japan running news

http://mainichi.jp/feature/news/20130727k0000m040056000c.html

translated by Brett Larner

With Mt. Fuji newly named to the World Heritage Site list, the 66th Fuji Mountain Race took place July 26 on a course starting at 769 m elevation in front of Fujiyoshida City Hall and ending 21 km and more than 3000 m climb later at the summit, along with a 15 km race halfway up the mountain ending at its Fifth Stage.

In the summit division, Dai Matsumoto (29, Gunma Pref.) won the men's race in 2:49:40.  American Leah Daugherty (28) won the women's race in 3:23:47.  In the Fifth Stage race, Naoto Ikuta (33, Tokyo) won for the second time, while veteran Yoshimi Hoshino (47, Shizuoka) won a third title.

by Brett Larner

Heavy rain cut the 2009 Fuji Tozan Mountain Race down to size, but two-time defending women's champion Yuri Kanbara and 2006 men's winner Toru Miyahara nevertheless prevailed again to pick up this year's titles.

With conditions dangerous above Mt. Fuji's 2256 m-high 5th Stage on the July 24 race morning, organizers made the decision 30 minutes before the 7:00 a.m. start to shorten the event's 21 km long, 3000 m elevation gain Summit Race. Rather than reaching the summit, athletes in the long race would end at the 5th stage along with the event's 15 km long, 1480 m elevation gain 5th Stage Race entrants. This meant the true uphill specialists in the field such as Kanbara were at a competitive disadvantage against faster athletes who could withstand the relatively mild climb and paved first half of the 5th Stage course.

The rain let up just minutes before the start, leaving the fields in the two divisions with the coolest, most ideal conditions in re…