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MGC Race Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier - Yoshiki Takenouchi

Yoshiki Takenouchi

age: 27
sponsor: NTT Nishi Nihon
graduated from: Kansaidai Daiichi H.S., Nihon University

best time inside MGC window:
2:10:01, 7rd, 2017 Fukuoka International Marathon

PB: 2:10:01, 7rd, 2017 Fukuoka International Marathon

other PBs:
5000 m: 13:56.46 (2015) 10000 m: 28:36.44 (2018) half marathon: 1:03:08 (2019)

marathons inside MGC window (Aug. 1 2017 – April 30 2019)
DNS – 2018 Fukuoka International Marathon
30th, 2018 Lake Biwa Marathon, 2:20:29
7th, 2017 Fukuoka International Marathon, 2:10:01

other major results:
8th, 2019 Sendai International Half Marathon, 1:03:08 – PB
33rd, 2019 National Corporate Half Marathon, 1:03:13 (PB)
DNS – 2019 National Men’s Ekiden Seventh Stage (13.0 km)
2nd, 2018 Kansai Corporate Ekiden Fifth Stage (16.0 km), 48:54
1st, 2018 Hokuren Distance Challenge Fukagawa Meet 10000 m B-race, 28:36.44 – PB
11th, 2017 Lake Biwa Marathon, 2:13:33
9th, 2015 Hakone Ekiden Third Stage (21.5 km), 1:03:59

The only Nihon University graduate in the race, Takenouchi was one of three men who qualified for the MGC Race at the 2017 Fukuoka Internationl Marathon, a minor team 2:13 guy who seemed to fluke his way into 7th in 2:10:01. Since then he hasn’t done a lot to shake that impression, following up on Fukuoka with a 2:20:29 at last year’s Lake Biwa and a DNS back in Fukuoka.

But whatever problems hit him just before Fukuoka last year, ones that also kept him out of the New Year Ekiden and National Men's Ekiden, he seems to have turned it around, running half marathon PBs twice this spring and starting to post all of his training publicly on Twitter. But that came to an end at the end of June, and he has been laying low ever since.

Takenouchi is also entered in November’s NYC Marathon, so it’s not clear what exactly his intentions are. The most likely thing is that he had some kind of setback that might keep him out of the MGC Race and that he's using NYC as a backup if he’s not ready in time. We shall see.

Next profile: Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal).

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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