japan running news

by Brett Larner Click photo for video highlights. On the first day of the 2011 World University Games in Shenzhen, China, Hanae Tanaka , 21, and Mai Ishibashi , 22, of 2010 national champion Bukkyo University went two-three in the women's 10000 m behind winner Fadime Suna , 25, of Turkey.  Ishibashi led Suna in a one-on-one duel through 6000 m, splitting 3:15.14 at 1000 m and 16:22.17 at halfway before Suna took over.  Ishibashi soon lost touch while Tanaka, who memorably anchored the Japanese university select team to victory at last fall's International Chiba Ekiden, moved up from behind after running more conservatively at the rear of the chase pack.  Tanaka closed the gap to within three seconds but could not match Suna's strong last lap and had to settle for silver.  Ishibashi faded badly but held on for bronze over Indonesia's Triyaningsih , 24, the 4th-placer in the marathon at last fall's Asian Games. Both Tanaka and Ishibashi are schedul...

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110812-OHT1T00304.htm translated and edited by Brett Larner Marathoner Yuki Kawauchi at the pre-Daegu press conference. Click photo to enlarge. 37 members of the Japanese national team for this month's World Track and Field Championships in Daegu, Korea assembled at a Tokyo hotel over the weekend for the official sendoff press conference.  Among them was the now-famous amateur runner Yuki Kawauchi (24, Saitama Prefecture) who will run the men's marathon on Sept. 4, and team captains Yukifumi Murakami (31, Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) from the men's javelin and women's 400 m hurdler  Satomi Kubokura (29, Niigata Albirex AC).  Kawauchi revealed that he is aiming for a top-eight finish and that after months of limiting his consumption of coffee, his favorite drink, he plans to celebrate post-race with a fresh hot cup. Wearing the Rising Sun on his chest for the time, Kawauchi's spirits were high as he appeared at the pres...

http://ameblo.jp/redwing36/day-20110806.html by Shuhei Akaba, coach and husband of World Championships marathoner Yukiko Akaba translated and edited by Brett Larner Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren) training on Boulder's Magnolia Road. Click photo to enlarge and to see other pics from the workout. This is our fifth report from the 2011 Boulder training camp.  This time we'll be looking at Yukiko's long run on Magnolia Road.  Last year we took part in the federation's Boulder training camp and learned about this course, where a lot of athletes who train in Boulder do long runs.  The road is packed dirt and starts at over 2400 m altitude, going as high as 2600 m within the 11-mile stretch that people run.  Boulder itself is at around 1600 m, so when you go up to that kind of height even light exercise leaves you feeling out of breath. The course has a lot tough hills so it would be pretty rough even if it weren't at altitude, but having an average altitude of ...

http://mainichi.jp/enta/sports/news/20110808k0000m050080000c.html http://www.47news.jp/CN/201108/CN2011080701000696.html translated and edited by Brett Larner Daegu World Championships women's marathon team members Yoshimi Ozaki  and Azusa Nojiri  (both Team Daiichi Seimei) returned to Japan on Aug. 7 after two months of altitude training in Boulder, Colorado.  The pair talked to the media at Tokyo's Narita International Airport along with their coach, '91 World Championships women's marathon silver medalist Sachiko Yamashita  (Team Daiichi Seimei).  Ozaki, the '09 Berlin World Championships marathon silver medalist, was in good spirits and looked cheerful as she gave herself a self-evaluation of "about 70%." The Boulder training camp put an emphasis on mileage, with the pair training at the 800 km/month level and completing their first-ever 50 km run.  Ozaki looked confident as she commented, "I was able to pick up the pace in last part of the...

