japan running news

by Brett Larner In its tenth edition as a mass-participation race Sunday's Tokyo Marathon comes packed with story lines.  With the weather forecast looking good both the men's and women's course records, 2:05:42 and 2:22:23, are in danger.  The Japanese all-comers' records of 2:05:18 and 2:21:18 may not be safe either.  The Abbott World Marathon Majors wraps up the first iteration of its new one year/seven race +1 format in Tokyo; 2014 Tokyo winner Dickson Chumba (Kenya) stands a chance of tying men's series leader Eliud Kipchoge after winning in Chicago last fall, sending the win to a vote, while on the women's side Birhane Dibaba (Ethiopia), Helah Kiprop (Kenya) and Aberu Kebede (Ethiopia) all have a chance at taking the AWMM title if the win goes their way.  Even 2nd would get Dibaba into the running. Along with Chumba, Emmanuel Mutai (Kenya) and Eliud Kiptanui (Kenya) will be pushing the race toward record territory with a first half planned ...

by Brett Larner Hot on the heels of Tuesday's announcement of the elite men's field for April's London Marathon comes the Tokyo Marathon's release of the men's and women's fields for its tenth running at the end of February.  Sporting six men recently under sub-2:06, the world record holder, 2015 world champion and reigning winners of four of the six World Marathon Majors, on paper London's field may be sexier up front than Tokyo's, but with defending Olympic gold medalist Stephen Kiprotich (Uganda), 2015 Chicago Marathon and 2014 Tokyo Marathon winner Dickson Chumba (Kenya), a raft of recent WMM top-3 placers including Kiprotich, Emmanuel Mutai (Kenya), Eliud Kiptanui (Kenya), and Feyisa Lilesa (Ethiopia), two-time defending Amsterdam Marathon winner Bernard Kipyego (Kenya) and the one thing none of the other WMM can deliver, a world-class domestic field, Tokyo more than holds its own.  For the last two years Tokyo has produced more gold label ...

JRN's most-read articles of 2010 by month: January Toyo University gets the star treatment. -  Jan. 4 Master shoe craftsman Mimura joins Adidas. - Jan. 13 February Yoshihisa Hosaka gets world record #3 at Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon. - Feb. 7 Coach Ken Green talks about Jeff Hunt's race-making Beppu-Oita debut.   - Feb. 9 "I'm hoping I can be that next chapter in the history books." - Newmade marathoner Jeff Hunt in his own words. - Feb. 10 A tale of two Fujiwaras - Tokyo Marathon 2010.  -  Feb. 28 March Arata Fujiwara evaluates the 2010 Tokyo Marathon.   - Mar. 2 The 2010 Rome Marathon in pictures. - Mar. 25 April Yurika Nakamura on the frontlines in Boston.   - Apr. 15 May "I came here to test myself." - Stephen Mayaka on the Kenyan student runner's life.   - May 5 Hakone's new star takes first 5000 m win - Taku Fujimoto. - May 24 Iizuka redux: the future king of Japanese sprinting? - May 25 Arata Fujiwara sets Ot...

http://mainichi.jp/select/today/news/20101211k0000e050020000c.html an editorial by Makoto Izawa translated by Brett Larner and Mika Tokairin photo by Dr. Helmut Winter click link to original article above for a photo of Fukuoka pacemaker Eliud Kiptanui just after being physically stopped by a race official Update: JRN's translation of this article has been translated into Italian here . You're the fastest runner but you're not allowed to win. At last weekend's Fukuoka International Marathon , a bizarre happening took place which left race officials saying, "We've never heard of something like this before." A pacemaker hired to lead part of the race at a designated speed took off with reckless abandon, creating chaos in the race behind him. What is the role of pacemakers in a marathon? The Fukuoka International Marathon hired four official pacemakers this year. However, at 15 km one of them, Eliud Kiptanui (Kenya) abruptly accelerated, ignoring his agreeme...