japan running news

http://www.joc.or.jp/games/olympic/london/news/detail.html?id=2062 translated by Brett Larner London Olympics women's marathon team member Risa Shigetomo  (Team Tenmaya) arrived at London's Heathrow Airport on July 30th full of enthusiasm ahead of her race on Aug. 5, telling reporters, "I feel ready to go.  I'm really inspired by the other Japanese athletes who have already won medals." In her final training at altitude in Albuquerque, New Mexico Shigetomo felt less than 100% and came up short of the goals in her training menu, but she did not have any major injury problems. "I think I'll be feeling good on the starting line," she said with a smile.

30th New Caledonia International Half Marathon New Caledonia, 7/29/12 click here for complete results Men 1. Yudai Yamakawa - 1:07:17 2. Toshikatsu Ebina - 1:08:02 3. Jun Aoki - 1:14:44 Women 1. Ayako Mitsui - 1:16:03 2. Maki Saito - 1:16:06 3. Kanade Iida - 1:17:18

by Brett Larner As part of his tuneup for next month's Hokkaido Marathon, 2011 World Championships marathoner Yuki Kawauchi  (Saitama Pref.) returned to Hokkaido's Kushiro Shitsugen 30 km road race for its 40th anniversary edition to defend his course record win last year.  Running unchallenged in 27-degree temperatures, he succeeded in adding a second win to his list of accomplishments as he crossed the line in 1:35:02 despite being a self-professed weak hot weather runner.  The little-known race is sure to become a staple of Kawauchi's summer training. (c) 2012 Brett Larner all rights reserved

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2012/07/28/kiji/K20120728003776590.html translated and edited by Brett Larner 3676 runners took part in the two divisions of the 65th Fuji Mountain Race on July 27.  Making his Mt. Fuji debut, Jonathan Wyatt  (39, New Zealand) won the summit course in a strong 2:33:59, with Mina Ogawa  (37, Amino Vital AC) taking the women's race in 3:07:51 for her second-straight summit win.   Toru Koide  (30, Salomon) and Maki Hagiwara  (37) won the men's and women's Fifth Stage course wins in 1:25:42 and 1:45:17. With a margin of 17 minutes over the runner-up, Wyatt's win was definitive.  A two-time Olympian for his native New Zealand with appearances in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic 5000 m and 2004 Athens Olympics marathon, Wyatt pulled clear into the lead after crossing into the purest mountain running section of the course after the Sixth Stage.  "My win today is one of the biggest honors in my long career," said a ha...

http://www.germanroadraces.de/274-1-30436-the-artifact-of-the-month-viii-.html

http://www.47news.jp/CN/201207/CN2012072501002039.html translated by Brett Larner 27-year-old Olympic marathoner Ryoko Kizaki  (Team Daihatsu) arrived at London's Heathrow Airport on July 25 from her high-altitude training camp in the United States.  "I'm really excited to get here.  If I can finish the race with a smile I'll be happy," she laughed.  Kizaki has been training at 2100 m in Flagstaff, Arizona with the other two members of the women's Olympic marathon team for more than a month.  "The training camp ran a little long, but I'm ready.  The solid base I built up gives me a lot of confidence," she said, her tanned face giving evidence of her preparedness. Kizaki will skip the opening ceremony, focusing on her final sharpening for the race on Aug. 5.

http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/special/london/athletics/text/201207240008-spnavi.html translated and edited by Brett Larner An editorial by Yasuhiro Kato All three of this year's London Olympics men's marathoners, Arata Fujiwara  (2:07:48, Miki House, Takushoku Univ.), Kentaro Nakamoto  (2:08:53, Team Yasukawa Denki, Takushoku Univ.) and Ryo Yamamoto  (2:08:44, Team Sagawa Express, Chuo Univ.) are graduates of Kanto Region universities.  All ran the Hakone Ekiden [see below]  as collegiates, but not a single one of them ever won a stage.  No matter which of them you look at, they were all nondescript student athletes with few achievements.  Fujiwara was frequently injured, and with the Takushoku University of that era not strong enough to maintain a stable position in the seeded bracket he only ran Hakone twice.  His Takushoku teammate Nakamoto only made it once.  In high school Yamamoto was a regular in the finals at the National High ...

