Skip to main content

Kawauchi Outkicks Asai to Win Satte 10-Miler in Final Boston Tuneup

Under piercing sunlight on a warmer-than-usual day, Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) won the Satte Sakura 10-Miler in Satte, Saitama in his final tuneup for this year's Boston Marathon.

The last time Kawauchi ran Satte back in 2012 he lost to a local Toyo University third-year by the name of Yuta Shitara. This time Kawauchi found himself up against another Toyo runner, second-year Ryoga Asai. In their last meeting at November's Ageo City Half Marathon Kawauchi outkicked Asai on the track to beat him by two seconds. This time the pair remained locked together almost the entire way, Asai doing most of the work with Kawauchi a step behind.


On the course's narrowest and most scenic stretch Kawauchi opened a gap on Asai, but in the final kilometers Asai worked his way back into contention. Coming onto the track with 300 m to go Asai made a move to get away, but Kawauchi responded with a sustained surge that carried him to the win in 49:17. Outkicked again, Asai was 8 seconds back in 49:25, the only other runner to clear 50 minutes.


After a quick cooldown Kawauchi returned to the track to cheer on finishing amateur runners, hi-fiving people coming onto the track for over half an hour before posing for pictures with a long line of fans. Post-race a pair of journalists from France's L'Equipe magazine who had travelled to Japan to interview Kawauchi talked to him in-depth, the first-ever foreign journalists to attend the rural Satte 10-Miler, much to the bemusement of race officials.


With a week and a half of training left before departing to the U.S. Kawauchi now turns his attention to the main race of his spring season in his upcoming appearance as part of the John Hancock Elite Athlete Team for this month's Boston Marathon.

text and photo © 2018 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hello,

I really enjoy reading your coverage of such passion that is known as Japanese running. I have noticed (Tokyo, lake biwa) several Japanese wearing the Nike Vaporfly. However I don't believe Yuki races in those as I believe those are Asics Stripes. Would you know what (model) Asics Yuki wears? I really wonder why a Sporting goods company doesn't market such a profound story like Yuki?? Thank you for your great efforts and coverage!
Brett Larner said…
Kawauchi typically races in ASICS Sortie RP4. Due to his status as a government employee he is unable to have a contractual relationship with any sponsor. i'm sure ASICS and others would love to have that kind of relationship with him.

I strongly recommend following @Rolows_13 on Twitter for Japanese shoe-related info.
pedro serra said…
if you want to get a pair of one of that shoes just forget it if you want to run more that 10k. i order one pair in the black friday and try them on a 10k race. excelent i beat my time with 37min for 10km (was 38:10 min). than i try it with 21k after 11km i had to give up. it was hurting my legs and knee.

Brett i read that he doesnt want to have a sponsor so that he can buy what he want. but since he is in the national team he have to use asics :P

do you know what shoes he use in boston? it was not sortieMagic it another model. i went to asics website but i didnt saw any similiar model.

here is the photo of the shoes he used.

http://espn991.com/desi-linden-yuki-kawauchi-win-boston-marathon/

Most-Read This Week

Four Days in Osaka - 2023 World XC Gold Medalist Mirriam Cherop's First Experience of Japan, and Its First Experience of Her

The continuing decline of Twitter has had me thinking about ways it's impacted my life over the last 12 and a half years, from people I met there who became friends in real life, to people I'll never meet in person but would still consider friends, to work opportunities around the world, to intangible things like bass legend Jah Wobble liking a tweet of mine about being happy after a marathon I did earlier this year. After the current management took over someone had a thread going asking for concrete examples of Twitter's real-life impact. My contribution was about Mongolian marathon national record holder Ser-Od Bat-Ochir , who had asked me almost two years ago to find him a new sponsor in Japan after his previous corporate league contact expired. At some point I sent a DM about it to a very tenuous contact I had on Twitter, a Tokyo-area fashion designer I'd never met but had had a short Twitter exchange with a couple of months earlier. The designer couldn't help...

Wanjiru and Kipkemei Take 10000 m Titles - National University Championships Day 1

Usually held in September right before ekiden season, this year's National University Track and Field Championships moved to early June to avoid conflicts with the Tokyo World Championships. Doubling up on her solo 10000 m win a month ago at Kanto Regionals , Sarah Wanjiru lapped the entire field to win the women's 10000 m in 31:48.44. That was 16 seconds under the old meet record set by fellow Daito Bunka University runner and future Olympic 6th-placer Yuka Suzuki , and missed Wanjiru's PB by just over a second. Less than a second separated the next 3 finishers, with newcomer Mei Hosomi from Meijo University getting 2nd in 33:23.46, Wanjiru's DBU teammate Mariya Noda 3rd in 33:23.77, and Asahi Shirakawa from Tsukuba University off the podium in 33:24.17. Less than 2 weeks after rocking a 27:29.15 for 2nd in the National University Ekiden Kanto Region Qualifier 10000 m , Nihon University 's Shadrack Kipkemei found himself in another close race, this one aga...

Shimano Breaks 100 mH Collegiate Record - National University Championships Day 3

After a wind-aided 12.93 at the Fuse Sprint meet, Nihon Joshi Taiiku University 's Mao Shimano turned in the biggest performance of the 3rd day of this year's National University Track and Field Championships . Running the women's 100 mH final with a -1.8 m/s headwind, Shimano took 0.02 off her own collegiate record with a 13.02 for the win. That was also way under the old meet record of 13.23, and despite the wind 2nd-placer Rei Honda of Juntendo University made it under too with a 13.12 for 2nd. Another meet record fell in the women's 5000 m. After winning the 10000 m in a 31:48.44 MR on Thursday, Daito Bunka University 3rd-year Sarah Wanjiru took 5 seconds off her own 5000 m MR, dropping her only real competition Daisy Cherop of Josai Kokusai University on the last lap to win in 15:30.04 and complete the distance double. The 1st-year Cherop was 2nd in 15:39.52, with Juntendo's Airi Tajima 3rd in 15:57.14 in a 3-way sprint finish against Sayo Imanishi o...