japan running news

Another big race on the MGC qualifying calendar has posted its elite fields, the Dec. 6 Hofu Yomiuri Marathon . At this point it's only a partial listing without the general elite field, but even so it looks like a good race for the single MGC spot up for women under 2:27, and the 6 spots for men sub-2:09. Yuka Ando is the favorite in the women's race with a 2:21:18 in Nagoya 2 years ago, with her only real competition coming from Ayumi Morita , who broke 2:27 in Hofu last year but missed qualifying by not being the first Japanese woman across the line. CR holder Workneh Derese is back after his 2:06:58 win last year, leading Kenyan veteran Bedan Karoki and 4 Japanese men with a solid chance at sub-2:09, Tatsuya Maruyama , Ryoma Takeuchi , Shuho Dairokuno and Kento Nishi . Takeuchi set his 2:08:20 PB at Gold Coast in July, and Dairokuno is fresh off a great run at the final Kyushu Corporate Ekiden. Masatoshi Sakata and Daiji Kawai have both come close to sub-2:09 in recen...

Sunday's Kobe Marathon has announced its elite fields, finally. Japanese athletes have a shot at qualifying for next fall's MGC Race, the official trials race for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, if they go sub-2:27 for the first Japanese woman across the line or sub-2:09 for the first 3 Japanese men to do it. There aren't a lot of contenders to pull it off. On the women's side, Kaede Hagitani , Ayaka Shimoyamada and Kotomi Tsubokura all ran 2:31-32 PBs in the spring and will need to step it up a couple of notches to get there. 2:23 Kenyan Antonina Kwambai is perfectly positioned to help. On the men's side, Keijiro Mogi is closest with a 2:09:06 at last year's Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, Hiroto Kanamori his closest domestic competition with a 2:10:01 PB in Osaka in February. The international trio of last year's winner Barnaba Kipkoech , Elisha Rotich and Goitom Kifle all have recent 2:06-7 times and should help set it up for someone to get there, wh...

On Nov. 7 it was learned that the Fukuoka International Marathon is likely move from its traditional date on the first Sunday of December to a mid-February date following this year's race. First held in 1947, Fukuoka International has a long history with a permanent home in Fukuoka starting in 1959, apart from the 1963 edition. Many of the top global talents of past generations competed there, and world records were set there twice by Australians. Derek Clayton ran a 2:09:36.4 WR in 1967, and Rob De Castella followed that up with a 2:08:18 in 1981 that was later recognized as the WR after another athlete's performance at another race was disallowed for having been run on a short course. Top-tier Japanese athlete have always run at Fukuoka and turned in countless great performances. Toshihiko Seko won back-to-back titles in 1978 and 1979, something unthinkable today coming just a month before the Hakone Ekiden. His 1983 win with a last kick to beat Tanzania's Juma Ikanga...

Aoyama Gakuin University 1st-year Haruki Furukawa won the 21st running of the Setagaya 246 Half Marathon Sunday at Komazawa Park Stadium in Setagaya, Tokyo. Along with the Ageo City Half Marathon later in the month, Setagaya 246 is a key event for coaches thinking about their final lineups for the Jan. 2-3 Hakone Ekiden. Furukawa graduated from Iwate's Moriokadai H.S., where he showed his potential with a strong 18th-place finish on the opening leg of the National High School Ekiden his as a 1st year, then taking 7th in the National High School Championships 5000 m in 13:58.62 his 3rd year. After entering AGU Furukawa improved his 5000 m PB to 13:50.55 at April's Nittai Time Trials meet, then represented AGU in May's Kanto Region University Half Marathon Championships D2 5000 m. Furukawa and fellow 1st-year teammate Haruhi Niimi came onto the track together at the end of the race, with Niimi taking a close 2nd in 1:02:52 after Furukawa kicked in for the win. AGU runners...

3 more corporate regions held their qualifying races for the Jan. 1 New Year Ekiden national championships this weekend. With the qualifying format changing to a single race next year this was the final running for each of the historic ekidens. At the combined 66th Chubu Region and 56th Hokuriku Region ekiden in Tahara, Aichi, Toyota won the 7-stage, 80.5 km race in 3:53:54 after losses the last 2 years. With strong winds blowing off the ocean, on the opening leg Toyota's Yamato Yoshii scored the first stage win of this 3 years with Toyota. After dropping back on the Second Stage Toyota retook the lead on the Third Stage thanks to a good run from Shunta Uchida , but lost it again when they were overtaken by Aichi Seiko . Takuma Yamakawa caught Aichi Seiko 3 km into the next leg and pulled away 4 km later to open an 18-second lead. Jin Yuasa held on to the lead on the Fifth Stage, and Toyota's last 2 runners Mebuki Suzuki and Hideyuki Tanaka managed to give the team a fin...

Held for the last time on a 7-stage, 89.3 km course in Oita, the 63rd Kyushu Corporate Ekiden , the regional qualifying race for the Jan. 1 New Year Ekiden national championships, took place Nov. 3. The Miyazaki-based Asahi Kasei took a record 49th win after losing last year setting a new CR of 4:18:46. Asahi Kasei's 2nd runner Shota Shiode put them into the lead by 3 seconds, and 3rd runner Ayumu Yamamoto built on that with a 31:40 CR for his 11.1 km leg. Head coach Hiroshi Miki commented, " Shota Morishita got us off to a good start, only 3 seconds down on the First Stage. Shiode really built the momentum on this race's longest stage, staying patient until it was time to make a move near the end. We were only 8th last year, so I'm extremely happy that we are back on top this time." The current system of regional qualifying races for the New Year Ekiden comes to an end this season, with a new single national-level qualifying race replacing it next year. Look...

Coming at a key point in ekiden season, few elite-level Japanese athletes run the TCS New York City Marathon, but this year 3 were on the line, 2026 Osaka Women's Marathon 6th-placer Rie Kawauchi (Otsuka Seiyaku), last year's Osaka Marathon men's runner-up Ryota Kondo (Mitsubishi Juko), and former men's NR holder Kengo Suzuki (Nike). In t he women's race , Kawauchi, a 2:24:16 runner, lost touch with the lead group before 20 km, going through halfway in 1:14:04 en route to an 18th-place finish in 2:31:29. Surprisingly, that was still the 4th-fastest time ever by a Japanese woman in New York, and the fastest since double Olympic medalist Yuko Arimori ran 2:31:12 in 2000. In the men's race , both Kondo and Suzuki took turns surging to the front, Suzuki doing it early and paying for it with splits of 1:04:06/1:08:09, ultimately landing 23rd in 2:12:15. Kondo, whose Osaka run last year was a solid debut of 2:05:39, was in it til the end and made multiple moves ov...