japan running news

http://response.jp/article/2014/11/26/238309.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

The organizers of the 2015 Tokyo Marathon have announced that both London Olympics gold medalists will run next year's race, men's marathon gold medalist Stephen Kiprotich (Uganda) and women's marathon gold medalist Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) each signing on to run as invited athletes.  Kiprotich ran the Tokyo Marathon in 2012 to qualify for the Olympics, finishing 3rd in 2:07:50 behind winner Michael Kipyego (Kenya) and Arata Fujiwara (Japan).  Formerly based in Japan, Gelana ran the Yokohama International Women's Marathon earlier this month where she was 6th in 2:29:13.

The 2015 Tokyo Marathon is scheduled to be held Feb. 22.  As of Nov. 14, 304,825 people had entered for the 28,400 places in the general division, and with entries for the elite, sub-elite, charity runner and other divisions well over capacity across the board, preparations are progressing steadily.  114 companies are e…

by Brett Larner


The Great North Run celebrated three-part history Sunday, with the great Mary Keitany breaking marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe's course record and Mo Farah bringing home the first British men's win in 29 years to set the stage for the millionth finisher in GNR history, the first race in the world to hit that mark.


In beautiful conditions with a comfortable tailwind heavy favorite Keitany soloed the race the entire way on track for Radcliffe's 1:05:40 record, only appearing to falter near the end.  Bearing down in the home straight she looked to hit the line dead on, but when official results were posted it was announced that she had made it by a second with a new record of 1:05:39.  Nearly a kilometer back, the U.K.'s Gemma Steel was shockingly strong, going head-to-head with London Olympics gold medalist Tiki Gelana, Commonwealth Games silver medalist Caroline Kilel and two-time World Championships gold medalist Edna Kiplagat before droppi…

by Brett Larner
photos by rikujolove

2014 Copenhagen World Half Marathon Japanese national team members Masato Kikuchi (Team Konica Minolta) and Risa Takenaka (Team Shiseido) will join London Olympics and Moscow World Championships 5000 m and 10000 m double gold medalist Mo Farah (GBR), London and Moscow marathon gold medalist Stephen Kiprotich (Uganda), Daegu and Moscow World Championships marathon gold medalist Edna Kiplagat (Kenya), Birmingham World Half Marathon gold medalist Mary Keitany (Kenya) and others at the Sept. 7 Great North Run half marathon in Newcastle, U.K.

Kikuchi, formerly captain of Meiji University's Hakone Ekiden team, has broken 62 minutes for the half marathon three times so far this year including a 1:01:17 PB for 2nd at February's National Corporate Half Marathon Championships and a 1:01:23 at March's Copenhagen World Half Marathon, where he was the only athlete born outside Africa to make the top 25.  Takenaka, a former captain of National Universi…

by Brett Larner

The ING New York City Marathon has rarely seen top-level Japanese athletes in its field, largely as a consequence November's series of regional qualifying ekidens for the corporate league's men's and women's national championships ekidens in late December and early January.  This year New York scored one of Japan's best along with two more quality corporate runners.

A cultural phenomenon in Japan who has won fans worldwide, the independent Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) comes to New York with support from JRN to make his U.S. and World Marathon Majors debut in his ninth of eleven marathons scheduled for this year.  After a early-spring season that saw him run a 2:12:24 Egyptian all-comers' record, a 2:08:15 course record at the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon in a duel with Kentaro Nakamoto (Team Yasukawa Denki), a 1:29:31 CR at the Kumanichi 30 km, a 2:08:14 PB at the Seoul International Marathon and three other races all within the span …

http://www.nyrr.org/newsroom/press-release/defending-champions-lead-international-field-for-2013-ing-new-york-city-marathon

2013 ING New York City Marathon Elite Field New York, Nov. 3, 2013
Men Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya) - 2:04:15 (Berlin 2012) / 2:03:02a (Boston 2011) Stanley Biwott (Kenya) - 2:05:12 (Paris 2012) Wesley Korir (Kenya) - 2:06:13 (Chicago 2012) Ryan Hall (U.S.A.) - 2:06:17 (London 2008) / 2:04:58a (Boston 2011) Peter Kirui (Kenya) - 2:06:31 (Frankfurt 2011) Stephen Kiprotich (Uganda) - 2:07:20 (Enschede 2011) Jose Manuel Martinez (Spain) - 2:08:09 (Rotterdam 2003) Yuki Kawauchi (Japan/Saitama Pref. Gov't) - 2:08:14 (Seoul Int'l 2013) Mebrahtom Keflezighi (U.S.A.) - 2:09:08 (Houston 2012) Masato Imai (Japan/Team Toyota Kyushu) - 2:10:29 (Tokyo 2013) Jason Hartmann (U.S.A.) - 2:11:06 (Chicago 2010) Ryan Vail (U.S.A.) - 2:11:45 (Fukuoka Int'l 2012) Jeff Eggleston (U.S.A.) - 2:12:03 (Chicago 2012) Daniele Meucci (Italy) - 2:13:49 (Rome 2010) Bouabdellah Tahri (France)…

http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/sports/athletic/wc/2013/columndtl/201308180002-spnavi?page=1

translated by Brett Larner

On the 8th day of competition at the World Championships, August 17 in Moscow on a loop course starting and ending at Luzhniki Stadium, Kentaro Nakamoto (Team Yasukawa Denki) ran 2:10:50 for 5th place.  Faced with the impossible task of following the Africans' wild pace changes, he pushed on steadily at his own pace to continue Japan's eight-championship streak of finishing in the top eight.  London Olympics champion Stephen Kiprotich (Uganda) won in 2:09:51.  Among the other Japanese team members, Masakazu Fujiwara (Team Honda) was 14th in 2:14:29, Kazuhiro Maeda (Team Kyudenko) 17th in 2:15:25, and Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't.) 18th in 2:15:35. Hiroyuki Horibata (Team Asahi Kasei) was a DNF.

We talked to three prominent members of the Japanese running industry, former marathon great and current DeNA Running Club executive head coach Toshihiko Seko,…

by Brett Larner



In his third-straight appearance on a World Championships or Olympic team, Kentaro Nakamoto (Team Yasukawa Denki) confirmed his position as Japan's best marathoner, building on his 10th-place finish at the 2011 Daegu World Championships and 6th-place finish last summer at the London Olympics with a characteristically steady and relentless race for 5th in 2:10:50 in the Moscow World Championships marathon after spending most of the race in the leading pack with eventual medalists Stephen Kiprotich (Uganda), Lelisa Desisa (Ethiopia) and Tadese Tola (Ethiopia) and defending Chicago and London Marathon champion Tsegay Kebede (Ethiopia).

After a slow first 10 km the leading group settled onto a mid-2:10 pace where it stayed for the remainder of the day.  Nakamoto and Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) were quick to position themselves near the front of the pack, with Kazuhiro Maeda (Team Kyudenko) and Masakazu Fujiwara (Team Honda) hanging back at the rear.  With o…