japan running news

On Sept. 1 the Asahi Kasei  men's corporate team announced on its social media that Yuki Iwai , 40, has been named assistant coach. A native of Chiba, Iwai was the top Japanese finisher and 2nd overall in the 2000 National High School Championships 5000 m while at Narita H.S.  The same year he also took 2nd in the Junior 5000 m at the National Sports Festival. At Nihon University  Iwai became a regular on its starting ekiden team right from the season-opening Izumo Ekiden his first year, helping lead Nihon to win Izumo a year later. His fourth year he ran the Hakone Ekiden's highly competitive Second Stage, placing a strong 6th. At Asahi Kasei Iwai won the 10000 m at the 2009 National Championships. His time of 28:19.25 cleared the qualifying standard for that summer's Berlin World Championships, where he represented Japan. After that he suffered a series of injuries that led to his retirement after the 2014 National Corporate Half Marathon. He became a regular office wor...

interview by Mika Tokairin and Tsuguki Matsuda translated by Mika Tokairin and Brett Larner In part one of his interview with JRN,  Arata Fujiwara talked about the 2008 Tokyo Marathon 2:08:40 run that made him famous. In part two of the interview he discussed the mental and physical aspects of his training. Now in part three he talks about racing; his strategy, tactics and long-term goals. Do you think it’s important to have practice runs on the course, to study the course and know where the curves and hills are? Yes, definitely, if you have the chance to do that it’s always a good idea. The first time you run a course it’s totally different whether you know a course well or not at all. The time passes more quickly if you know the course. For example, if you go somewhere on a training camp and jog for 60 minutes on a road you don’t know it feels longer. So, it’s a big advantage to know the course well. If you know the course you know what’s coming next, and after that...

2012 London Olympian Arata Fujiwara , 37, announced his retirement from competition on April 1. Effective the same day he will join the Suzuki Hamamatsu AC coaching staff. Translator's note: The most wildly unpredictable of Japan's elite marathoners, Fujiwara's achievements included a 2:07:48 PB that at the time ranked him all-time Japanese #7, a 2:09:34 course record at the 2010 Ottawa Marathon that made him the first Japanese man in 23 years to win a marathon outside Japan sub-2:10, three 2nd-place finishes at the Tokyo Marathon, becoming only the fifth Japanese man to score five career sub-2:10s, and representing Japan at the 2009 Berlin World Championships and 2012 London Olympics. His 2010 decision to quit the corporate league system and get individual sponsorship led the way for others including future national record holder Suguru Osako and Hakone Ekiden star Daichi Kamino to do the same.  source article: https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20190401-00000146...

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20140512-1299913.html translated and edited by Brett Larner On May 12, representatives of Shiseido announced that 2009 World Championships women's marathon 7th-placer Yuri Kano  (35) will retire, leaving both the Shiseido team and company on May 31.  Following her departure she plans to be involved in outreach activities.  "I'd still like to be able to take part in marathons at my own pace," she said. A native of Hyogo prefecture, Kano left the Second Wind AC team in 2011 to return to Shiseido, from which Second Wind had separated several years previously.  After her return, however, she was hit with repeated injuries and setbacks.  The May 11 Sendai International Half Marathon, where she finished 6th in 1:16:16, was her final race.

http://mainichi.jp/sports/news/m20140311k0000m050012000c.html translated and edited by Brett Larner On Mar. 10, Beijing Olympics women's marathoner Yurika Nakamura , 27 announced her intent to retire at the end of March.  The announcement came via her corporate team sponsor Tenmaya.  Following her retirement she plans to focus on her work at the company. Nakamura is a native of Hyogo prefecture.  After graduating from Nishinomiya H.S. she joined the Tenmaya team in 2004.  She won her marathon debut at the 2008 Nagoya International Women's Marathon to qualify for the Beijing Olympics where she placed 13th, the only Japanese woman to finish the race.  In the 2009 Berlin World Championships 10000 m she placed 7th, the top Japanese finisher.  After her last race in January, 2013 she took a leave of absence from competition to rest and recuperate.  "After re-examining myself I came to the conclusion that it was time to retire," she said in her stateme...

