japan running news

http://www.asahi.com/articles/SEB201311260038.html http://www.asahi.com/articles/TKY201311140653.html translated and edited by Brett Larner The organizers of the 67th Fukuoka International Marathon announced on Nov. 26 that feature foreign invited athlete Gebre   Gebremariam  (Ethiopia) has withdrawn from Sunday's race with an injury to his left calf.  Gebremariam was the 2010 New York City Marathon champion and went on to run 2:04:53 at the heavily wind-aided 2011 Boston Marathon.  He placed 8th in the 10000 m at the 2012 London Olympics. Also announced was the withdrawal of domestic elite Hiroyuki Horibata  (Team Asahi Kasei) due to pain in his left knee.  At last year's Fukuoka Horibata ran a PB 2:08:24 to finish 2nd overall as the top Japanese man, qualifying for the 2013 Moscow World Championships marathon.  After suffering a stress fracture in the spring he dropped out of August's World Championships marathon at 13 km after experiencing di...

http://www.nyrr.org/newsroom/nyrr-news-service/kawauchi-right-back-to-work-the-day-after-nyc

by Brett Larner Former Hakone Ekiden uphill specialist Masato Imai  (Team Toyota Kyushu) had the best results of the day among the three Japanese athletes at the 2013 ING New York City Marathon , running a steady pace to advance to 6th in 2:10:45, the best-ever performance by a Japanese man in New York.  The Koichi Morishita -coached Imai and, appearing with support from JRN, independent Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) stayed in the midst of the men's lead pack running into the wind throughout the first half of the race. When defending champion and eventual winner Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya) led a move at 22 km both Imai and Kawauchi fell off the group along with past New York champions Meb Keflezighi  (U.S.A.) and Martin Lel (Kenya) and 2013 New York City Half Marathon runner-up Daniele Meucci  (Italy). Imai showed characteristic uphill strength heading onto the Queensboro Bridge just before 25 km, remaining within 10 seconds of the lead group after the turn ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/sports/japanese-civil-servant-runs-marathon-for-fun-not-profit.html

http://www.runnersworld.com/new-york-city-marathon/citizen-runner-yuki-kawauchi-takes-on-the-nyc-marathon

by Brett Larner The ING New York City Marathon has rarely seen top-level Japanese athletes in its field, largely as a consequence November's series of regional qualifying ekidens for the corporate league's men's and women's national championships ekidens in late December and early January.  This year New York scored one of Japan's best along with two more quality corporate runners. A cultural phenomenon in Japan who has won fans worldwide, the independent  Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) comes to New York with support from JRN to make his U.S. and World Marathon Majors debut in his ninth of eleven marathons scheduled for this year.  After a early-spring season that saw him run a 2:12:24 Egyptian all-comers' record, a 2:08:15 course record at the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon in a duel with Kentaro Nakamoto (Team Yasukawa Denki), a 1:29:31 CR at the Kumanichi 30 km, a 2:08:14 PB at the Seoul International Marathon and three other races all within ...

by Brett Larner photo by paul A day after the Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai brought world record-setting depth to the 20 km distance , Tokyo played host to another 20 km road race packed with collegiate talent, the Takashimadaira Road Race .  Up front, former Nihon University ace Benjamin Ngandu (Kenya/Team Monteroza),   Aoyama Gakuin University's Shunsuke Ishida and, seven days after running 2:11:40 for 2nd at the Melbourne Marathon, the indefatigable Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) traded the lead not far off course record pace through the first three loops of Takashimadaira's perfectly flat four-corner 5 km course.  Ishida lost on the last loop, leaving Ngandu and Kawauchi to battle it out.  In the last km the bar chain-sponsored Ngandu's kick proved too much as he pulled away for the win in 59:14.  Kawauchi was close behind in 59:17, with Ishida falling back to 59:33 for 3rd.  Kawauchi time, which tied the top Japanese time at the Yosenkai, transla...

