MGC Race Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier

MGC Race Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier - Hiroto Inoue

Hiroto Inoue

age: 26
sponsor: MHPS
graduated from: Chinzei Gakuin H.S., Yamanashi Gakuin University

best time inside MGC window:
2:06:54, 5th, 2018 Tokyo Marathon

PB: 2:06:54, 5th, 2018 Tokyo Marathon

other PBs:
5000 m: 13:38.44 (2018) 10000 m: 27:56.27 (2018) half marathon: 1:01:39 (2014)

marathons inside MGC window (Aug. 1 2017 – April 30 2019)
12th, 2019 Boston Marathon, 2:11:53
1st, 2018 Jakarta Asian Games Marathon, 2:18:22
5th, 2018 Tokyo Marathon, 2:06:54 – PB
2nd, 2017 Tohoku Miyagi Fukko Marathon, 2:23:47
26th, 2017 London World Championships Marathon, 2:16:54

other major results:
4th, 2019 HDC Fukagawa 10000 m, 28:08.10
1st, 2019 Tamana Half Marathon, 1:02:12
6th, 2019 Karatsu 10-Miler, 46:42
1st, 2019 New Year Ekiden Fourth Stage (22.4 km), 1:04:37
2nd, 2018 Hachioji Long Distance Meet 10000 m, 27:56.27 – PB
1st, 2018 Kyushu Corporate Ekiden Fifth Stage (13.0 km), 38:05
1st, 2018 Golden Games in Nobeoka 5000 m, 13:38.44 – PB
7th, 2018 National Championships 10000 m, 28:42.91
3rd, 2017 Kumamoto Kosa 10-Miler, 46:12 – PB
8th, 2017 Tokyo Marathon, 2:08:22
7th, 2016 Kumamoto Kosa 10-Miler, 46:51
9th, 2016 Lake Biwa Marathon, 2:12:56
10th, 2015 National Championships 10000 m, 28:58.70
3rd, 2015 Hakone Ekiden Third Stage (21.5 km), 1:02:56
36th, 2014 Copenhagen World Half Marathon Championships, 1:02:25
3rd, 2014 Marugame Half Marathon, 1:01:39 – PB
7th, 2013 Hakone Ekiden Third Stage (21.5 km), 1:06:40

Inoue has worked his way up from nothing to becoming the only current Japanese man to break 2:07 not wearing Vaporfly 4%. At Yamanashi Gakuin University he went from good, 7th on the historic 2013 Hakone Ekiden Third Stage behind top three Yuta Shitara, Suguru Osako and Shogo Nakamura, to great, with a 1:01:39 PB for the half marathon a little over a year later in Marugame.

His marathon debut was also good, a 2:12:56 at the 2016 Lake Biwa Marathon, and with a 2:08:22 a year later in Tokyo he qualified for the 2017 London World Championships team. London went badly, only a 2:16:54, but in his next serious marathon after that he went exactly 10 minutes faster, running 2:06:54 for 5th behind Shitara’s new national record in a great head-to-head duel.

From there Inoue took a different approach to the other guys at the fast end of the Japanese spectrum, opting to focus on racing instead of going for fast times. He did break his 5000 m and 10000 m PBs, but in the marathon he took the gold medal at the Jakarta Asian Games medal and then ran Boston, the one race the JAAF had gone out of its way to specify by name wouldn’t count toward MGC qualification. Heading into Boston Inoue was focused, determined, and had trained well, telling the Japanese media he was going for the win, but like in London it was only a mediocre run, 2:11:53 for 12th.

His only serious race since Boston went decently, a 28:08.10 for 4th in Fukagawa in July, and it was enough for him to tell the media, “Osako may be the fastest, but I’m the strongest.” With the exception of Yuma Hattori (Toyota) that’s probably true, and it’s also true that of the four heavy favorites in the men’s race he’ll be the only one doing it with an all-natural spring in his stride. But while he’s very likely to make the top three, his history of being beaten by other Japanese runners and of underperforming in the highest-pressure races has to count against his chances of winning.

Next profile: Yuta Shitara (Honda).

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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