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20140202-00000067-jij-spo http://373news.com/modules/pickup/index.php?storyid=54493 translated and edited by Brett Larner Having retired in December, 2009 World Championships marathon 6th-placer and half marathon national record holder Atsushi Sato  (35, Team Chugoku Denryoku) announced Feb. 2 that he will become head coach of the Kyocera  corporate women's team this spring.  Sato is the all-time fourth-fastest Japanese marathoner, with a best of 2:07:13, and ran the 2008 Beijing Olympics marathon.  He retired last year following December's Fukuoka International Marathon.  For some time he has been on leave from the Chugoku Denryoku company, training and working to develop local athletics in his native Fukushima.  Previous Kyocera head coach Yasunori Niihara  passed away on Dec. 20 due to an illness. Also announced was that Sato's wife, 800 m national record holder and Olympian Miho Sato , will join the team's s...

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20140119-1246211.html translated by Brett Larner After his stage-winning run at the Jan. 19 National Men's Ekiden , 2009 World Championships 5000 m runner Yuichiro Ueno  (DeNA RC) announced plans for his marathon debut.  "I'm not ready to do it right away, but I plan on doing Tokyo or Lake Biwa next year," he said.  Already beginning his transition to the marathon, Ueno will serve as a pacer at the Feb. 2 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon.

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20130217-00000003-mai-spo translated by Brett Larner 2009 World Championships women's marathon silver medalist Yoshimi Ozaki  (31, Team Daiichi Seimei) announced Feb. 16 that she will retire from competitive running following the Feb. 24 Tokyo Marathon.  Ozaki realized her dream of making the Olympics, finishing 19th at last summer's London Olympics.  After that, she said, "I didn't have any goals left in the marathon."  She plans to leave the Daiichi Seimei team to take some time off. Ozaki joined Daiichi Seimei in 2000 after graduating from Soyo H.S. in Kanagawa.  She began running marathons in 2008, and in her second shot at the distance she won the 2008 Tokyo International Women's Marathon in what remained her PB, 2:23:30.  Of her nine marathons she won twice and finished 2nd four times, earning a reputation for consistency.  In addition to the Olympics she ran in the 2009 and 2011 World Championships.  ...

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2012/12/04/kiji/K20121204004700020.html translated by Brett Larner Two-time World Championships marathoner Satoshi Irifune  (36, Team Kanebo) announced Dec. 3 that he has decided to retire from competition.  Irifune ran the Dec. 2 Fukuoka International Marathon but dropped out after only 10 km.  "I think it's time to call it a day and move on," he said in announcing his decision. A native of Kagoshima, Irifune ran the 10000 m at the 1999 Seville World Championships and the marathon at both the 2005 Helsinki World Championships and the 2009 Berlin World Championships.  He won the 2005 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon in 2:09:58 and set his marathon best of 2:09:23 at the 2008 Fukuoka International Marathon.  Following his retirement he plans to take a coaching position at his corporate team to help shape the next generation of athletes.

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2012092701007 translated by Brett Larner Yuri Kano  (Team Shiseido) and other top athletes running the Sept. 30 Berlin Marathon appeared at a press conference Sept. 27.  "In Berlin I want to get things off to a good start building toward my future marathons," she said of her ambitions.  Kano, 33, finished 7th in the 2009 Berlin World Championships marathon, going on the next year to win the 2010 Nagoya International Women's Marathon.  Of her training for this weekend's race she said, "Even though I wasn't feeling good I pushed through and did two months of altitude training."  She is hopeful of running a good time. Translator's note: Along with Kano, 2010 Tokyo Marathon winner Masakazu Fujiwara (Team Honda), 2:11 men Atsushi Ikawa  (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) and Suehiro Ishikawa (Team Honda) and others are scheduled to run Berlin.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/news/20120411-OYT1T00950.htm translated by Brett Larner Team Shiseido announced on April 11 that marathoner Yoshiko Fujinaga , 30, has retired.  Fujinaga left the team on March 30 and plans to pursue a career as a teacher. As a student at Isahaya H.S. in Nagasaki Fujinaga ran the 5000 m at the 1999 World Championships, going on to run the marathon at the 2009 World Championships.  Aiming for the London Olympics, she finished only 38th at March's Nagoya Women's Marathon. Translator's note: Fujinaga and London Olympics men's marathon team member Arata Fujiwara  (Tokyo T&F Assoc.) were teammates at Isahaya H.S.

