Skip to main content

Russian Victor Ugarov Wins Inaugural Kanazawa Marathon (updated)

http://kanazawa.keizai.biz/headline/2553/
http://www.chunichi.co.jp/hokuriku/article/news/CK2015111602100006.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner
updated 11/16/15 with a quote from organizers from the second article above

The first running of the Kanazawa Marathon took place Nov. 15, with 11,821 runners traversing the course from the start on Hirosaka Dori to the finish at Seibu Ryokuchi Koen Field and enjoying the best of the Kanazawa autumn.

At 9:00 a.m., almost in sync with the starting pistol fired by Mayor Yamano, the rain that had been falling all morning abruptly stopped.  Runners from across the country and from Taiwan, America and other far-off lands made their way through the 7-zone course designed with the catchphrase "Run the whole of Kanazawa!" in mind.

Volunteers along the course handed out unusual refreshments like traditional Japanese sweets and Kanazawa curry, and brass bands and local firefighters in fancy dress provided courseside entertainment and encouragement to the runners.  At the finish at the prefectural track and field grounds, children's taiko drum and women's hula dance groups helped runners summon up the last bit of their strength as they ran toward the finish line.

In the men's race, Victor Ugarov from Kanazawa's sister city Irkutsk in Russia won in a PB 2:17:19.  Mai Fujino from Hokkaido won the women's race in 2:53:22.  According to race organizers, because Ugarov is not a member of the Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) he is not subject to the ARAF's suspension and there was no problem with him participating.  The next edition of the Kanazawa Marathon is scheduled to be held Nov. 13, 2016.

Translator's note: According to its website the Kanazawa Marathon is certified by the IAAF, JAAF and AIMS and is held in compliance with 2015 JAAF rules and regulations.  As such, Ugarov's participation must be in violation of the IAAF's Nov. 13 suspension of the Russian Federation and prohibition on Russian athletes competing internationally.  Russian Tatyana Arkhipova was blocked from running today's Saitama International Marathon for this reason.

Update: The Kanazawa Marathon organizers' claim, added above, that there was "no problem" with Ugarov participating perfectly illustrates much of what JRN talked about yesterday in reference to problematic attitudes evinced at the Saitama International Marathon; details over big picture, relationships over appearances, indifference to attitudes overseas.  In the picture in the second article linked at the top Ugarov is the runner on the right in grey.  The Russian athlete next to him is rocking a Russian national color uniform.  Ugarov does have a profile on the IAAF website, and it has now been updated to include his post-ARAF suspension Kanazawa performance.  Apparently all it takes for Russian athletes to keep competing internationally is to cancel their ARAF memberships and find races that just don't give a shit.  

Kanazawa Marathon organizing committee contact info from the English-language section of its website for journalists and others wanting to follow up on this story: 

tel: +81 (0) 76-220-2726
email: info@kanazawa-marathon.jp

Update 11/18/15: Ugarov's victory has now been annulled and he faces a suspension of up to four years for running while ineligible.  Click here for more.
Labels:

Comments

Brent Wright said…
I ran the Kanazawa Marathon yesterday, wondering how a 2:17 Russian marathoner was allowed to compete. There were two invited male Russian runners, one proudly wearing their national uniform. I assumed that since it was sister city relationship invitation the situation was different from the Saitama Marathon. I suppose if those two Russian runners were receiving Russian state funds to compete and Kanazawa is claiming to be abiding by IAAF rules then something isn't right here. I would like to hear an official statement from the Kanazawa Marathon.
November 16, 2015 at 2:17 PM
Post a Comment

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...
3 comments
Read more

Nagoya Women's Marathon Elite Field

Last year's top 3 Sheila Chepkirui , Sayaka Sato and Eunice Chebichii Chumba are back for this year's Nagoya Women's Marathon on Mar. 8, but things are being set up more for it to be a race between Chepkirui, 2:17:49 in Berlin 2023, Aynalem Desta , 2:17:37 in Amsterdam last fall, and Japanese NR holder Honami Maeda , 2:18:59 at the Osaka International Women's Marathon in 2024. Aynalem has the freshest sub-2:20 of the 3, with neither Chepkirui nor Maeda having done it in 2 years. Maeda's only recent result is a 1:10:07 from Houston last month, but when she ran her NR she didn't have any kind of tuneup race to indicate her fitness so it's probably best not to read too much into that. If it goes out as a 2:18 race those are the only 3 who can probably hang with it. If it turns out to be more of a 2:20 race like when Chepkirui won in 2:20:40 last year then there's a group of 7 at the 2:20-2:22 level who will be in the picture, including Chumba, Selly Chep...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
1 comment
Read more