http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/why-japans-incredible-longdistance-runners-will-never-win-the-london-marathon-10182050.html
Two Japanese long distance runners have, in fact, won the London Marathon. The coach cited in the article, Kenji Takao, is a middle and long distance track coach at Ritsumeikan University, a Kansai Region school in Kyoto that, being outside the Tokyo-centric Kanto Region, does not participate in the Hakone Ekiden.
Two Japanese long distance runners have, in fact, won the London Marathon. The coach cited in the article, Kenji Takao, is a middle and long distance track coach at Ritsumeikan University, a Kansai Region school in Kyoto that, being outside the Tokyo-centric Kanto Region, does not participate in the Hakone Ekiden.
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I mean, the following quote may be a valid statement about the attitude of HS and collegiate running coaches in Japan, but it's not that much different from those of NCAA XC/Track coaches
"...coaches often don't think about the long-term prospects of their athletes, particularly at high school and university level."
There's a lot of room for improvement in Japan, but the situation is a bit more complex than Finn's analysis.