Skip to main content

Japan Running News has hit 500 posts. I started this blog just over a year ago and hope that it is achieving its goal of making some of the incredible running that happens here more visible to the rest of the world. I want to thank everyone who has helped me, the athletes, coaches and agents I've met through this work, and all the readers who have taken the time to contact me or leave comments.

In the next year I hope to expand JRN's scale to include more premium content and to work toward realizing some of the opportunities which came up this year both for Japanese runners to run overseas and for foreign runners to race here. I will also be moving toward increased legibility in format for those who do not like contrast. Thanks again.

Brett Larner

Comments

Al in Vancouver said…
Congratulations. I appreciate your work.

Al
www.terminalcitytraining.com
November 19, 2008 at 1:43 AM
Anonymous said…
As a fan of Japanese marathoners, I must say I am now much more informed about all Japanese runnning activities than ever before, thanks to your good work. Really appreciate it. Cheers.
Vincent
November 19, 2008 at 4:52 AM
Roberto said…
As terminal wrote, your work is much appreciated. Well done.
November 19, 2008 at 7:23 AM
Anonymous said…
MUCHAS FELICIDADES
MUY BUEN BLOG
ME MANTENGO INFORMADO SOBRE TAKAHASHI MI IDOLA Y LAS DEMAS NOTICIAS DE ATLETISMO JAPONES.
SABE SI FUKUSHI VOLVERA A OSAKA EN ENERO?
MARCOS CHILE
November 19, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Brett Larner said…
Thanks for the comments. Marcos, Fukushi and her coach have been noncommital about her marathon plans in the interviews I've read this fall. They just keep saying, "We're not thinking past the Jitsugyodan Ekiden Championships."
November 19, 2008 at 2:34 PM
Andrew Armiger said…
Thanks and kudos to you! Yours is a brilliant beacon in the blogosphere.
November 20, 2008 at 12:33 AM
Chris M said…
Great blog - keep up the good work!
November 20, 2008 at 2:44 AM
Anonymous said…
Really enjoy your blog - look forward to reading further entries!
November 20, 2008 at 4:26 AM
Brett Larner said…
The new format is still in progress.
November 20, 2008 at 9:46 AM
moguli said…
Thanks Brett! Your blog is absolutely awesome. Keep up the good work!

Jarno, Finland
November 20, 2008 at 7:39 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

2026 Tokyo Marathon Elite Field

The Mar. 1 Tokyo Marathon has great fields this year, so let's get right to it. The women's field has 3 of last year's top 10, winner for the 2nd year in a row and Tokyo CR holder Sutume Asefa Kebede , 3rd-placer and 2025 Chicago winner Hawi Feysa , and 5th-placer and 2025 Berlin winner Rosemary Wanjiru , plus 2024 Valencia winner Megertu Alemu , 2025 Prague winner Bertukan Welde , 2024 Paris winner Mestawut Fikir , 2024 Osaka winner Waganesh Mekasha , former WR holder Brigid Kosgei , and a lot more. Japanese hopes pretty much go to all-time #7 Ai Hosoda , 2:20:31 in Berlin 2024 but who announced this month that she is retiring after Tokyo despite having qualified for the 2028 Olympic marathon trials with her 2:23:27 for 6th in Sydney last year. Other internationals include Canadian Malindi Elmore , American Sara Hall , a big Chinese group led by Yuyu Xia , Poland's Aleksandra Brzezińska and Australian Vanessa Wilson . The men's race has 5 of last year's top 1...
4 comments
Read more

Measuring Marathon Courses by Bicycle

http://news.searchina.ne.jp/disp.cgi?y=2013&d=0110&f=column_0110_034.shtml translated by Brett Larner The full marathon is a sport where you compete over 42.195 km, but how do they go about measuring that distance?  Today we're going to look a little bit at how they go about certifying the distance of a marathon. The reality is that major international marathons use a bicycle to measure the distance.  This rule is an international standard, and the same method of measurement is used everywhere.  It was put into place in 1986.  In order to ensure that the same method is used everywhere, a bicycle that meets IAAF specifications must be used for measurement. In the case of Japan's major marathons, to be certain that the distance is correct a provisional measurement is first made.  Before the course is certified using a bicycle the course is measured using a 50 m-long length of wire to determine that it is in fact 42.195 km.  When a bicycle is u...
2 comments
Read more

Ai Hosoda Announces Retirement

photo © 2025 Victah Sailer/Photo Run, all rights reserved On Jan. 8 the Edion women's corporate team announced that Ai Hosoda , 30, will retire at the end of March this year. The Tokyo Marathon will be her last race. At Nagano Higashi H.S. Hosoda ran in the National High School Ekiden her 2nd and 3rd years. During her 3rd year at Nittai University she won both the 5000 m and 10000 m at the Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships, going on to win the bronze medal in the 10000 m at the World University Games in her 4th year at Nittai. After graduating she joined the Daihatsu corporate team, debuting at the 2019 Nagoya Women's Marathon in 2:29:27. 2 years later she transferred to Edion. She qualified for the Paris Olympics marathon trials at the 2022 Nagoya Women's Marathon and finished 3rd in the trials in the fall of 2023, but was later bumped down to Olympic alternate after another athlete ran a faster time. Instead of the Olympics, Hosoda ran the 2024 Ber...
2 comments
Read more