http://newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/563273/Japan-s-Kato--Matsumi-aim-for-title.html?nav=5063

http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/Karoki+vows+to+bring+home+10000m+gold/-/1090/1460864/-/399su1/-/index.html Japan-trained Bitan Karoki  (Team S&B) attended Hiroshima's Sera H.S. before joining the S&B corporate team.  He is based in Saitama near 2011 10000 m world champion Ibrahim Jeilan 's training base at Honda.

by Brett Larner Just three weeks after winning the Sapporo International Half Marathon, 2012 World Half Marathon Championships team member Mai Ito  (Team Otsuka) returned to add another half marathon title to her collection, winning the 26th running of Hokkaido's Shibetsu Half Marathon in 1:11:20 over the Miyauchi  twins Yoko  and Hiroko  of Team Kyocera.  Although her time was 28 seconds slower than her Sapporo time it was still the third-best in Shibetsu history.  Independent men's World Half Marathon team member Yuki Kawauchi  (Saitama Pref.) likewise took the win, prevailing over a tight pack of corporate and collegiate runners in 1:05:00 in another of the fourteen half marathons he plans to race this year. In the women's 10 km, Ai Igarashi  (Team Sysmex), one of the year's leading Japanese women, had an an easy win in 33:38.   Click here for a collection of photos of the race via the Shibetsu city government site. 26th Shibet...

by Brett Larner Fujiwara and Rothlin after their mutual DNF at the 2010 New York City Marathon. London Olympics marathoner Arata Fujiwara (Miki House) went head-to-head against longtime rival and friend Viktor Rothlin (Switzerland) on Rothlin's home ground at the Swiss Ageriseelauf 14.138 km  on July 21.  Rothlin, who set the still-standing Tokyo Marathon course record of 2:07:23 to win the 2008 Tokyo Marathon ahead of Fujiwara's breakthrough 2:08:40 2nd-place, came out ahead again after losing to Fujiwara at this year's Tokyo Marathon.  Rothlin clocked 41:41 to Fujiwara's 41:42, suggesting the pair may be close again in the main event just three weeks away.  Eritrean Abraham Tadesse was well back in 3rd in 42:42. A day later and a lifetime further north, 2011 National Corporate Women's Ekiden Championships runner-up Team Panasonic members Akiko Matsuyama and Yukari Abe made their European debuts at the Great North 10k in Gateshead, U.K.  Running on c...

by Brett Larner 2012 Hakone Ekiden course record-setter Toyo University dominated rival and previous Hakone course record holder Waseda University in the men's 3000 m at the 2012 Trial in Isesaki night meet organized by Jobu University .  Toyo's downhill specialist Takanori Ichikawa ran up front with twin teammates Yuta Shitara and Keita Shitara , emerging a step ahead of Yuta for the win as both broke eight minutes.  Keita, until recently the stronger of the twins, fell behind late in the race but held on for third in 8:07.12.  Waseda's top finisher Fuminori Shikata could do no better than 5th a second back from Keita. All told Toyo athletes took eight of the top ten spots, boding well for their chances in the upcoming fall ekiden season and their Hakone title defense on Jan. 2-3.  Look for Toyo to line up in next month's Hood to Coast Relay in Oregon. 2012 Trial in Isesaki Jobu University, Isesaki, Gunma, 7/21/12 click here for complete results Men...

http://runnersillustrated.com/2012/07/badwater-ultramarathon/

http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/News/Tn201207150105.html translated by Brett Larner At a ceremony at Sera H.S.' campus in Seramachi Hongo, Hiroshima on July 14, a monument was unveiled commemorating the Sera boys' seventh national title at last December's National High School Ekiden Championships.  Made of solid granite, the monument is 90 cm tall, 120 cm long and 30 cm deep, the latest addition to the six monuments already standing in the campus' front gardens.  Under the title "Victory Memorial" the front of the monument records the winning time, date of the race and other information, while the names of the coach and all ten team members are inscribed on the back. Organized by ekiden team and school administration officials, the ceremony hosted around 100 alumni.  Six of the winning team members including captain Naruhei Daikuya  (17) were present to represent the team, posing for commemorative pictures lined up on either side of the monument, a donation...