http://sp.mainichi.jp/m/news.html?cid=20120303k0000m050025000c translated by Brett Larner The organizers of Sunday's 67th Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, the final domestic selection race for the Japanese men's London Olympics marathon team, announced on Mar. 2 that invited athlete Atsushi Sato  (33, Team Chugoku Denryoku) has withdrawn from the race due to inflammation in the rear of his left thigh.  Sato began to experience pain in mid-February and was unable to recover in time for the race, bringing to an end his bid for a second-straight Olympic marathon appearance.  The half-marathon national record holder, he finished last at the Beijing Olympics.  He came back with a 6th-place finish at the 2009 Berlin World Championships but, targeting London, said, "You can only repay an Olympic debt at the Olympics."

http://mainichi.jp/enta/sports/news/20110808k0000m050080000c.html http://www.47news.jp/CN/201108/CN2011080701000696.html translated and edited by Brett Larner Daegu World Championships women's marathon team members Yoshimi Ozaki  and Azusa Nojiri  (both Team Daiichi Seimei) returned to Japan on Aug. 7 after two months of altitude training in Boulder, Colorado.  The pair talked to the media at Tokyo's Narita International Airport along with their coach, '91 World Championships women's marathon silver medalist Sachiko Yamashita  (Team Daiichi Seimei).  Ozaki, the '09 Berlin World Championships marathon silver medalist, was in good spirits and looked cheerful as she gave herself a self-evaluation of "about 70%." The Boulder training camp put an emphasis on mileage, with the pair training at the 800 km/month level and completing their first-ever 50 km run.  Ozaki looked confident as she commented, "I was able to pick up the pace in last part of the...

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/flash/KFullFlash20100407007.html translated by Brett Larner On the verge of taking up the title of Japanese women's marathoning ace, Yoshimi Ozaki (Team Daiichi Seimei) is running the Apr. 25 London Marathon for the first time. At the National Jitsugyodan Half Marathon Championships in Yamaguchi on Mar. 21 she was 2nd overall and the top Japanese finisher, indicating that everything has gone smoothly with her preparations. Hoping to run a 2:21 PB in her first time at the world's fastest race, she says confidently, "My target time is in reach." In just her third marathon Ozaki won the silver medal at last August's World Championships in Berlin, giving a tremendous boost to her self-confidence. The 28 year old Ozaki has been "doing 50 m repeats at top speed and working as hard as I can on being able to surge during the race." With the results of a high-quality training camp in hand she is eagerly looking forward to reaping ...

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/091201/spg0912010000000-n1.htm http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/p-sp-tp0-20091201-571347.html http://www.shimotsuke.co.jp/news/tochigi/sports/news/20091201/242397 translated and edited by Brett Larner On Nov. 30 it was announced that 2009 Berlin World Championships women's marathon silver medalist Yoshimi Ozaki (28, Team Daiichi Seimei) and her World Championships teammate Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren) will run the April 25th London Marathon. Other women in the field include two-time defending champion Irina Mikitenko (Germany), 2009 World Championships gold medalist Xue Bai (China) and 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medalist Constantina Dita (Romania). The men's race will feature men's 5000 m and 30 km national record holder Takayuki Matsumiya, his identical twin brother Yuko (both of Team Konica Minolta) and 2008 World Half Marathon 5th place finisher Yusei Nakao (Team Toyota Boshoku). At the forefront will be 2008 Beijing Olympics and c...

http://mainichi.jp/enta/sports/general/track/news/20091106k0000m050148000c.html translated by Brett Larner The IAAF announced on Nov. 5 that the PB time of 31.14.39 recorded by Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) in finishing 7th in August's World Championships 10000 m would be disallowed from official records along with the times recorded by winner Linet Masai (Kenya), 20th place finisher Yukari Sahaku (Team Universal Entertainment) and six other athletes who started on the outer half of the track. This group of nine was to run a portion of a lap in the outer lanes before moving in to join the rest of the field, but due to organizers' failure to put down correct markings on the track the group cut in early. While their times will be disallowed, no change will be made to the official finishing order. Nakamura's official PB will be amended to her previous mark of 31:31.95.