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20131010-OHT1T00190.htm translated by Brett Larner Yuki Kawauchi  (26, Saitama Pref. Gov't) left Narita Airport Oct. 10 on a plane bound for Australia, where he will race the Oct. 13 Medibank Melbourne Marathon .  Kasukabe H.S. where Kawauchi works has a sister school relationship with a high school in Melbourne, giving him extra impetus to run there, but his main motivation is to add the Melbourne title to his wins last year in Sydney and at Gold Coast in July to complete his Australian triple crown.  "Some 2:07 athletes will be there, so I'm really looking forward to it," he said with confidence.  "I'm going there to win." After Melbourne Kawauchi will run the ING New York City Marathon on Nov. 3 and the Fukuoka International Marathon on Dec. 1, making it three straight months of marathoning.  "New York has nothing but world-class people, so my focus there will be on competing for place.  In Fukuoka...

http://www.nyrr.org/newsroom/nyrr-news-service/beyond-the-stats-yuki-kawauchi Yuki Kawauchi  (Saitama Pref. Gov't) is running November's ING New York City Marathon  with support from JRN along with Hakone Ekiden mountain stage great Masato Imai  (Team Toyota Kyushu), who he memorably beat in a battle of surges at the 2011 Fukuoka International Marathon, and London Olympian Risa Shigetomo  (Team Tenmaya), who was 13th in 2:51:55 four weeks ago at the Hokkaido Marathon. 

http://www.nyrr.org/newsroom/press-release/defending-champions-lead-international-field-for-2013-ing-new-york-city-marathon 2013 ING New York City Marathon Elite Field New York, Nov. 3, 2013 Men Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya) - 2:04:15 (Berlin 2012) / 2:03:02a (Boston 2011) Stanley Biwott (Kenya) - 2:05:12 (Paris 2012) Wesley Korir (Kenya) - 2:06:13 (Chicago 2012) Ryan Hall (U.S.A.) - 2:06:17 (London 2008) / 2:04:58a (Boston 2011) Peter Kirui (Kenya) - 2:06:31 (Frankfurt 2011) Stephen Kiprotich (Uganda) - 2:07:20 (Enschede 2011) Jose Manuel Martinez (Spain) - 2:08:09 (Rotterdam 2003) Yuki Kawauchi (Japan/Saitama Pref. Gov't) - 2:08:14 (Seoul Int'l 2013) Mebrahtom Keflezighi (U.S.A.) - 2:09:08 (Houston 2012) Masato Imai (Japan/Team Toyota Kyushu) - 2:10:29 (Tokyo 2013) Jason Hartmann (U.S.A.) - 2:11:06 (Chicago 2010) Ryan Vail (U.S.A.) - 2:11:45 (Fukuoka Int'l 2012) Jeff Eggleston (U.S.A.) - 2:12:03 (Chicago 2012) Daniele Meucci (Italy) - 2:13:4...

For Immediate Release NEW YORK, September 18, 2013 - A quartet of past champions— Kurt Fearnley of Australia, Edith Wolf-Hunkeler of Switzerland, Ernst van Dyk of South Africa and returning men's champion, Masazumi Soejima of Japan —will lead a powerhouse field of international stars at the ING New York City Marathon wheelchair race, it was announced today by NYRR officials.  Also announced were Canadian star and marathon all-conditions world record-holder Josh Cassidy , 2013 Boston Marathon men's champion Hiroyuki Yamamoto  of Japan and women’s wheelchair pioneer Louise Sauvage of Australia. They join a formidable lineup of previously announced USA contenders for the November 3 race, including reigning Boston and Virgin London champion  Tatyana McFadden , London Paralympic marathon gold medalist Shirley Reilly  and two-time New York City Marathon champion and course record-holder  Amanda McGrory . On the men's side, Josh George , ...

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20130901-OHT1T00257.htm translated by Brett Larner Having finished 18th in the Moscow World Championships marathon just two weeks ago, civil servant runner Yuki Kawauchi  (26, Saitama Pref. Gov't.) returned to competition Sept. 1 at the 45th running of the five-stage, 30 km Harunako Ekiden in Takasaki, Gunma. Running as part of the Breakthrough team made up of his training partners, Kawauchi ran the 5.5 km Fourth Stage.  Receiving the tasuki in 6th place, he passed three people to move Breakthrough up to 3rd.  Kawauchi missed breaking his own stage record of 15:48 but his time of 16:13 was enough to earn him stage best honors. Since returning from the World Championships Kawauchi has announced that he will run the Dec. 1st Fukuoka International Marathon, a selection race for the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, to determine whether or not to continue to run summer races including future Olympics and World Champio...