http://www.kyoto-np.co.jp/sports/article/20120713000152 translated and edited by Brett Larner Seven events saw finals on the first day of the Kyoto Track and Field Championships at Nishi Kyogoku Sports Park Field.  Among them, Kyoto native and Ayabe H.S. graduate Haruka Kyuma (1st yr., Tsukuba Univ.) ran 15:54.33 to win the women's 5000 m for the first time. Kazuki Noda (Kyoto Sangyo Univ.) won the men's 5000 m in 14:23.60, while 38-year-old Yoshihisa Fukumoto (Kyoto T&F Assoc.) took his eleventh high jump title, five years since his last win. Translator's note: Kyuma's identical twin sister Moe Kyuma  ran for the Japanese team at this year's World Junior Championships. Kyoto Track & Field Championships Women's 5000 m Nishi Kyogoku Sports Park Field, Kyoto, 7/13/12 1. Haruka Kyuma (Tsukuba Univ.) - 15:54.33 2. Chika Ogawa (Bukkyo Univ.) - 16:12.69 3. Nanami Aoki (Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.) - 16:14.08 4. Chinami Mori (Bukkyo Univ.) - 16:22....

Barcelona, 7/15/12 click here for complete results Women's 1500 m Final 1. Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon (Kenya) - 4:04.96 - MR 2. Amela Terzic (Serbia) - 4:07.59 - NJR 3. Senbere Teferi (Ethiopia) - 4:08.28 - PB 4. Nancy Chepkwemoi (Kenya) - 4:09.72 5. Jessica Judd (Great Britain) - 4:09.93 - PB ----- 11. Saki Yoshimizu (Japan) - 4:16.84 - PB Men's 4x400 m Relay Final 1. U.S.A. - 3:03.99 - WJL 2. Poland - 3:05.05 - NJR 3. Trinidad & Tobago - 3:06.32 4. Australia - 3:06.58 5. Jamaica - 3:07.31 6. Saudia Arabia - 3:09.26 7. Japan - 3:09.67 DQ - Italy

Barcelona, Spain, 7/14/12 click here for complete results Men's 5000 m Final 1. Muktar Edris (Ethiopia) - 13:38.95 2. Abrar Osman Adem (Eritrea) - 13:40.52 3. William Malel Sitonik (Kenya) - 13:40.52 4. Younes Essalhi (Morocco) - 13:41.69 - PB 5. Tsegaye Mekonnen (Ethiopia) - 13:44.43 - PB ----- 11. Kota Murayama (Japan) - 14:18.24 14. Kazuma Taira (Japan) - 14:22.95 Men's 4x100 m Relay Final 1. U.S.A. - 38.67 - WJL 2. Jamaica - 38.97 - NJR 3. Japan - 39.02 4. Poland - 39.47 5. Australia - 39.59 6. Bahamas - 39.74 7. Brazil - 39.75 DQ - Great Britain Men's 800 m Semifinal Two 1. Timothy Kitum (Kenya) - 1:49.09 - Q 2. Mohammed Belbachir (Algeria) - 1.49.46 - Q 3. Jena Umar (Ethiopia) - 1:49.68 ----- 5. Sho Kawamoto (Japan) - 1:50.17 Men's 4x400 m Relay Heat Three 1. Japan - 3:08.16 - Q 2. Trinidad and Tobago 3:08.16 - Q 3. Russia - 3:08.58 Women's 100 mH Heat Two 1. Dou Wang (China) - 13:40 - Q  - PB 2. Michelle Jenneke (Aus...

