japan running news

Nagasaki has announced plans for the city's first full marathon, to be held in 2020 in the 75th anniversary year of the American nuclear bombing. The costs necessary for planning and preparing for the marathon will be included in the next fiscal year's budget.

Nagasaki hopes to use the marathon as an opportunity to promote the message of peace on the milestone 75th anniversary of the United States' use of weapons of mass destruction on the city. As Nagasaki's first full marathon, city government officials have already consulted with the police department and other agencies regarding measures to reduce traffic problems and to maximize runners' safety. Based upon those discussions plans call for the race to go ahead with a course starting and finishing at Nagasaki Peace Park and running around the Nagasaki Port area, offering a representative view of the Nagasaki seaside.

The race is being planned for November, 2020 with a field of 10,000 runners. Along with the 42.1…

by Brett Larner

日本高校記録！
7分59秒18 pic.twitter.com/LxtOmTBsPa — 岡村新也 (@n2GVFoktHb5AuKw) October 16, 2016
Ekiden season is underway but there is plenty of track action along the way as teams get ready for the main road races.  A week after his third-straight National Sports Festival track title, 12th-grader Hyuga Endo (Gakuho Ishikawa H.S.) became the first Japanese high schooler to break 8 minutes for 3000 m when he won Hyogo's Sumitomo Denko Cup in 7:59.18 by a margin of more than 20 seconds.  Opening with a 2:36.82 first 1000 m, Endo slowed to 2:42.50 in the middle of the race, still on track to break 8 overall but behind pace over the next 600 m.  One of Endo's main strengths to date has been his kick over the last lap, and here a 59.92 second last lap was just enough to get him under.  Endo's time was a new high school national record and the second-fastest ever by a Japanese junior.  With a steady string of new PBs from 1500 m to 5000 m over the last two years the new re…

by Brett Larner

Earlier this year when Oregon-training then-future 3000 m national record holder Suguru Osako (Team Nissin Shokuhin) ran in a U.S. track meet its webcast announcer, talking about Osako's PBs, said in a mocking tone of voice, "Who runs track in November?"  The answer, of course, is just about every elite Japan-based runner.

November is full of track time trial meets that coaches use to assess fitness within their rosters ahead of the mid-December to mid-January national championship ekiden season.  One of the biggest happens on Saturday, the Hachioji Long Distance time trials meet in Tokyo's western suburbs featuring seven men's 10000 m heats packed with much of the top talent in the country.  The A-heat features 18 of the best Japan-based Africans paced by sub-27 man Bedan Karoki (DeNA RC), young sub-28 Japanese athletes Chihiro Miyawaki (Team Toyota), Keita Shitara (Team Konica Minolta), Yuta Shitara (Team Honda) and Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Team Asahi…

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translated by Brett Larner

On June 30 the Memolead Group wedding and funeral ceremony management and production company based in Seihi Nagayomachi held a press conference to announce its sponsorship of a new women's athletics team.  It is the first new women's corporate team to be based in Nagasaki since the launch of the Juhachi Ginko team two years ago.

Appearing at the press conference in Nagasaki were corporate representatives and new head coach Yuki Mori.  Mori joined Memolead the year before last and, remaining active as a runner, captained the Nagasaki prefecture team at last year's final Grand Tour Kyushu ekiden.  Based on his performance and leadership there, corporate management took an interest and agreed to fund a new women's team.  The team will focus on women interested in the marathon and other long distances.

With a planned team start date at the beginning of the new fiscal year next April, Mori intends to retire from his current po…