Skip to main content

Yukiko Akaba Aiming for 2:22 in Second Marathon

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/p-sp-tp0-20090318-472510.html
http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20090318-OHT1T00135.htm

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Japan's toughest mother, Beijing Olympics track runner Yukiko Akaba (29, Team Hokuren), is staking everything on Berlin. Having placed 2nd in January's Osaka International Women's Marathon in her first attempt at the distance, Akaba is now on the provisional list for the August 15-23 Berlin World Championships women's marathon team. At a press conference in Sapporo on Mar. 17, Akaba told members of the media that if she is not chosen for the World Championships team she will instead run the Sept. 20 Berlin Marathon. In either case, her goal in her second marathon is a time of 2:22, a mark which would put her into the all-time Japanese women's top ten. Following her Osaka run, Akaba said at the time, "I'm not thinking about anything but the marathon now. I'm certain I will run [on the national team]."

At last year's Beijing Olympics Akaba became the Japanese athletics world's first runner to also be a mother, but after suffering food poisoning she finished a disappointing 20th in the 10000 m and failed to advance to the final in the 5000 m. "Getting into the top eight in the track world is tough, but as a Japanese runner I can medal in the marathon," she said of the new phase of her career. Osaka winner Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) was named to one of the three guaranteed places on the World Championships team. Akaba's 2nd place finish in a strong 2:25:40 puts her into one of the two open spots, but her position will not be secure until the end of the spring overseas major marathon season at the end of April.

In the leadup to her debut in Osaka Akaba was unable to do the kind of training she wanted thanks to the demands of the ekiden season and some trouble with her right leg in November. Since Osaka her training has been completely focused upon the marathon. In Osaka she was unable to cope with Shibui's assault after 30 km, so to improve her stamina and finishing speed Akaba travelled to Tokunoshima island on Feb. 25 for a three-week training camp. On Tokunoshima she averaged over 200 km per week and completed a 40 km training run on Mar. 14. On May 10 Akaba plans to run the Sendai International Half Marathon as her first race of the season, followed by the 5000 m and 10000 m at June's National Track and Field Championships. Akaba's husband and coach Shuhei (29) commented, "We're not even thinking about running track events at the World Championships. We believe she's going to be picked for the marathon, but if she isn't then we're also looking at the Berlin Marathon. Sendai is just for keeping focus." One way or another, Akaba's current preparations will bear fruit in Berlin.

Looking ahead to London, Shuhei also revealed that they are examining high-altitude locations in the Mt. Ontake area and in the United States for establishing a training base next year. The current women's national record in the marathon is 2:19:12, held by Noguchi Mizuki (Team Sysmex). Only eight Japanese women have broken 2:23. Utterly focused on the road to London, Akaba says, "My husband, my daughter Yuna and I want to win a medal in London together as a family. The next step is to run 2:22 in my second marathon."

Comments

Anonymous said…
Akaba deserves to get picked. It was brave of her to try to stick to Shibui's quick acceleration at 30 km. She was way ahead of Hara. If I think Hara did well Akaba did way better.

Most-Read This Week

Ninja Runner Yuka Ando Leads Japanese Women's Marathon Team in London: "I Want to Go For It"

Her form has been dubbed "ninja running." Both arms held straight down with almost no movement. That idiosyncratic style carried Yuka Ando , 23, to the fastest-ever marathon debut by a Japanese woman, 2:21:36, at March's Nagoya Women's Marathon to land at #4 on the all-time Japanese lists. All at once Ando found herself catapulted to the top level of women's marathoning, a candidate for Japan's next great marathoner. When she was younger Ando ran moving her arms like other runners, but she had a bad habit of moving robotically, her upper body and lower body not working in sync. The turning point came in 2014 when she joined Suzuki Hamamatsu AC . Working there with coach Masayuki Satouchi to eliminate the faults in her form, the pair arrived at the ninja running style that let her run relaxed. "Other people keep asking me, "Isn't it hard to run like that?" but for me it's comfortable," she said. The efficient form helped her mai

Yamaguchi 10th at United Airlines NYC Half - Weekend Overseas Results

2024 national cross-country champion Tomonori Yamaguchi was the top Japanese finisher in the men's race at the United Airlines NYC Half , taking 10th in 1:04:36. A 2nd-year at Waseda University , Yamaguchi was one of three collegiate runners running New York in the 11th year of JRN's development program collaboration between the Ageo City Half Marathon and the New York Road Runners, a program that has seen people like future half marathon and marathon NR breaker Yuta Shitara and Paris Olympic team member Akira Akasaki make their international debuts. Yamaguchi's Waseda teammate Taishi Ito started fast, going with the leaders through 5 km in 14:29 before losing touch. Hosei University senior Rei Matsunaga went through in 14:42 in his last race before joining the JR Higashi Nihon corporate team in April. Yamaguchi, who caught COVID after winning last month's National Cross-Country Championships, started more conservatively with a 15:11 first 5km. But where both Ito

Rui Aoki Wins National University Men's Half Marathon - Weekend Results

Yuka Ando 's win at the Nagoya Women's Marathon was the big news of the weekend, but there were other high-level races happening, even in Nagoya. Held in parallel with the marathon, the Nagoya City Half Marathon saw Australians Natalie Rule and Ed Goddard take easy wins by about 2.5 minutes each, Rule in 1:13:57 and Goddard in 1:04:01. The new Biwako Marathon also had a non-Japanese winner, China's Yousheng Guan scoring 1st in 2:14:58 with Japan's Hirohito Sugai next in 2:16:40. Mikiko Ota won the women's race in 2:50:44. The Shizuoka Marathon returned for its first running in five years, with club runner Shumpei Oda leading the top 7 men under 2:20 in 2:15:36. Women's winner Remi Tanaka ran 2:41:23, beating runner-up Ayumi Sano by exactly 7 minutes. And in Tokyo, Rui Aoki continued what has been a great season so far for Koku Gakuin University with a win at the National University Men's Half Marathon . Aoki and Hiro Konda of Chuo Gakuin Unive