Barcelona, Spain, 7/13/12 click here for complete results Men's 400 mH Final 1. Eric Futch (U.S.A.) - 50.24 - PB / WJL 2. Takahiro Matsumoto (Japan) - 50.41 - PB 3. Ibrahim Mohammed Saleh (Saudi Arabia) - 50.47 - PB 4. Javarn Gallimore (Jamaica) - 50.49 5. Felix Franz (Germany) - 50.80 6. Oskari Moro (Finland) - 50.80 - PB 7. Timofey Chalyy (Russia) - 51.17 8. Mitja Lindic (Slovenia) - 51.26 Men's 10000 m Race Walk Final 1. Eider Arevalo (Colombia) - 40:09.74 - WJL 2. Aleksandr Ivanov (Russia) - 40:12.90 - PB 3. Guanyu Su (China) - 40:16.87 - PB 4. Takumi Saito (Japan) - 40:19.10 - NJR ----- 9. Yosuke Kimura (Japan) - 41:41.52 - PB Men's 4x100 m Relay Heat One 1. Japan - 39.01 - Q -  WJL 2. Brazil - 39.39 - Q  - AJR 3. Poland - 39.31 - q  - NJR 4. Australia - 39.34 - q  - AJR Women's 1500 m Heat Three 1. Nancy Chepkwemoi (Kenya) - 4:13.43 - Q 2. Alem Embaye (Ethiopia) - 4:14.03 - Q 3. Jennifer Walsh (Great Britain) - 4:16.08 - Q 4....

Barcelona, Spain, 7/12/12 click here for complete results Men's 110 mH Final 1. Yordan O'Farrill (Cuba) - 13.18 - MR 2. Nicholas Hough (Australia) - 13.27 - AJR 3. Wilhem Belocian (France) - 13.29 - NJR 4. James Gladman (Great Britain) - 13.37 5. Jussi Kanervo (Finland) - 13.62 6. Dondre Echols (U.S.A.) - 13.71 7. Shinya Tanaka (Japan) - 13.72 8. Pengfei Chu (China) - 13.77 Men's 400 mH Semifinal One 1. Felix Franz (Germany) - 50.66 - Q 2. Takahiro Matsumoto (Japan) - 50.76 - Q  - PB 3. Oskari Moro (Finland) - 50.89 - q 4. Ibrahim Mohammed Saleh (Saudi Arabia) - 51.11 - q Men's 400 mH Semifinal Three 1. Eric Futch (U.S.A.) - 50.77 - Q 2. Mitja Lindic (Slovenia) - 50.81 - Q  - PB 3. Shota Madokoro (Japan) - 51.15 Men's 200 m Semifinal Two 1. Karol Zalewski (Poland) - 20.93 - Q  - PB 2. Delano Williams (Tajikistan) - 20.94 - Q 3. Aska Cambridge (Japan) - 21.24 Men's 200 m Semifinal Three 1. David Bolarinwa (Great Britain) - 20.85 - Q ...

http://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/news/sports/386893.html translated by Brett Larner In an interview with the Hokkaido Newspaper, civil servant runner Yuki Kawauchi  (25, Saitama Pref.) announced that he will make his Hokkaido Marathon debut at this year's race on August 26.  With 11000 entrants the Hokkaido Marathon is setting a new record for participation, but with top athletes like Kawauchi in the field the elite end of the race will also be high-level. Kawauchi graduated from Gakushuin University in 2009, taking a job with the Saitama Prefectural Government.  Eschewing the corporate running system and training on his own while working full-time, he finished 3rd overall as the top Japanese finisher at last December's Fukuoka International Marathon.  At February's Tokyo Marathon Olympic selection race he finished 14th, missing a place on the London team.

