japan running news

The Tokyo Metro Corporation is pleased to announce plans to found a new women's ekiden team beginning in April, 2020. Under the leadership of Michiko Shimizu the team will seek to become champions of the National Corporate Women's Ekiden.
As a long-distance relay the ekiden is in close conceptual affinity with the railway industry, which functions to connect separate stations. In addition, the fact that a team's success rests on the regular, daily work of each member and their individual contributions toward making a better whole is fully aligned with our corporate mission of each of our employees making valuable contributions through their daily work to the safety and comfort of our customers.
Tokyo Metro seeks to make a positive contribution to the community and to society at large through its women's ekiden team. The team will be based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is our hope that having a team based and training along our routes will help to unite and revitalize those are…

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/running/kataru/20140723-OYT8T50026.html

translated by Brett Larner

Part of a series, an interview with former women's marathon world record holder and Sydney Olympics gold medalist Naoko Takahashi, the first woman to ever break 2:20 for the marathon.

With regard to the Japanese athletics world, ever since Mizuki Noguchi won the medal at the Athens Olympics women's long distance has taken a downturn.

Yes, it has fallen a bit, hasn't it?

Are there any athletes in particular that you're paying special attention to?

Personally speaking, I'm watching Natsuki Omori from Ritsumeikan University. She never made the National High School Championships, but now that she's in her second year of university she has just exploded and is developing quickly. She's aggressive and has really nice form, so if she can keep going like this for four years without getting injured then I want to see her go to the marathon. She's somebody I'm really ex…

http://www.nyrrmedia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=133:radcliffe-kosgei-kano-bolster-depleted-womens-field&catid=55:race-recaps&Itemid=61

translated and edited by Brett Larner

The New York Road Runners held a press conference at Tokyo's Conrad Hotel on Sept. 28 to formally announce the ING New York City Marathon debut of World Championships women's marathon 7th place finisher Yuri Kano (Second Wind AC). Kano, her coach Manabu Kawagoe and, via conference call, NYRR CEO and NYCM race director Mary Wittenberg took part in the press conference with JRN editors Brett Larner and Mika Tokairin serving as the interpreters between Wittenberg and Kano, Kawagoe, and the Japanese media. Below is a transcript of comments and responses.

For clarification of the questions regarding Second Wind AC, most Japanese teams are corporate-sponsored and exist largely removed from and invisible to the everyday world of amateur runners and running fans. Second Wind is trying to operate on a new model in which amateurs can run in the same club with elite athletes such as Kano and 2009 Hokkaido Marathon 1-2 finishers Kiyoko Shimahara and Ake…