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2009110300258 translated by Brett Larner Following her appearance at the Nov. 3 East Japan Jitsugyodan Women's Ekiden, distance runner Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren) told reporters, "My first marathon was in Osaka. I think going back to where I started is the best way to get my running back," signalling that she intends to run in the Jan. 31 Osaka International Women's Marathon. Akaba ran in this past August's World Championships marathon in Berlin, but injured her right foot and finished only 31st. In October she ran the World Half Marathon in Birmingham, England but was 26th after another injury to her left leg. Her injuries have most recovered, and Akaba said, "I'm about 90% OK right now. The World Championships marathon was a terrible experience. I want to have another race that I can look back on as one I enjoyed."

translated and edited by Brett Larner The New York Road Runners held a press conference at Tokyo's Conrad Hotel on Sept. 28 to formally announce the ING New York City Marathon debut of World Championships women's marathon 7th place finisher Yuri Kano (Second Wind AC). Kano, her coach Manabu Kawagoe and, via conference call, NYRR CEO and NYCM race director Mary Wittenberg took part in the press conference with JRN editors Brett Larner and Mika Tokairin serving as the interpreters between Wittenberg and Kano, Kawagoe, and the Japanese media. Below is a transcript of comments and responses. For clarification of the questions regarding Second Wind AC, most Japanese teams are corporate-sponsored and exist largely removed from and invisible to the everyday world of amateur runners and running fans. Second Wind is trying to operate on a new model in which amateurs can run in the same club with elite athletes such as Kano and 2009 Hokkaido Marathon 1-2 finishers Kiyoko Shimahara and Ak...

by Brett Larner There was a time when Japanese women controlled the Berlin Marathon, winning every year from 2000-2005 and setting a world record and three national records under 2:20. The men have had some success as well, including the country's first 2:06 way back in 1999. Fast-forward a few years and, despite big-name Japanese women lining up in Chicago and New York, not a single elite Japanese woman is entered in the 2009 Berlin Marathon. Four men, on the other hand, will take the stage in the Sept. 20th race. Kensuke Takahashi (Team Toyota) - PB: 2:11:25 (Tokyo '09) Leading the group is 2009 World Championships marathon team alternate Kensuke Takahashi. Takahashi has run only two marathons, most recently a 3rd-place finish in March's Tokyo Marathon in a PB of 2:11:25. While Takahashi's time doesn't look impressive, in reality he made the race with a breakaway move into a vicious headwind at 30 km, eventually breaking 2:04 marathoner Sammy Korir of Kenya and lo...

by Brett Larner Less than two weeks after a strong showing in the Berlin World Championships marathons, Japan's top marathoners have started lining up for the fall and winter marathon season. The first to be confirmed is World Championships men's marathon team alternate Kensuke Takahashi (Team Toyota). The young Takahashi has run only a handful of marathons and holds a PB of just 2:11:25 from this year's Tokyo Marathon, but this slow time hides the quality of his performance and the potential it showed. Running into a headwind which cost the leaders at least 3 minutes, Takahashi made a bold solo break at 30 km in Tokyo, initially gapping Kenyans Salim Kipsang and Sammy Korir along with the rest of the Japanese field. Eventually overtaken by Kipsang and Kazuhiro Maeda (Team Kyudenko), Takahashi managed to shake off Korir for 3rd. The performance demonstrated bravery, speed and talent. Having trained to be ready for the Berlin World Championships in the event of one of the fi...