Barcelona, Spain, 7/11/12 click here for complete results Women's 5000 m 1. Buze Diriba (Ethiopia) - 15:32.94 2. Ruit Aga (Ethiopia) - 15:32.95 - PB 3. Agnes Jebet Tirop (Kenya) - 15:36.74 - PB 4. Cayla Hatton (U.S.A.) - 15:50.32 - PB 5. Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui (Kenya) - 15:58.10 ----- 11. Shiori Yano (Japan) - 16:21.29 12. Moe Kyuma (Japan) - 16:21.36 Women's 10000 m Walk 1. Ekaterina Medvedeva (Russia) - 45:41.74 2. Nadezhda Leontyeva (Russia) - 45:43.64 - PB 3. Sandra Arenas (Colombia) - 45:44.46 4. Liudmyla Olianovska (Ukraine) - 45:53.50 - PB 5. Yanxue Mao (China) - 46:10.60 - PB ----- 8. Nozomi Yagi (Japan) - 47:04.92 - PB 23. Sae Matsumoto (Japan) - 49:56.66 Men's 400 mH Heat Four 1. Takahiro Matsumoto (Japan) - 51.26 - Q 2. Javarn Gallimore (Jamaica) - 51.40 - Q 3. William Mbevi Mutunga (Kenya) - 52.44 - Q Men's 400 mH Heat Six 1. Shota Madokoro (Japan) - 51.67 - Q 2. Gamal Abdelnasir Abubaker (Qatar) - 51.93 - Q 3. Jose Fernan...

http://mainichi.jp/area/fukuoka/news/20120710ddlk40050360000c.html translated by Brett Larner London Olympics men's marathon team member Kentaro Nakamoto  (29, Team Yasukawa Denki) has been awarded his native Yamaguchi prefecture's Medal of Glory, a distinction reserved for the prefecture's highest-achieving athletes.  "I'm privileged to receive an award which carries such honor," he said.  "I want to go into the big day in the best condition possible." Nakamoto was born in Kikugawacho, Yamaguchi.  He received the medal at Yasukawa Denki corporate headquarters in Yahatanishi, Kita-Kyushu from Prefectural Sports and Culture Director Masafumi Nomura  along with support money from the Yamaguchi Prefecture Track and Field Association.  Director Nomura told him, "We expect you to go to the limit of your ability without holding anything back." Nakamoto will continue training in Kokonoemachi, Oita through July 15 and plans to fly to Londo...

Barcelona, 7/10/12 click here for complete results Men's 10000 m 1. Yigrem Demelash (Ethiopia) - 28:16.07 - PB 2. Philemon Kipchilis Cheboi (Kenya) - 28:23.98 - PB 3. Geoffrey Kipkorir Kirui (Kenya) - 28:30.47 4. Kinde Atanaw (Ethiopia) - 28:53.02 5. Moses Martin Kurong (Uganda) - 29:06.87 6. Kenta Murayama (Japan) - 29:40.56 7. Ken Yokote (Japan) - 29:41.81 Women's 3000 m 1. Mercy Chebwogen (Kenya) - 9:08.88 - PB 2. Hiwot Gebrekidan (Ethiopia) - 9:09.27 - PB 3. Emelia Gorecka (Great Britain) - 9:09.43 - PB 4. Haftamnesh Tesfay (Ethiopia) - 9:10.02 - PB 5. Brillian Jepkorir Kipkoech (Kenya) - 9:14.32 - PB ----- 8. Miyuki Uehara (Japan) - 9:21.81 17. Misuzu Nakahara (Japan) - 9:49.84 Men's 1500 m Heat Three 1. Teklit Teweldebrhan (Eritrea) - 3:46.46 - Q 2. Hillary Cheruiyot Ngetich (Kenya) - 3:46.54 - Q 3. Abdelhadi Labali (Morocco) - 3:46.75 - Q 4. Charlie Grice (Great Britain) - 3:47.05 5. Yusuke Uchikoshi (Japan) - 3:49.06 Women's 800 m He...

by Brett Larner The 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships kick off today in Barcelona, Spain.  Ethiopia and Kenya look set to dominate most of the middle and long distance events with competition from Morocco and Eritrea and athletes from a scattering of other countries including Japan. Japan's best distance medal chance looks to be in the women's 3000 m, where Miyuki Uehara  comes in as the #1 seed with a PB over three seconds better than her nearest competitor, Emelia Gorecka  of Great Britain.  After Great Britain's Laura Muir Uehara's teammate Misuzu Nakahara  is the #4 seed with a best of 9:15.04, giving Japan a decent chance of picking up at least one medal in the event.  But with the next four athletes holding bests within less than two seconds of Nakahara and all hailing from Ethiopia and Kenya it won't be easy.   #3 and #5-ranked Shiori Yano  and Moe Kyuma  likewise stand a chance of hardware in the women's 5000 m, with Ethiopia...

