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Arata Fujiwara

Born Sept. 12, 1981 in Nagasaki. Graduated from Isahaya H.S. and Takushoku University.

 Arata Fujiwara was a relative unknown when he ran the 2008 Tokyo Marathon, but his 2nd place finish in 2:08:40 made his name both domestically and worldwide. He fell five seconds short of being named to the Beijing Olympics team but made the Berlin World Championships thanks to a 2:09:47 at the Fukuoka International Marathon later that year. In the lead-up to his return to Tokyo in 2010 he gave an extensive interview to JRNPremium. A day after the race he again met up to talk about the results and his future. A few weeks later he abruptly resigned from his position with Team JR Higashi Nihon to pursue a solo career.

In part one of his interview Fujiwara talks about the 2008 Tokyo Marathon and his thoughts and sensations before, during and after the race.

In part two he goes into more detail about his training philosophy as well as his views of the Japanese running establishment as a whole.

Part three looks at Fujiwara's racing strategies and his future goals and plans.

Part four and part five of the interview are an exclusive JRNPremium one-on-one talk the day after the 2010 Tokyo Marathon. In part four Fujiwara gives a firsthand, personal account of all that went right and wrong in this year's race. In part five he talks about motivation, training, and the Japanese corporate system.

Personal Bests

5000 m: 13:41.35 (2007) 10000 m: 28:41.05 (2009) half-marathon: 1:01:34 (2012) marathon: 2:07:48 (2012)

Marathon History

2017 Tsukuba Marathon: 2:18:08, 1st
2017 Toyama Marathon: 2:16:32, 1st
2017 Hokkaido Marathon: 2:36:21, 80th
2017 Tokyo Marathon: DNF
2016 Toyama Marathon: 2:36:49, 12th
2016 Tokyo Marathon: 2:20:23, 44th
2015 Hofu Yomiuri Marathon: 2:11:50, 1st
2015 Toyama Marathon: 2:17:05, 1st
2015 Hokkaido Marathon: 2:16:49, 1st
2015 Tokyo Marathon: 2:19:40, 37th
2014 Gold Coast Marathon: 2:25:11, 15th
2014 Tokyo Marathon: 2:30:58, 75th
2013 Fukuoka International Marathon: DNF
2013 Tokyo Marathon: DNF
2012 Fukuoka International Marathon: 2:09:31, 4th
2012 London Olympics: 2:19:11, 45th
2012 Tokyo Marathon: 2:07:48, 2nd
2011 Tokyo Marathon: 2:29:21, 57th
2010 NYC Marathon: DNF
2010 Ottawa Marathon: 2:09:34, 1st, CR
2010 Tokyo Marathon: 2:12:34, 2nd
2009 Berlin World Championships: 2:31:06, 61st
2008 Fukuoka International Marathon: 2:09:47, 3rd
2008 Chicago Marathon: 2:23:10, 16th
2008 Beijing Olympics: alternate
2008 Tokyo Marathon: 2:08:40, 2nd
2007 Biwako Mainichi Marathon: 2:38:37, 85th

Other Major Results

2010 New Year Ekiden Fourth Stage (22.3 km): 1:03:26, 4th
2007 Marugame Half Marathon: 1:02:29, 6th
2006 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon: 1:09:12, 21st
2006 Jitsugyodan Half Marathon Championships: 1:02:17
2003 Inuyama Half Marathon: 1:03:49, 1st
2003 Hakone Ekiden Fourth Stage: 4th
2001 Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai 20 km: 59:42, 7th
2001 Hakone Ekiden First Stage: 10th

Most Admired Runners

Haile Gebrselassie, Yuko Arimori, Vincent Rousseau

Career Goal

To change the standard of marathoning.

© 2010 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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