japan running news

It seemed at the time that last year's Hakone Ekiden had to have been a peak of some kind, with 4 new course records between Hakone's 10 stages, a new Day Two CR, a new overall CR, and all-time top 3 performances on 5 other stages and the Day One course. But this year went even higher. 5 stages, both Day One and Day Two, and the overall course had their records broken, 3 of the stages that didn't have their CR broken had an all-time #2 performance, 2 of them less than 10 seconds off the CR, and the other 2 stages had an all-time #3 performance. Every stage had at least 2 all-time top 6 performances, the Tenth Stage had 6 in its all-time top 10, and the opening First Stage saw 9 of its 10 fastest-ever runs. The 1:07:16 CR on the uphill Fifth Stage rightfully earned Asahi Kuroda from overall winner Aoyama Gakuin University the MVP award at this year's Hakone , but the other 4 stage CR, 1:00:28 for the 21.3 km First Stage by Koku Gakuin University 's Rui Aoki , 1:05...

On Feb. 28 sports maker ASICS apologized on its official website for a typo on T-shirts made for the Mar. 2 Tokyo Marathon 2024. ASICS is an official partner of the Tokyo Marathon. Earlier in February this year it began selling limited edition Tokyo Marathon 2024 t-shirts. However, a spelling mistake was discovered in the design on the back of the t-shirt. In a map showing the course, the English word "FINISH" was printed as "FUNISH." "We have discovered that some of the Tokyo Marathon 2024 limited edition t-shirts released in February, 2024 have a printing mistake," said the company's statement on the incident. "We sincerely apologize to all customers who were inconvenienced by buying the faulty products." ASICS indicated refunds would be offered to anyone who asked for them and promised to take steps to prevent this kind of problem from happening again, saying, "We will further improve our quality control and take every step possible...

On Aug. 18 ASICS announced that together with Nippon Television Holdings it will acquire all shares in ownership of sports media and sports event planning and management company R-bies as of Aug. 31. After the acquisition ASICS will own 65% and NTV 35%, with R-bies becoming an ASICS subsidiary and NTV affiliate. R-bies publishes Japan's largest running magazine, Runners, and operates the country's largest online race entry service Runnet with 3.5 million registered users. ASICS plans to take advantage of R-bies existing connections with Japan's running community to strengthen its product development, sales promotion and branding activities. Translator's note: The official press release on the acquisition states twice that "nothing will change" about the way R-bies operates, but it's hard to see how that could play out for Runners magazine and other aspects of R-bies' business. It's also interesting given ASICS' previous acquisition of the ...

https://www.wwdjapan.com/business/2016/03/03/00019811.html translated by Brett Larner Asics has formed a comprehensive partnership with Waseda University , a five-year agreement beginning March 2, 2016.  The three main objectives of the collaboration include research and development in sports products and sports medicine, sports-related human resources development and international exchange, and social contribution actions including volunteer activities and event organization.  The views and opinions of students on Waseda's 44 sports teams including its track and field and rugby programs will be incorporated in designing and developing the training gear and uniforms that they will actually use. Asics CEO Motoi Oyama enthusiastically commented, "Although we have given partial support in the past, this is the first time that we have formed a partnership with a university as a whole.  Partnering with a school like Waseda University with high name recognition value an...

Boarding the Yamanote Line, the major commuter train line circling central Tokyo, just hours after the London Olympics closing ceremonies, we found the entire train decorated with Asics PR advertising Tokyo's bid for the 2020 Olympics featuring Asics-sponsored athletes. The outside of the Yamanote Line. The rear door of each car also featured a picture of sprinter Chisato Fukushima in full stride. Inside the train, with a track running down the center aisle. The text at the bottom says, "Because it is hazardous, please do not run inside the train." Marathoners Kentaro Nakamoto , Arata Fujiwara and Risa Shigetomo . One of the many athlete features inside the train, this one spotlighting Fujiwara. photos (c) 2012 Brett Larner all rights reserved

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/090804/spg0908041931000-n1.htm translated by Brett Larner At its Kobe headquarters on Aug. 4, Asics unveiled its new custom-made shoes for members of the Japanese national team for this month's World Championships in Berlin. The shoes on display included women's 100 m and 200 m national record holder Chisato Fukushima's spikes and women's marathoner Yoko Shibui's new marathon flats. In terms of mechanics the spikes Fukushima will use in Berlin are essentially the same as those she used in last summer's Beijing Olympics and in her national record runs, ideally suited for her unique high-pitch leg turnover. In keeping with her 'Running Like a Flash' theme for the season, Fukushima's shoes this year have featured a dynamic striped pattern. However, in keeping with the red and white design of the national team uniform her Berlin shoes will be a lustrous white. Can she set a new record in such gorgeous shoes? Translat...

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/p-sp-tp0-20090401-477581.html translated and edited by Brett Larner and Mika Tokairin Master craftsman Hitoshi Mimura (60), the man who made custom shoes for the likes of baseball's Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle Mariners) and Olympic marathon gold medalists Naoko Takahashi and Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex), retired from Asics on Mar. 31 after 42 years with the company. Mimura now plans to launch his own new brand, Mimura Shoes, from a workshop in Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture. Certified as a 'modern artisan,' Mimura wants to continue helping support athletes from the ground up. Even on his last day with Asics, Mimura was to be found hard at work matching careful measurements of each individual athlete's feet as he hand-crafts all his shoes. Mimura joined Asics in 1967 and began to make his customized shoes in 1974. Seko, the Soh brothers, Nakayama, Taniguchi, Arimori, Suzuki, Takahashi, Noguchi....the list of Mimura's clients over the ye...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/sports/olympics/11shoes.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/top/sp200712/sp2007120304.html translated by Brett Larner Barcelona and Atlanta Olympic women`s marathon medallist Yuko Arimori unveiled her new NPO Heart of Gold on Dec. 2 at the 12th Angkor Wat International Half-Marathon in Siem Reap, Cambodia, a race which Arimori helped to found. Running Angkor Wat for the first time since retiring, this time she appeared in the guise of a `running missionary` with the aim of giving back to the world through the gift of her running. Together with a walking event the previous day, the 12th edition of the race attracted 2,327 participants from 37 countries. For 2 and 1/2 hours from the start all the way to the finish tape, Arimori ran and talked with the wheelchair racers. In beginning her `second running life,` Arimori finds that her perceptions have changed. "Since I`m not racing, I`m able to appreciate more of the running environment. I can take in other aspects of the event and want to do all I can to make...

http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/01/onitsuka-asics-obit-face-markets-cx_jb_1001autofacescan01.html