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JRN Turns 1000

Japan Running News is now 1000 posts old. Thank you to all the athletes, coaches, agents, race officials, media colleagues and others who have contributed over the last nearly two years, and special thanks to associate editor Mika Tokairin. And very special thanks of course to our readers regular and otherwise.

I've taken this occasion to add a new 'Best of JRN' section to the 'Blog Resources' menu. In this section you'll find links to JRN's most-read articles, those which have prompted readers to contact me directly with comments, and some of our personal favorites. The best of section is still under construction but should be finished by the end of the week. Click here to go straight to it.

In the last year JRN has had opportunities to go beyond just translating and reporting; special recognition in this department goes out to Gavin Doyle of time-to-run.com for creating the chance for a double Japanese victory at May's Copenhagen Marathon. Along with more of this we're still looking at adding some new features including a regular series of in-depth interviews along the lines of the one with 2:08 marathoner Takayuki Nishida we published in July. Feel free to contact us with requests or suggestions for content you'd like to see, and if you are a regular reader or appreciate the work we do please also feel free to support JRN with a donation. Any amount is welcome, just click here.

Thanks again,

Brett Larner
Japan Running News

Comments

cpr said…
I think I found your blog at about post no. 750 and I am looking forward to read many more!
September 23, 2009 at 4:59 AM
Anonymous said…
おめでとう!!!

Joe
September 23, 2009 at 3:44 PM
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Most-Read This Week

Arao Becomes 1st Man in 40 Years to Score Back-to-Back Ome Road Race Wins

30 km is an under-appreciated distance, and both of Japan's big races at that distance happened Sunday. At the Ome Road Race in western Tokyo's mountains, Sydney Marathon 6th-placer Masato Arao (ND Software) became the first man since the great Kunimitsu Ito in 1985-1986 to win back-to-back years. Arao, who finished 39th of 40 on his leg at the New Year Ekiden last month, stayed in the pack through 20 km before going on the attack, putting over a minute on New Year Ekiden Sixth Stage CR breaker Yudai Shimazu (GMO). Sub-1:31 winning times are rare on the tough and hilly Ome course, but Arao's 1:30:54 almost equaled his 1:30:50 from last year, making him the first Japanese man ever to do it twice and second only to CR holder Ezekiel Cheboitibin . Next up Arao races the Tokyo Marathon, where he is targeting sub-2:06. Shimazu was 2nd in 1:31:58 and Yuta Nakayama (JR Higashi Nihon) 3rd in 1:32:07. Cheboitibin was only 9th, running almost 8 minutes off his CR in 1:36:42. Shi...
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Osaka Marathon Preview

The Osaka Marathon is Sunday, one of Japan's biggest mass-participation races and the next stop on the calendar for its elite marathoners hoping to qualify for the L.A. Olympics marathon trials in the fall of 2027. Last year it snowed mid-race, but this year is looking warmer than ideal given the season, with sunny skies, almost no wind, and temps forecast to be 11˚ at the start and rising to 19˚ by the time the winners are finishing. NHK is broadcasting Osaka with a heavy emphasis on the men's race, and if you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it from overseas. There's also official streaming on Youtube starting at 8:30 a.m. local time, although it doesn't look like it's the same as what NHK will be showing. Given Osaka's history at the elite level as the continuation of the men-only Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, the women's field is small relative to the men's, just enough to tick World Athletics' label requirements and with almost no do...
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Nagoya Women's Marathon Elite Field

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