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JRN's Ten Most-Read Stories of 2021


With two big ekidens, a half marathon, two track meets and previews for two major ekidens in the first three days of 2022 still to come this year, we're going to take advantage of a bit of a lull in the action to take care of some year-end stories. 

First up is a list of JRN's 10 most-read stories this year, from an inside look at life in the corporate leagues to a cool new indoor track to the end of the elite men-only marathon format in Japan. Thanks as always for your support and for making these your picks.
 
Australian Melissa Duncan ran for the Shiseido women's corporate team for two years. After her contract was up and she returned to Australia she wrote about the highs and lows of her experience. Her article provoked strong reactions both in Japan and abroad. In the following season Shiseido finished 2nd in the Queens Ekiden corporate women's national championships. One of JRN's ten all-time most-read articles.

JRN's MVP of the 2019 MGC race, Kengo Suzuki ran a sensational negative split to produce Japan's first sub-2:05 clocking. The field sent off one of Japan's most storied races in style, producing the deepest marathon in world history with 42 men sub-2:10. JRN wrote an analysis of what happened for Podium Runner.

3. 2021 Hakone Ekiden Day One and Day Two - Jan. 2-3
Underdog Soka University pulled off an upset with its first-ever Hakone Ekiden Day One win. But after leading Day Two the entire way Soka anchor Yuki Onodera was caught by Komazawa University's Takuma Ishikawa in one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Hakone history. In a sad postscript, Ishikawa was arrested four months later just after the start of his senior year and no longer runs for the school.

A group of four men from Aomori aged 90-92 smashed the 4x400 m relay world record for their age group, clocking 8:49.01. The record was later disallowed because the race in which they ran didn't meet the minimum number of competitors for record eligibility, prompting the team to come back in August and do it again according to the regulations.

In an area known for heavy snow, Asahikawa Ryukoku H.S. girls' ekiden head coach Fumihito Abe oversaw construction at the school's new campus of a 330 m track enclosed in a greenhouse structure. Photos and video of the new track got an enthusiastic response in Japan and worldwide.

In a pandemic-era edition of the Osaka International Women's Marathon run on a park loop course with male pacers and no non-Japanese athletes, Olympian Mao Ichiyama set an event record of 2:21:11. Behind her, women's 60+ WR holder Mariko Yugeta bettered her own record by 4:41 in 2:52:13. JRN interviewed Yugeta post-race for Runners World. and Maurten

Due officially to pre-vaccination era guidelines in which the Tokyo Marathon said it would cancel this year's postponed race if a state of emergency were in place in Tokyo a month before race date, the event was not held even though the state of emergency itself ended weeks before the race and COVID numbers were at a low point. Officially, the 2022 edition of the race was canceled and the 2021 edition moved again to the 2022 race's date, making it possible to still use branded merch made for 2021.

Less than 3 weeks after the final Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, the JAAF announced that the axe was also falling on Japan's most legendary marathon, the Fukuoka International Marathon, after its 75th running this year. The news inspired JRN to make the Inside the Outside - When the World Came to Fukuoka documentary featuring 75 legendary marathoners from around the world talking about their experiences in Fukuoka over the decades. Coached by Arata Fujiwara, Kenyan Michael Githae won the final edition in 2:07:51.

At the Project Carbon X 2 microrace, American Jim Walmsley came within 12 seconds of the men's 100 km world record held by Japan's Nao Kazami. A comparison of the two athletes' splits and race performances. Let's hope that Japan's borders up again while Walmsley is still at his peak of his career so that he can come and give the record another swing on the Lake Saroma course, proud home to both the men's and women's 100 km WR.

2018 Fukuoka International Marathon winner Yuma Hattori staggered in to the finish at the Tokyo Olympics in Sapporo in 73rd overall. JAAF officials discussed his condition in this article. In November Hattori returned to competition, running 28:22.86 at the Hachioji Long Distance meet.

photo c/o Melissa Duncan
text © 2021 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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