaoka (Team Kanebo) won the Himejijo 10 Mile Road Race in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture on Feb. 11, running a time of 47:40. Takaoka accelerated with 1.5 km to go, passing Takashi Toyota (Team Sanyo Tokusho Seiko) with 1 km left to take the lead for good. Kenji Noguchi (Team Shikoku Denryoku) took 2nd in 47:44, with Toyota 1 second back in 3rd. The 6th place finisher in last summer's Osaka World Championships marathon, Satoshi Osaki (Team NTT Nishi Nihon), was 4th in 47:46.

"It's been a long time since I won something," Takaoka smiled after the race. He was scheduled to run last weekend's Ome Marathon 30 km road race until the race was cancelled due to heavy snow, but was able to negotiate a …

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/071113/oth0711131823002-n1.htm

translated by Brett Larner

The JAAF today released the team entry lists for this year`s Chiba International Ekiden, to be held November 23rd at the Chiba Prefectural Sogo Sport Center Stadium. The strong Japanese team includes Osaka World Championships marathon 5th place finisher Tsuyoshi Ogata (Team Chugoku Denryoku), the great young hopes of the Japanese distance running world Kensuke Takezawa (Waseda University) and Yuichiro Ueno (Chuo University), and Japanese national 5000 m and half-marathon record holder Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal).

The format of this race has been revised in its 19th edition to feature mixed teams of men and women running together for the first time. The sight of leaders such as Ogata and Fukushi running together on the same team and passing the tasuki [sash] to each other will be a first in the Japanese distance running scene.

Last year`s men`s and women`s winners Kenya will be returning again …

http://www.iaaf.org/WRU07/results/gender=M/discipline=HMAR/combCode=hash/roundCode=f/index.html

written by Brett Larner

Atsushi Sato set a new Japanese and Asian half-marathon record of 1:00:25 at the World Road Running Championships in Udine, Italy on Oct. 14, 2007. Sato placed 9th overall.

Japan-based half-marathon world record holder Samuel Wanjiru, suffering from a knee injury, finished 51st in 1:03:31, behind Japan`s Sato; Kazuhiro Maeda, 30th in a PB of 1:02:08; and Kenji Noguchi, 33rd in a PB of 1:02:20. Tetsuo Nishimura was close behind Wanjiru, finishing 54th in 1:03:41. The Japanese team placed 7th out of 17 teams.

Japan`s women`s team finished 3rd of 8 teams led by Chisato Osaki`s 7th place finish in a PB time of 1:08:56. Other Japanese results included Akane Taira, 12th in 1:09:17 (PB); Yoshimi Ozaki, 13th in 1:09:26 (PB); Yuko Machida, 26th in 1:11:55; and Yurika Nakamura, 39th in 1:13:13.

http://www.iaaf.org/WRU07/news/Kind=2/newsId=42057.html