japan running news

by Brett Larner Yukiko Akaba  (Team Hokuren) and Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) lived up to pre-race talk as they won the women's and men's divisions at the 35th running of the Gold Coast Airport Marathon .  In a moderate headwind over the opening 15.5 km that grew in strength as the morning progressed, Akaba ran a characteristically controlled and steady race, ignoring the fast early pace set by Kenyans Alice Ngerechi and Helen Mugo  and going out at a steady 2:27 course record pace before picking it up over the second half of the race aided by the growing tailwind.  By 25 km she had overtaken Mugo, Ngerechi's turn coming just minutes later. Rounding the second turnaround at 36.5 km Akaba suffered in the now-stronger headwind and her pace dropped, but she was never in danger of missing the antique 2:29:29 course record set 20 years ago by Eriko Asai .  Akaba took more than two minutes off that record, setting a new mark of 2:27:17.   "I didn'...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/olympics/sns-rt-us-athletics-russia-abitovabre8a61ls-20121107,0,2970680.story Inga Abitova  is the second Japanese marathon-winning Russian woman managed by Spartanik RS Inc . this year to have been given a doping suspension, following Tatiana Aryasova  who was stripped of her 2011 Tokyo Marathon win after a positive test for a masking agent .  According to the article linked above Abitova will be stripped of all results beginning Oct. 10, 2009, a period which includes her 2009 Yokohama International Women's Marathon win .  If Abitova loses her Yokohama title, runner-up Kiyoko Shimahara  (Second Wind AC) should find herself elevated to the winner's position.   Other athletes on Spartanik's current roster to have won Japanese marathons in the last five years include 2012 Nagoya International Marathon winner Albina Mayorova , 2010 Tokyo Marathon winner Alevtina Biktimirova  and 2008 Nagano Marathon winner Alevtina...

by Brett Larner photos by Mika Tokairin Running in near-perfect conditions on a flatter new course, 2009 World Championships marathon silver medalist Yoshimi Ozaki (Team Daiichi Seimei) ran a race record 2:23:56 to win the 2011 Yokohama International Women's Marathon and become the first Japanese woman to secure a guaranteed spot on the team for this summer's World Championships. Ozaki said before the race that her goal was only to win, not to run a fast time, but her mark was the fastest by a Japanese woman in over 2 years and close to her PB. Top two Nakazato and Ozaki. Pacemaker Shoko Mori (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) took the race out faster than planned with a 3:19 first km, but things soon settled down to 16:59 for the first 5 km. Despite being right on target pace the pack began to fracture, with debutante Yuka Izumi (Team Tenmaya) then 2:29 women Mayumi Fujita (Team Juhachi Ginko) and Kaori Yoshida (Amino Vital AC) losing touch. The pack continued to splinter as the pac...

http://www.iaaf.org/LRR08/news/newsid=44506.html

by Brett Larner The organizing committee of the 11th Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon to be held April 20 has announced the elite fields for the men's and women's competitions. Headlining the list of invited overseas male runners are 2007 Beijing Marathon and 2006 Nagano Marathon winner Nephat Kinyanjui of Kenya (2:08:09 PB), 2005 Helsinki World Championships marathon silver medalist Christopher Isegwe of Tanzania (2:10:21 PB) and two-time Olympic marathon medalist Eric Wainaina of Kenya (2:08:43 PB). The domestic field is somewhat weak in this Olympic year, but includes veterans Tomohiro Seto (Team Kanebo) and Kazutaka Enoki (Team Toyota Boshoku) along with the marathon debut of half marathon ace Takashi Maeda (Team Toyota Boshoku). Japan-resident Kenyans Willy Kimutai and Willy Kirui Kiptoo will also be debuting and could be factors. The women's field features former world record holder Tegla Loroupe of Kenya (2:20:43 PB), defending champion Alevtina Ivanova of Rus...