Skip to main content

MGC Race Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier - Daisuke Uekado

Daisuke Uekado

age: 25
sponsor: Otsuka Seiyaku
graduated from: Hokuryo H.S., Kyoto Sangyo University

best time inside MGC window:
2:09:27, 6th, 2017 Fukuoka International Marathon

PB: 2:09:27, 6th, 2017 Fukuoka International Marathon

other PBs:
5000 m: 14:06.13 (2016) 10000 m: 28:48.22 (2013) half marathon: 1:03:28 (2016)

marathons inside MGC window (Aug. 1 2017 – April 30 2019)
22nd, 2019 Beppu-Oita Marathon, 2:15:49
8th, 2018 Berlin Marathon, 2:11:07
6th, 2017 Fukuoka International Marathon, 2:09:27 – PB

other major results:
11th, 2019 New Year Ekiden Fourth Stage (22.4 km), 1:05:59
2nd, 2018 Kansai Corporate Ekiden First Stage (12.6 km), 37:54
81st, 2018 Valencia World Half Marathon Championships, 1:04:48
10th, 2017 Lake Biwa Marathon, 2:12:58
48th, 2016 Marugame Half Marathon, 1:03:28 – PB
1st, 2016 Kyoto Marathon, 2:17:54

Someone else totally unique in the MGC men’s field: Uekado is the only one who graduated from a university outside the Tokyo-centric Kanto Region. That might not mean anything to you, but the Kanto Region is home to Japan’s mightiest race, the Hakone Ekiden, and exerts all the cultural and gravitational pull of a black hole on the nation’s distance running high school boys. Few who could choose not to run it, and as the number of Hakone runners in the MGC field, over 80% of the entrants, shows, few who don’t run it go on to success.

Uekado went to Kyoto Sangyo University, far to the west of the Hakone scene. He won the 2016 Kyoto Marathon just before graduating and moving on to the Otsuka Seiyaku corporate team. There he came under the guidance of a coaching staff includeing Takayuki Inubushi, the first Japanese man to ever break 2:07 in the marathon. His first year there he improved to 2:12:58 at Lake Biwa, then dropped a 2:09:27 for 6th at the 2017 Fukuoka International Marathon to make the MGC Race.

His 2:11:07 follow-up at the 2018 Berlin Marathon where coach Inubushi had run 2:06:57 was good, if only that, but at Beppu-Oita this February he couldn’t compete in the middle of what turned to be a high-level race, finishing only 22nd in 2:15:49. As I’ve written in a couple of the other profiles, there have been a lot of Japanese guys who have run one breakthrough sub-2:10 and never gotten there again. Everyone likes an underdog, but there’s not much at this stage to suggest Uekado could beat that trend.

Next profile: Yuki Sato (Nissin Shokuhin).

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

National University Championships Entry Lists and Streaming

The 95th National University Track and Field Championships run Friday through Monday at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama. The complete meet schedule and live results are here . The 10000 m races were already held separately earlier this season. Streaming starts at 9:00 a.m. Saturday Japan time, with separate field event channels and Day 2 and 3 streaming here . Top entries in each event with best performance in the qualifying window: Men 100 m Shoma Yamamoto (Hiroshima Univ.) - 10.04 Fukuto Komuro (Chuo Univ.) - 10.07 Naoki Nishioka (Tsukuba Univ.) - 10.09 Riku Oishi (Toyo Univ.) - 10.13 Kaito Kuroki (Chuo Univ.) - 10.14 Ryunosuke Mizuno (Waseda Univ.) - 10.14 Yugo Haitamataira (Juntendo Univ.) - 10.17 Shun Miyashita (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 10.19 200 m Akira Hayashi (Keio Univ.) - 20.36 Tomoru Funaki (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 20.39 Oma Asai (Tsukuba Univ.) - 20.47 Reishin Yamamoto (Toyo Univ.) - 20.49 Shingo Suzuki (Tokai Univ.) - 20.54 Haruto Nakamura (Fukuoka Univ.) - 20.55 400 m Shinya Hayashi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Yuasa and Niiya Win Hokkaido Marathon, 6 Qualify for Olympic Trials

  Six more people picked up qualifying spots for next year's MGC Race at yesterday's Hokkaido Marathon in Sapporo, guaranteeing themselves places at Japan's 2028 Los Angeles Olympics marathon trials. In the men's race, Hibiki Yoshida tried to break away from the massive lead group at 30 km, opening a 25-second lead between there and 35 km before getting cut down by the chase trio of Jin Yuasa , Ken Tansho and Masato Arao . All three stayed together until the very end, Yuasa showing the same kind of closing speed he had in winning 2025 Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon and pulling away to win in 2:10:46. The debuting Tansho was next in 2:10:55, with Arao, 6th at last year's Sydney Marathon in an excellent 2:07:42, 3rd here in 2:10:59. By clearing 2:12:00 all three picked up MGC qualifying spots, freeing them up to go overseas next spring. Continuing a great season, Soka University 's Shoki Yamaguchi was 4th in 2:11:47, missing out on trials qualification but bea...
1 comment
Read more

Monterey Welcomes Student-Athletes from Sister City Nanao, Japan

a press release by the Monterey-Nanao Cross Country Exchange Project photos here Fourteen student-athletes from Nanao High School in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, recently completed a weeklong visit to the Monterey Peninsula as part of the Monterey–Nanao Cross Country Exchange Project , bringing together young people from the two Sister Cities through running, education, environmental stewardship, cultural exchange, and friendship. The seven boys and seven girls from Nanao were paired with 14 members of the Monterey High School cross country team and stayed in their homes throughout the visit. The week marked the first half of a reciprocal exchange that will continue when the Monterey students travel to Nanao later this year. The visitors received their first introduction to Monterey shortly after arriving at Monterey High School, walking with their hosts to Sister City Park and gathering for photographs beside the sign honoring Nanao — a fitting beginning for a week devoted to bringin...
Post a Comment
Read more