by Brett Larner A midsummer tuneup for corporate, university and amateur teams training in northern Japan to escape the heat and humidity, the Towada Hachimantai Ekiden saw its 64th running on Aug. 7.  Team Honda, led by 2010 Tokyo Marathon winner Masakazu Fujiwara , took the team title as it covered the five stage, 73.8 km course in 3:48:38. Honda started the race in 3rd and gradually worked its way to within 21 seconds of the lead by the end of Fujiwara's stage second-best run on the 16. 3 km Third Stage.  Fourth Stage runner Minoru Ikebe  ran a stage best time to overtake leader Nihon University for 1st.  Honda anchor Takashi Toyoda  was only sixth-fastest on the brutal uphill Fifth Stage but still held on for the win after Nihon's anchor Shingo Hayashi  struggled and finished 12th on stage time. Hayashi in turn barely held off Toyo University's brilliant uphill specialist Ryuji Kashiwabara , who took Toyo from 8th to 3rd and from nearly five minut...

by Brett Larner The 2011 National High School Track and Field Championships took place this weekend in Iwate prefecture, an area hard-hit by March's earthquake and tsunami.  Kenyan student at Japanese high schools swept the distance events, taking the top three spots in the boys' 5000 m and the top two in the girls' 3000 m.  Following the trail set by the talented Bitan Karoki  (Kenya/Sera H.S.), Charles Ndirangu  (Kenya/Sera H.S.) proved once again that Sera has top-notch scouts as he ignored the heat to win the 5000 m final in 13:40.99 by a margin of more than 15 seconds over Titus Waroru  (Kenya/Chinzai H.S.).   Murgi Wainaina  (Kenya/Toyokawa H.S.) had a narrower win over Ndirangu's teammate Susan Wylim  (Kenya/Sera H.S.) in the girls' 3000 m final, winning by less than four seconds in 9:04.55.   Tomoka Kimura  (Chikushi Joshi Gakuen H.S.) went for the 1500 m - 5000 m double after finishing 3rd in the 3000 m, but was outleaned in t...

by Brett Larner In the last meet of the federation's annual northern Europe track trip, the Aug. 6 Memorial Rasschaert Flanders Cup Meet in Belgium, sub-62 half marathoner Yusuke Takabayashi  (Team Toyota) ran his second PB in a week , clocking 13:34.38 for 5000 m to erase his oldest standing PB.  Takabayashi, a second-year corporate runner, beat his Komazawa University-era teammate Tsuyoshi Ugachi  (Team Konica Minolta), Japan's leading 10000 m and half marathon runner of 2011, and current teammate Chihiro Miyawaki  (Team Toyota) by less than four seconds, dropping both on the final lap in a bid to keep up with eventual winner Faisa Dame Tasama  (Belgium).  Takabayashi's mark puts him at fifth for the year in the 5000 m among Japanese men. 2011 Memorial Rasschaert Flanders Cup Meet Ninove, Belgium, 8/6/11 click here for complete results Men's 5000 m 1. Faisa Dame Tasama (Belgium) - 13:32.86 2. Yusuke Takabayashi (Team Toyota) - 13:34.38 - PB 3. T...

by Brett Larner This year's Hokkaido Marathon is set for Sunday, Aug. 28, directly opposite the Daegu World Championships.  With a 12:10 start time Hokkaido is always hot and has some of the most strategic racing on the Japanese calendar.  The men's race features both defending champion Cyrus Njui  (Kenya/Team Hitachi Cable) and 2009 winner Daniel Njenga  (Kenya/Team Yakult) along with sub-2:12 domestic men Seiji Kobayashi  (Team Mitsubishi Juko Nagasaki), Masaya Shimizu  (Team Asahi Kasei) and Masashi Hayashi  (Team Yakult).  Njui is in good shape to defend his title after his second-straight win at last month's Sapporo International Half Marathon.  A number of competitive men are also entered in the general division, the best among these being 2:11:44 marathoner Kenichiro Setoguchi  (Team Asahi Kasei) and  Yu Mitsuya  (Team Toyota Kyushu),  Samuel Wanjiru 's main training partner during Wanjiru's pro years in Japan. ...