2020 Olympic Marathon Trials Winner Shogo Nakamura Wins First Race of Year in PB Time

2020 Olympic marathon trials winner Shogo Nakamura (27, Fujitsu) ran a course record 1:01:40 to win the Jan. 12 Takanezawa Genki Up Half Marathon in Tochigi. His time bettered his 2016 PB of 1:01:53 by 13 seconds. "I ran pretty much according to plan," he commented afterward.

Nakamura's sponsor team Fujitsu finished 17th at November's East Japan Corporate Ekiden, failing to qualify for the Jan. 1 New Year Ekiden national championships. As a result, Takanezawa was his first race of the Olympic year. Alongside him were members of 2020 Hakone Ekiden champion Aoyama Gakuin University, runner-up Tokai University and other top collegiate programs. Most fielded 3rd-year and younger team members who didn't make this year's Hakone lineups, giving them valuable experience for the buildup to next year's 97th running.

Next up Nakamura plans to run in the Mar. 29 World Half Marathon Championships. His coach Hiroaki Oyagi, 61, commented, "At the World Half we will be targeting a time under 1:01." Honing his speed, Nakamura continues to prepare for the Aug. 9 Sapporo Olympic marathon.

In the 10 km race, Tokai head coach Hayashi Morozumi, 53, ran 35:40, breaking the 50+ course record but finishing 2nd in his division. "The last 3 km were hard," he said. "I felt like this summed up this season. A course record but 2nd, just like at Hakone." Morozumi plans to run March's Tokyo Marathon, his first time running one since the 1995 Fukuoka International Marathon. "I aim not to get hurt," he said. With a PB of 2:18:37, his goal this time is to go sub-3.

47th Takanezawa Genki Up Half Marathon

Takanezawa, Tochigi, 1/12/20

1. Shogo Nakamura (Fujitsu) - 1:01:40 -CR, PB
2. Daisuke Momozawa (San Kogyo) - 1:01:58 - PB
3. Hironobu Nakakura (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:02:26 - PB
4. Taiki Miyasaka (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:02:26 - PB
5. Ryo Nishikubo (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:02:26 - PB
6. Takeshi Shingo (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:02:30 - PB
7. Yuito Nakamura (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:02:43 - PB
8. Keita Honma (Tokai Univ.) - 1:02:59 - PB
9. Shoya Hayata (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:03:00 - PB
10. Torazo Kai (Chuo Univ.) - 1:03:07 - PB

source articles:
https://hochi.news/articles/20200112-OHT1T50040.html
https://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/202001120000308.html
translated and edited by Brett Larner

Measuring Marathon Courses by Bicycle

http://news.searchina.ne.jp/disp.cgi?y=2013&d=0110&f=column_0110_034.shtml translated by Brett Larner The full marathon is a sport where you compete over 42.195 km, but how do they go about measuring that distance? Today we're going to look a little bit at how they go about certifying the distance of a marathon. The reality is that major international marathons use a bicycle to measure the distance. This rule is an international standard, and the same method of measurement is used everywhere. It was put into place in 1986. In order to ensure that the same method is used everywhere, a bicycle that meets IAAF specifications must be used for measurement. In the case of Japan's major marathons, to be certain that the distance is correct a provisional measurement is first made. Before the course is certified using a bicycle the course is measured using a 50 m-long length of wire to determine that it is in fact 42.195 km. When a bicycle is u...

Ai Hosoda Announces Retirement

photo © 2025 Victah Sailer/Photo Run, all rights reserved On Jan. 8 the Edion women's corporate team announced that Ai Hosoda , 30, will retire at the end of March this year. The Tokyo Marathon will be her last race. At Nagano Higashi H.S. Hosoda ran in the National High School Ekiden her 2nd and 3rd years. During her 3rd year at Nittai University she won both the 5000 m and 10000 m at the Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships, going on to win the bronze medal in the 10000 m at the World University Games in her 4th year at Nittai. After graduating she joined the Daihatsu corporate team, debuting at the 2019 Nagoya Women's Marathon in 2:29:27. 2 years later she transferred to Edion. She qualified for the Paris Olympics marathon trials at the 2022 Nagoya Women's Marathon and finished 3rd in the trials in the fall of 2023, but was later bumped down to Olympic alternate after another athlete ran a faster time. Instead of the Olympics, Hosoda ran the 2024 Ber...

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 .

japan running news

Search This Blog