Kayoko Fukushi Hangs Them Up

It's the end of an era, really. Two months shy of her 40th birthday, Kayoko Fukushi retired yesterday after running the Osaka Half Marathon. Five of the other legends of Japanese women's long distance, Akemi Masuda, Yuko Arimori, Naoko Takahashi, Masako Chiba and Mizuki Noguchi, were there to celebrate a career spanning national records that have stood for over 20 years, still-standing championship ekiden stage records, possibly the most spectacular elite marathon debut in history, a World Championships marathon medal, and four-straight Olympic appearances.

For all that success, it always seemed to be there in the background that she wasn't able to break Yoko Shibui's 10000 m NR, and she seemed like a reluctant marathoner, at least until it was too late. In interviews Fukushi was always interesting, dropping in her sharp, dry wit whenever she could, and with any luck we'll be getting more of that in the commentary booth for years to come. Since the start of the super shoe era all her major records have been broken, but a quick look back at those accomplishments shows that Fukushi remains in a class of her own. Feel free to put your favorite memories of Fukushi in the comments.

PBs

3000 m - 8:44.40 (2002, age 20, former NR)

5000 m - 14:53.22 (2005, age 23, former NR)

10000 m - 30:51.81 (2002, age 20)

10 km - 31:57 (2010, age 27)

half-marathon - 1:07:26 (2006, age 23, former NR/AR)

marathon - 2:22:17 (2016, age 33)

National Records

5000 m U20 NR - 15:10.23 (2001, age 19)

10000 m U20 NR - 31:42.05 (2001, age 19)

3000 m U20 NR - 8:52.3 (2001, age 19) - current U20 NR

3000 m NR - 8:44.40 (2002, age 20)

5000 m NR - 15:02.08 (2002, age 20)

5000 m NR - 14:55.21 (2002, age 20)

5000 m NR - 14:55.19 (2002, age 20)

5000 m NR - 14:53.22 (2005, age 23)

half marathon (mixed) NR/AR - 1:07:26 (2006, age 23)

20 km (mixed) NR - 1:03:41 (2006, age 23)

15 km (mixed) NR - 46:55 (2006, age 23) - current NR

5 km (women-only) NR - 15:39 (2006, age 24) - current NR

National Championships

5000 m national champion - 2002, 2004-2007, 2010

10000 m national champion - 2002-2007, 2010

Major Ekidens

27 individual stage wins at major ekidens spanning 2000-2018

8 new individual stage CR at major ekidens

holds CR for National Women's Ekiden 10.0 km anchor stage - 30:52 (2004, age 21)

passed 15 or more people on a single stage twice

Main Marathon Results

3rd, 2011 Chicago Marathon - 2:24:38

1st, 2013 Osaka International Women's Marathon - 2:24:21

bronze, 2013 Moscow World Championships marathon - 2:27:45

1st, 2016 Osaka International Women's Marathon - 2:22:17

14th, 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics marathon - 2:29:53

7th, 2019 Marathon Grand Championship Olympic trials - 2:33:29

Asian Games

silver, 2002 Busan Asian Games 10000 m- 30:51.81

silver, 2002 Busan Asian Games 5000 m - 14:55.19

gold, 2006 Doha Asian Games 10000 m - 31:29.38

World Championships

4th, 2000 Santiago de Chile World U20 Championships 5000 m F - 16:25.01

11th, 2003 Paris World Championships 10000 m F - 31:10.57

11th, 2003 Paris World Championships 5000 m H1 - 15:16.53

11th, 2005 Helsinki World Championships10000 m F - 31:39.98

12th, 2005 Helsinki World Championships 5000 m F - 14:59.92

6th, 2006 Fukuoka World Cross Country Championships 8 km - 25:51

6th, 2006 Debrecen World Road Running Championships 20 km - 1:05:32

9th, 2007 Osaka World Championships 10000 m F - 32:32.85

13th, 2007 Osaka World Championships 5000 m F - 15:19.40

9th, 2009 Berlin World Championships10000 m F - 31:23.49

bronze, 2013 Moscow World Championships marathon - 2:27:45

Olympics

26th, 2004 Athens Olympics 10000 m F - 33:48.66

9th, 2008 Beijing Olympics 10000 m F - 31:01.14

9th, 2008 Beijing Olympics 5000 m H2 - 15:20.46

10th, 2012 London Olympics 10000 m F - 31:10.35

8th, 2012 London Olympics 5000 m H1 - 15:09.31

14th, 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics marathon - 2:29:53

Murayama and Sasaki Making U.S. Debut at New York Mini 10 km

Every year since 2012 that there's been a United Airlines NYC Half , JRN has partnered with the NYRR and November's Ageo City Half Marathon to bring two top-tier collegiate Japanese men to the NYC Half for what's usually been their international debuts. For years we've wanted to extend that program to include top collegiate women, but that has always faced 2 problems. For one, while the half marathon distance is the main focus for Japanese collegiate men due to the stage lengths at the Hakone Ekiden, few collegiate women run it. Those that do run the National University Women's Half Marathon in Matsue, held the same day as the NYC Half. This year, though, we're finally making it happen in a slightly different way. Amisa Murayama and Nazuki Sasaki of 2025 Mt. Fuji Women's Ekiden national collegiate championship runner-up Tohoku Fukushi University are joining the field for the NYRR's Mastercard New York Mini 10 km on June 6. After running an 18:14 CR ...

Australian YouTuber Handed Lifetime Ban by Ageo City Half Marathon After Running 1:06 with Another Runner's Bib (updated)

After discussion with their race's chief JAAF referee, on Nov. 27 the organizers of the Ageo City Half Marathon handed down a lifetime ban from their event against 36-year-old Australian Matt Inglis Fox for running the Nov. 15 race wearing the bib number of another JAAF-registered runner. The incident came to light after Fox posted on his personal Instagram account that he had run a PB of 1:06:33 and finished 203rd in Ageo with a 10 km split of 31:03, along with photos and video of himself in the race wearing a bib number beginning with 11. Fox did not appear in the results by name or in that time or place, the closest match being a 1:06:54 gross, 1:06:50 net finish time with a 31:21 10 km split for 18th place in the JAAF-registered division and 209th overall by bib number 1129, registered to a non-Japanese Tokyo-resident club runner. The club runner, Harrisson Uk , readily confirmed that he had given his bib to Fox, saying, "I gave my number to Matt. It wasn't me."...

Some Reflections on the Ekiden

by Brett Larner This ekiden season I've had a few thoughts kicking around, and watching this week's Hakone Ekiden a few of them became clearer. These are still in progress, but at the moment this is what I'm thinking in terms of running as a spectator sport and about the quality of Japanese men's distance running right now. Quality: Japanese men's running is coming up very, very quickly. I was in the lead car at November's Ageo City Half Marathon , where 18 men, 17 of them university runners, broke 63 minutes. As it was going on we all thought it was a slow race because there were so many people running that pace all the way, no separation at all in the mass of the pack. See the JRN header photo above, taken just past halfway. That's pretty unusual in Japan, especially at the university level; generally you'll get a handful of guys who run an aggressive pace and a mass running dead on a safe pace, 3:00/km in a half marathon, for example. Th...

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