japan running news

In October and November France's beIN SPORTS channel filmed a documentary on Japanese marathoner Yuki Kawauchi in Saitama, Hokkaido, Tokyo, Paris and Nice. The program was broadcast on Saturday, Nov. 25. Watch it in its entirety above. Kawauchi next races at Sunday's Fukuoka International Marathon.

Returning to its regular starting point on the Promenade des Anglais this year for its tenth anniversary running, France's Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes experienced wild winds and rain for much of the race. Running in France for the first time, Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) hoped to become the first non-African winner in event history. Staying in the middle of a lead pack of five Kenyans and two Ethiopians, Kawauchi and the rest of the group were just off the planned sub-2:10 pace through halfway as pacer Cosmas Birech struggled to deal with winds that shifted in every direction. Daniel Yator was the first casualty of the tough conditions.

At 22 km the course moved away from the open beachfront, blocking the wind enough for Birech to pick it up to the planned 3:04/km. But as he did Kawauchi found himself unable to respond, and within a kilometer he had dropped ten seconds off the lead sextet. From there it was a struggle for him to hold off Yator, who beat Ka…

Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) makes his French racing debut this Sunday at the 10th Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes NIce-Cannes. Following wins at September's Oslo Marathon and October's Betsukai Pilot Marathon, Kawauchi hopes to achieve one goal that has eluded him so far in his career: joining the small group of just six Japanese men to have ever won a marathon outside Japan in a time under 2:10:00.

The only other man in the field to have broken 2:10 in his career is Kenyan Alfred Kering, whose closest time to that mark in the last three years was a 2:10:27 win at the 2016 Lisbon Marathon. No others in the field have run under 2:11, but times aren't everything. The slowest man in the field on paper with a best of just 2:13:13, Daniel Yator beat Kawauchi at June's Stockholm Marathon en route to that time and will be looking to do it again.

The women's field is small, with only three women who have broken 2:38 led by Ethiopian Tigist Shetu with a 2:34:37 bes…

The six members of Japan's men's and women's marathon teams at the ongoing London World Championships returned to Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Aug. 9. Decked out in the official team suit, Japanese team captain and at 9th the top-placing Japanese marathoner in London Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) spoke to the media.

Having declared pre-race his intention to withdraw from consideration for future Japanese National Team positions, post-race Kawauchi showed no change in that intent. With regard to his future plans, his motivation as a competitor likewise remaining unchanged, Kawauchi indicated that he will run Decmeber's Fukuoka International Marathon,where his 3rd-place overall finish last year earned him his place in London. "In Fukuoka I want to break my PB and run 2:07," he said. "There are things I want to accomplish besides being on the National Team."

Kawauchi revealed that his next marathon will be September's Oslo Marathon, whe…

text and photos by Brett Larner
supplementary photos c/o race organizers
click any photo to enlarge

The organizers of France's Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes invited JRN to this year's race to run it and write about the experience.  In just eight years Nice-Cannes has quickly risen to become the most popular autumn marathon in France and an international destination event, its spectacular mountain and ocean views along the Côte d'Azur between the cities of Nice and Cannes, nearly constantly ideal weather, major airport access and a weekend with little competition on the calendar attracting over 10,000 runners every year since its first running in 2008.

Since its sixth year Nice-Cannes has been an IAAF bronze label race, its men's course record of 2:08:40 and women's record of 2:30:37 an indication of its quality not just as a destination marathon but as a world-class race.  Event director Pascal Thiriot told JRN, "We feel that the IAAF label in an in…