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MGC Race Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier - Shogo Nakamura

Shogo Nakamura

age: 26
sponsor: Fujitsu
graduated from: Iga Hakuho H.S., Komazawa University

best time inside MGC window:
2:08:16, 4th, 2018 Berlin Marathon

PB: 2:08:16, 4th, 2018 Berlin Marathon

other PBs:
5000 m: 13:38.93 (2016) 10000 m: 28:05.79 (2013) half marathon: 1:01:53 (2016)

marathons inside MGC window (Aug. 1 2017 – April 30 2019)
15th, 2019 Tokyo Marathon, 2:14:52
4th, 2018 Berlin Marathon, 2:08:16 – PB
7th, 2018 Lake Biwa Marathon, 2:10:51

other major results:
9th, 2019 New Year Ekiden Fourth Stage (22.4 km), 1:05:49
2nd, 2018 East Japan Corporate Ekiden Fourth Stage (9.5 km), 27:59
3rd, 2017 National Championships 5000 m, 13:50.91
10th, 2016 National Championships 10000 m, 28:39.97
36th, 2016 Cardiff World Half Marathon Championships, 1:04:49
6th, 2016 National Corporate Half Marathon Championships, 1:01:53 – PB
1st, 2015 Hakone Ekiden First Stage (21.4 km), 1:02:00
28th, 2014 Copenhagen World Half Marathon Championships, 1:01:57
3rd, 2014 Kumanichi 30 km, 1:30:11 – PB
2nd, 2014 Hakone Ekiden First Stage (21.4 km), 1:01:36
3rd, 2013 Kazan Universiade Half Marathon, 1:04:21
1st, 2013 National University Half Marathon Championships, 1:02:41
3rd, 2013 Hakone Ekiden Third Stage (21.5 km), 1:05:55

Nakamura was one of the star runners at Komazawa University, the 2013 National University Half Marathon champion and 2013 World University Games half marathon bronze medalist, 1:01:57 at the World Half Marathon Championships while still in college, and a Hakone Ekiden stage winner.

He showed some early aptitude for the longer distances when he was the first Japanese man behind national collegiate record breaker Yuma Hattori at the 2014 Kumanichi 30 km, and since moving to the Fujitsu corporate team his marathon career to date has been pretty solid. A 2:10:51 debut at Lake Biwa last year was enough to get him into the MGC Race, and he followed up with a 2:08:16 in Berlin for 4th place in a world record race.

Along with Yuki Sato (Nissin Shokuhin) and Suguru Osako (Nike Oregon Project) Nakamura went through halfway at this year’s Tokyo Marathon in 1:02:04, and to his credit he died the least badly of the three, fading to 2:14:52 while Sato was a 2:15:07 and Osako dropped out. His only races since then, a 13:47.51 for 5000 m and 28:44.06 for 10000 m in May, were good, and if he shows up at the MGC Race in the same kind of shape he did for his other marathons so far you can expect him to be a serious top three contender.

Next profile: Honami Maeda (Tenmaya).

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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