Skip to main content

Tosa Returns From Boulder After Training So Hard She Cried

http://www.daily.co.jp/newsflash/2008/06/04/0001107011.shtml
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/080605/spg0806050501000-n1.htm

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Beijing Olympics women`s marathon team member Reiko Tosa (31, Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) arrived at Narita Airport on June 4 after returning from a high-altitude training camp in Boulder, Colorado. She spoke to reporters at the airport, saying "I was training on a mountain 2200 m high. [The workouts were so hard] I cried three or four times, but it was solid training.

Tosa last trained in Boulder prior to winning the silver medal at the 2001 Edmonton World Championships. Her preparation this time included three tough, hilly runs over 33 km. Tosa`s coach Hideo Suzuki commented, "She didn`t get injured and everything went according to plan. Her times were better than before Edmonton."

Tosa is scheduled to head to Kunming, China for additional altitude training beginning June 12. She reported her current condition as, "about 60%," indicating that she still has much room for improvement.

Tosa`s staff also announced on June 4 that she had signed a deal to wear Oakley`s new "Q-chan" model sunglasses, named after Sydney Olympics women`s marathon gold medalist Naoko Takahashi, during the Beijing Olympics marathon. The sunglasses, which retail for 27300 yen, are designed for women and have a more comfortable fit than unisex models.

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Chepkirui Wins Nagoya Women's Marathon

Heavy-duty favorite Sheila Chepkirui took the win at Sunday's Nagoya Women's Marathon , pulling away after 30 km to cruise in for 1st in 2:20:40. Erratic pacing early saw the first and second groups only seconds apart for much of the first half of the race, the top group slower than planned and the 2nd group a bit ahead of schedule. At halfway in 1:10:37 the front group included Chepkirui, #2-ranked Ruti Aga and last year's runner-up Eunice Chumba , and Japanese contingent Sayaka Sato , Rika Kaseda , Natsuki Omori and Mao Uesugi . Omori was the first to drop, then Uesugi, then Aga, who ultimately dropped out before 30 km. When the pacers stopped at 30 km Chepkirui made a move that dropped Kaseda and strung out Chumba and Sato behind her, but all four came back together once before another surge put Kaseda away for good. As Chepkirui inched away Sato and Chumba passed each other repeatedly, and Chumba could only watch as the top Japanese runner got away from her again thi...

Nagoya Women's Marathon Preview

The Nagoya Women's Marathon , the world's largest women-only marathon and the last race in the selection cycle for September's Tokyo World Championships, happens Sunday. Weather conditions are looking better than what they had in Tokyo and Osaka the last two weekends, 7Ëš at the start and rising to 12Ëš with sunny skies. The wind looks a bit stronger than ideal, but it could be worse. Fuji TV has the live broadcast starting at 9:00 a.m. Sunday local time, and if you've got a VPN you should be able to watch the TVer streaming . One option for  a leaderboard is here , and another here . We'll have some coverage on @JRNLive . Just like last time around there are three Ethiopian and Kenyan-born athletes at the top list, this time it being sub-2:20 women Sheila Chepkirui , winner in NYC last year, and Ruti Aga , winner in Xiamen in January, and last year's Nagoya runner-up Eunice Chebichii Chumba . But last year Yuka Ando still pulled off the win, so there's a c...

Who's Running Tokyo Worlds?

The Japanese marathon teams will be the most prestigious ones to be on for September's Tokyo World Championships, and with Sunday's Nagoya Women's Marathon the window for Japanese athletes to get onto the JAAF's shortlist closed. Who's on it? The final decision won't be made until Mar. 26, but let's look through the selection criteria and see who's guaranteed, who's pretty likely, and who has a chance. 1. Marathon medalists at the Paris Olympics - There weren't any, so nobody makes the team this way. Akira Akasaki (Kyudenko) and Yuka Suzuki (Daiichi Seimei) were the top placers, both of them running PBs in the Olympics to finish 6th. You'd think that would count for something a year later, but you'd think wrong. 2. JMC Series IV Champions - The top point scorers in the Japan Marathon Championship Series IV, which ran from April, 2023 to March, 2025, earn places on the marathon teams along with cash prizes. For women that's Yuka ...