japan running news

by Brett Larner

Sato takes the lead. Click photo for complete photo sequence courtesy of the Rikubaka website.

Half marathon national record holder Atsushi Sato (Team Chugoku Denryoku) made another step toward a comeback when he won the men's 8 km division at the 12th annual Hiroshima Cross-Country Meet on a hot and humid Aug. 20.  Sato outran 2010 winner Peter Kariuki (Kenya/Team Mazda) and 2007 winner Joseph Gitau (Kenya/Team JFE Steel) over the final two km to take the win in 24:03 by a margin of 15 seconds.  Gitau finished 2nd in 24:18, Kariuki taking 3rd in 24:21.

At the nearby Central Japan Five-Prefecture Track and Field Championships Gitau's teammate Kota Otani (Team JFE Steel) broke the 25-year-old meet record with a new mark of 8:53.13 in the men's 3000 mSC, while Otani's identical twin brother Kenta Otani (Team JFE Steel) won the men's 5000 m in a modest 14:23.67.  Independent runner Kota Taniguchi (Tottori Pref.) almost broke the meet record in the stee…

http://www.shinmai.co.jp/news/20100418/KT100418IWI090006000022.htm

translated and edited by Brett Larner

At the 12th Nagano Olympics Commemorative Marathon on April 18th, Australian Lisa Weightman ran a PB of 2:28:48 to win the women's race, while Kenyan Nicholas Chelimo ran 2:10:24 to take men's marathon, missing the course record by less than 10 seconds. After a freak snowstorm the day before the race, temperatures at the start were 12.5 degrees.

In the women's race Weightman led an early pack with Kiyoko Shimahara (Second Wind AC) and Irene Limika (Kenya). Weightman made a move to break away only 17 km into the race and ran the remaining 25 km alone to become the first Australian winner in Nagano history. Defending champion Irina Timofeyeva experienced problems with her right thigh and was unable to maintain contact with the leaders. Eri Hayakawa (Amino Vital AC) overtook Shimahara to finish as the top Japanese runner in 3rd overall.

In the men's race the lead pack boil…

http://www.shinmai.co.jp/news/20100401/a-4.htm
http://www.naganomarathon.gr.jp/modules/bulletin/article.php?storyid=108

translated by Brett Larner

On Mar. 31 the organizing committee of the 12th Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon announced the 34 athletes in the elite field for this year's edition on Apr. 18. Nicholas Chelimo (Kenya) tops the men's field with a PB of 2:07:46. Nagano prefecture marathon record holder Masaru Takamizawa (Saku Chosei H.S. AC) is also scheduled to run. Defending women's champion Irina Timofeyeva (Russia) returns and will face Kiyoko Shimahara (Second Wind AC), who was just named to the Japanese national team for November's Asian Games in Guanzhou, China.

Translator's note: Issue 3 of JRNPremium features an exclusive interview with Shimahara and will be published next week. Click here for more information.

2010 Nagano Marathon - Elite Field
click here for complete elite field listing
Men
Nicholas Chelimo (Kenya) - 2:07:46 (Amsterdam '09)
S…

http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/sports/Sp200905100138.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

The men's and women's 5000 m were the highlights of the May 9 Chugoku Jitsugyodan Track and Field Meet at the Miyoshi Sports Park Track and Field Grounds in Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture. In the men's race, Joseph Gitau (Team JFE Steel) ran 13:41.98 to take his first win at the meet, while Peter Kariuki and Samuel Ganga (both Team Mazda) rounded out a Kenyan sweep of the top three positions. Masayoshi Kuroda (Team Chugoku Denryoku) was 4th.

Danielle Filomena Cheyech (Team Uniqlo) set a new meet record of 15:19.47 to defend her title from last year in the women's event. Cheyech's time was a PB by nearly eight seconds and the second-best in the world thus far this year. Beijing Olympics marathoner Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) was 2nd in 15:45.41. She was red-eyed and furious with herself after letting Cheyech slip away in the second half of the race. "I thought I could st…

http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/sports/Sp200805110093.html

translated by Brett Larner and Mika Tokairin

The men`s and women`s 5000 m were the feature events on Day 1 of the Chugoku Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships at Miyoshi Sports Park`s track and field grounds in Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture. Beijing Olympics men`s marathon team member Atsushi Sato (Team Chugoku Denryoku) won the event for the first time, clocking a 13:47.13 result. Sato`s fellow Beijing men`s marathon team member Tsuyoshi Ogata (Team Chugoku Denryoku) ran 14:15.14 to finish 20th.

In the women`s race, Danielle Filomena (Team Uniqlo) won in a meet record time of 15:38.83. Beijing women`s marathon team member Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) was 2nd in 15:51.06. The championship meet continues May 17.

Atsushi Sato ran the men`s 5000 m "according to plan." He tried to hang on to the high-pace Africans in the race, saving himself and breaking away in the last stages of the race. Sato`s first track race of the …