by Brett Larner The Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon organizers have announced the field for their 53rd running on Feb. 8. Run on the home ground of the Takeshi Soh -led Asahi Kasei corporate team, Nobeoka is primarily a developmental race focusing on first-timers and young athletes trying to get the marathon right and typically sees winning times in the 2:12~2:13 range. It's noteworthy outside Japan mainly in that every year the people who run around that level in Nobeoka make up a major part of the runners included on their coaches' annual junket to the Chicago Marathon, where some go on to take a step toward bigger things. Recently things have been getting a little faster in Nobeoka, with 2:11 winning times in two of the last three years . This year the organizers have taken a slightly different tack, invited three experienced men who should be able to work together to take down the 2:11:05 course record. Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) is the stronges...
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