Skip to main content

MGC Race Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier - Shohei Otsuka

Shohei Otsuka

age: 25
sponsor: Kyudenko
graduated from: Oita Tomei H.S., Komazawa University

best time inside MGC window:
2:10:12, 3rd, 2018 Beppu-Oita Marathon

PB: 2:10:12, 3rd, 2018 Beppu-Oita Marathon

other PBs:
5000 m: 13:55.41 (2018) 10000 m: 28:25.42 (2019) half marathon: 1:02:32 (2014)

marathons inside MGC window (Aug. 1 2017 – April 30 2019)
11th, 2019 Tokyo Marathon, 2:12:36
4th, 2018 Hokkaido Marathon, 2:12:07
3rd, 2018 Beppu-Oita Marathon, 2:10:12

other major results:
34th, 2019 Marugame Half Marathon, 1:02:53
25th, 2019 New Year Ekiden Fourth Stage (22.4 km), 1:07:05
8th, 2018 Kumamoto Kosa 10-Miler, 46:21
1st, 2018 Kyushu Corporate Ekiden Seventh Stage (16.3 km), 46:26
16th, 2017 Lake Biwa Marathon, 2:15:10
1st, 2017 Hakone Ekiden Fifth Stage (20.8 km, ~800 m uphill), 1:12:46
4th, 2015 Kumanichi 30 km Road Race, 1:31:29
2nd, 2015 Hakone Ekiden Eighth Stage (21.4 km), 1:05:45

Otsuka made an early debut in the marathon while still a student at Komazawa University where he was one of the heavy hitters on its ekiden team, winning the Hakone Ekiden's famous uphill Fifth Stage his senior year. After joining the Kyudenko corporate team he took almost five minutes off his debut time with a 2:10:12 for 3rd in his hometown Beppu-Oita Marathon, then qualified for the MGC Race with a 2:12:07 for 4th at last August’s Hokkaido Marathon.

Strong during ekiden season, Otsuka struggled a bit at its peak race in January. He seemed to get it back together, just off his PB at the Marugame Half, but at the Tokyo Marathon he wasn’t able to execute the kind of breakthrough to the level of former Komazawa teammate Shogo Nakamura (Fujitsu) that he’s been hoping for. Siince then he’s run a PB for 10000 m, combined with his performance in Hokkaido last sumer a definite plus heading into the MGC Race.

Next profile: Ryu Takaku (Yakult).

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Nat'l University Ekiden Updates Here

Looks like I just went over my update limit on Twitter - sorry, it's the first time I've tried to use it for this. I'll look for another option next time. In the meantime I'll add updates to the comments below. Not sure if that has a max too but I guess we'll find out. Update: Part one of the Nationals commentary can be found here .
77 comments
Read more

Keita Satoh Running New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile

1500 m U20 NR holder Keita Satoh (Nike Swoosh TC) is running this weekend's New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile , the first time that a Japanese man has been invited in the race's 45-year history. In university Sato had to change focus away from middle distance to the half marathon-scale lengths of the Hakone Ekiden stages, but since graduating in March and relocating to Flagstaff he has refocused on the 1500 m, going from 3:43.19 in April in his first 1500 m in almost 4 years to 3:38.30 over the course of 5 races. Fifth Avenue will be his last race before heading back to Japan for one more track 1500 m and some down time. Men's entries with best 1500 m times in last 3 years: Stefan Nillessen (NED) - 3:29.23 (2025) Flavien Szot (FRA) - 3:30.74 (2025) Oliver Hoare (AUS) - 3:31.07 (2024) Jake Heyward (GBR) - 3:31.18 (2026) Titouan Le Grix (FRA) - 3:31.46 (2026) Romain Mornet (FRA) - 3:31.62 (2025) Adam Spencer (AUS) - 3:31.83 (2026) Pieter Sisk (BEL) - 3:31.85 (2025) Gary Martin (...
2 comments
Read more

Australian YouTuber Handed Lifetime Ban by Ageo City Half Marathon After Running 1:06 with Another Runner's Bib (updated)

After discussion with their race's chief JAAF referee, on Nov. 27 the organizers of the Ageo City Half Marathon handed down a lifetime ban from their event against 36-year-old Australian Matt Inglis Fox  for running the Nov. 15 race wearing the bib number of another JAAF-registered runner. The incident came to light after Fox posted on his personal Instagram account that he had run a PB of 1:06:33 and finished 203rd in Ageo with a 10 km split of 31:03, along with photos and video of himself in the race wearing a bib number beginning with 11. Fox did not appear in the results by name or in that time or place, the closest match being a 1:06:54 gross, 1:06:50 net finish time with a 31:21 10 km split for 18th place in the JAAF-registered division and 209th overall by bib number 1129, registered to a non-Japanese Tokyo-resident club runner. The club runner, Harrisson Uk , readily confirmed that he had given his bib to Fox, saying, "I gave my number to Matt. It wasn't me."...
82 comments
Read more