Former Berlin Marathon race director Horst Milde  of German Road Races sent this link to a story about the great Shizo Kanaguri 's fabled Stockholm Olympics run. http://www.germanroadraces.de/24-1-30156-stockholm-14-july-jubilee-marathon-1912-.html Kanaguri's great-grandson Yoshiaki Kurado  will run this weekend's Stockholm Marathon on the 100th anniversary of the Stockholm Olympics marathon.  Click below for the German-language version of the story. http://www.germanroadraces.de/24-0-30157-stockholm-14-july-jubilee-marathon-1912-.html

by Brett Larner click here for complete results The 2012 edition of the early-summer staple of the Japanese track circuit, the Hokuren Distance Challenge, wrapped up July 7 with a big night in Abashiri, Hokkaido.  Having missed out on the London Olympics team, women's 1500 m national record holder Yuriko Kobayashi  (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) made her formal 10000 m debut in 32:21.03, finishing 2nd in the A-heat behind one of the year's leading Japanese women, Ai Igarashi (Team Sysmex), who took the win in 32:17.58.  Eight women altogether broke 32:30, most for the first time.  6th place finisher Akiko Matsuyama  (Team Panasonic) recorded an enormous PB of 32:27.23 ahead of her international road debut at the Great North 10 km.  Marathoners Yukiko Akaba  (Team Hokuren) and Yoko Shibui  (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) were far down the field, 20th and 24th in 33:08.59 and 33:27.03 respectively. The men's 10000 m A-heat was a showdown between newly...

Sollentuna, Sweden, 7/5/12 click here for complete results Men's 5000 m 1. Josephat Menjo (Kenya) - 13:16.87 2. Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:28.79 3. Monder Rizki (Belgium) - 13:41.62 4. Akinobu Murasawa (Tokai Univ.) - 13:47.98 5. Mumin Gala (Somalia) - 13:51.01 6. Yoshihiro Wakamatsu (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:52.27 7. Olle Wallerang (Sweden) - 13:56.09 8. Abdi Hakin Ulad (Denmark) - 14:07.43 - PB 9. Scott Fraser (GBR) - 14:09.75 - PB 10. Tuomas Jokinen (Finland) - 14:11.15 - PB

http://www.nishinippon.co.jp/nsp/item/311177 translated by Brett Larner London Olympics marathoner Arata Fujiwara  (Miki House) left Tokyo's Narita Airport on July 5 for altitude training in St. Moritz, Switzerland, confidently telling reporters, "I'm not worried about anything.    All I can say is I'll give it my best." Since mid-June Fujiwara has been based in Hokkaido, where he ran a large number of races in quick succession.  Taking the bull by the horns, the rapid-fire series of competitions has put him in position "to be a realistic challenger for a medal." The aim of the Swiss training camp will be to recover from the fatigue of four races in a week while running cross-country and doing hill sprints to load as much final strengthening work into his body as he can.  Fujiwara will not return to Japan before the Olympics, currently planning to travel to London on August 4.  Looking toward the final day of the Olympics on August 12, he said, ...

by Brett Larner click here for complete results In his first serious race since winning the 2011 New Year Ekiden national championships First Stage, 2010's top Japanese 10000 m and half-marathon man Tomoya Onishi  (Team Asahi Kasei) made a successful and surprising comeback after a year and a half of injury troubles as he won the July 4 Hokuren Distance Challenge Kitami Meet men's 5000 m in 13:46.06, just six seconds off his best.  Onishi ran up front much of the way with Korea ace Seungho Park  and equally injury-hampered former Komazawa University standout Sota Hoshi  (Team Fujitsu), taking the lead for good after Park dropped out.  Onishi's performance signaled hope for improvement on the promising 27:50.72 and 1:01:31 marks he recorded in 2010 and a not-too-distant marathon debut.  His twin brother, former Hakone Ekiden champion Toyo University captain Kazuki Onishi  (Team Kanebo), ran the same heat but was far off form as he finished 19t...

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/athletics/news/20120626-OHT1T00269.htm translated by Brett Larner Click photo to visit Niiya's profile on the Universal Entertainment team site. At a Tokyo-area press conference late last week, Olympian Hitomi Niiya  (24, Team Universal Entertainment) announced that she plans to double in the 5000 m and 10000 m.  Niiya had initially considered running only the 5000 m, but wanting to get the greatest mileage out of her Olympic debut she has chosen to run both events.  He coach Yoshio Koide  (73), who has developed many top athletes including Sydney Olympic women's marathon gold medalist Naoko Takahashi  (40), believes that the one-of-a-kind athlete he is sending to London is capable of overtaking the Africans and advancing into the upper end of the field. Well-known for a career which has moved in 'mysterious ways,' Niiya will make a two-pronged attack in London.  "I'm going to run to 10000 m too," she said. ...

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20120702-976797.html translated by Brett Larner On July 2nd the Japanese federation Rikuren announced the men's and women's teams for this year's World Half Marathon Championships, scheduled for October 6 in Bulgaria.  2011 World Championships marathoner Yuki Kawauchi  (Saitama Pref.) leads the five men and five women on the teams. Team members: Men Chihiro Miyawaki (Team Toyota) - 1:00:53 (Corporate Championships, 2012) Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Team Konica Minolta) - 1:00:58 (Marugame, 2011) Masato Kihara (Team Kanebo) - 1:01:15 (Corporate Championships, 2012) Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 1:02:16 (Corporate Championships, 2009) Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref.) - 1:02:18 (Marugame, 2012) Women Yoko Miyauchi (Team Kyocera - 1:09:23 (Sanyo, 2011) Tomomi Tanaka (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 1:09:47 (Corporate Championships, 2012) Mai Ito (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 1:10:03 (Sanyo, 2011) Asami Kato (Team Panas...

by Brett Larner Mid-afternoon heat and a strong headwind in the first half of the race kept times relatively slowly at the 55th running of the Sapporo International Half Marathon  July 1, but both the women's and men's divisions featured good races.  2011 World Championships marathon team member Mai Ito  (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) took the women's race in 1:10:52, with 2007 World Championships 10000 m bronze medalist Martin Mathathi  (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) holding off a late charge from course record holder Mekubo Mogusu (Kenya/Team Nissin Shokuhin) for the win in 1:01:35. An early pack of ten in the women's race saw a steady rotation of the lead between twin sisters Hiroko Miyauchi  and Yoko Miyauchi  (both Team Kyocera), 2012 Sendai International Half Marathon winner Asami Kato  (Team Panasonic) and little-known Sachi Tanaka  (Sports Yamagata 21).  Favorite Yukiko Akaba  (Team Hokuren) was an unexpected early casualty given the mo...

http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=201207/2012070100109&g=spo translated and edited by Brett Larner Click photo for complete race video. At the July 1 Gold Coast Marathon in Australia, Kaori Yoshida  (Amino Vital AC) won the women's race in 2:30:36.   Madoka Ogi  (Team Juhachi Ginko) ran 2:33:48 for 2nd.  In the men's race Yuki Kawauchi  (Saitama Pref.) was 4th overall in 2:13:26. 2012 Gold Coast Airport Marathon Queensland, Australia, 7/1/12 click here for complete results Note: There are wide disparities between the net and gross times listed in the official results.  The times listed below are based on the apparent gross times and will be adjusted pending further information. Women 1. Kaori Yoshida (Amino Vital AC) - 2:30:36 2. Madoka Ogi (Team Juhachi Ginko) - 2:33:48 3. Hellen Kimutai (Kenya) - 2:36:45 4. Filomena Costa (Portugal) - 2:40:57 5. Chihiro Tanaka (AthleC AC) - 2:40:58 Men 1. Alemayehu Shumye (Ethiopia) - 2:10:35 2. Ro...