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20130820-OHT1T00180.htm translated and edited by Brett Larner The Japanese National Team for this year's Moscow World Championships returned to Tokyo's Narita Airport on August 20.  Having finished 6th in the world as part of the men's 4x100 m relay team, Yoshihide Kiryu (Rakunan H.S.) said that he will not race again until the Oct. 4-8 National Sports Festival at Tokyo's Ajinomoto Stadium, wishing to focus himself on building his basic strength. After having finished 18th in the men's marathon, Yuki Kawauchi  (Saitama Pref. Gov't.) signaled a potential retreat from pursuing future places on the National Team for summer championships depending on the outcome of the Dec. 1 Fukuoka International Marathon. A hardened expression never leaving his face, Kawauchi confirmed that he has established winning the marathon in the Sept.-Oct. 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, as the door that will open or close his ...

http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNSSXKB0670_Z10C13A8000000/ translated and edited by Brett Larner Having finished 18th in the Moscow World Championships marathon, Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't.) announced prior to his departure from the Moscow airport on Aug. 19 that he has accepted an invitation to run November's New York City Marathon. "I wasted my race in Moscow," he said, "so it's important that I take on the international challenge again." In preparation for New York he will take part in the Melbourne Marathon in October. He also plans to run the Fukuoka International Marathon in December in a bid to make the Japanese team for next year's Asian Games. Moscow 5th place finisher Kentaro Nakamoto (Team Yasukawa Denki) said that his next marathon will be either Tokyo in February or Biwako Mainichi in March. "I've gotten to the point where a medal is in sight," he said. "Next it's 2:07 and the win." Note: Ka...

http://news.runnersworld.com/2012/11/05/nycs-thwarted-elite-runners-head-to-japan/ http://newyorkcitymarathon.runnersworld.com/2012/11/for-elites-next-stop-japan.html

http://www.nyrr.org/newsroom/nyrr-news-service/beyond-the-stats-kayoko-fukushi

http://www.shikoku-np.co.jp/sports/local/20121029000154 translated and edited by Brett Larner At the Oct. 28 West Japan Corporate Women's Ekiden , a six-stage, 42.195 km race beginning in front of City Hall in Munakata, Fukuoka, Team Wacoal set a new course record of 2:17:38 to take its first West Japan win.  One week ahead of her planned appearance at the New York City Marathon, Kayoko Fukushi  set a new course record on the 10.2 km Third Stage, passing eleven opponents to give Wacoal a lead that was never cracked.  Team Daihatsu was 2nd in 2:18:43, with Athens Olympics women's marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi -led Team Sysmex 3rd in 2:19:23. The West Japan Corporate Women's Ekiden served as the regional qualifier for December's National Corporate Women's Ekiden Championships in Miyagi.  The top five teams in West Japan were guaranteed to qualify, with any teams clearing 2:23 also picking up places on the start line at the National Championships.  Tw...

A press release from the NYRR: New York, September 19, 2012 — Two-time champion Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil and three-time Olympian Kayoko Fukushi of Japan will add fierce competition to the already stacked men’s and women’s fields in the 2012 ING New York City Marathon. Joining Gomes dos Santos in the men’s race will be Olympic marathoners Abderrahime Bouramdane of Morocco and Great Britain’s Scott Overall . 2011 runner-up Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia and national record-holders Valeria Straneo of Italy and Adriana Da Silva of Brazil will add to the women’s field, it was announced today by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. 2011 winner Masazumi Soejima of Japan and runner-up Shelly Woods of Great Britain were announced for the men’s and women’s wheelchair races. Nationally, the telecast will be available on ESPN2, online at WatchESPN.com, and—for fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider—on smartphones and tablets vi...

http://www.47news.jp/CN/201011/CN2010111501000936.html translated by Brett Larner Holder of the men's marathon world record of 2:03:59, Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie wrote on his Twitter feed on Nov. 15, "Running is in my blood. I have decided to keep running competitively," officially reversing his recent announcement of retirement. In a telephone interview the same day Gebrselassie's agent Jos Hermans confirmed, "Haile will run the Tokyo Marathon. His knee problem is not serious. With another week's rest he'll be able to get back to training." He said Gebrselassie will travel to Japan in February as previously planned. Aged 37, Gebrselassie dropped out partway through the Nov. 7 New York City Marathon with an injury to his right knee. Following the race Gebrselassie abruptly announced his retirement. Hermans commented, "Right after the race he was very emotional and in the heat of his disappointment blurted out that he was retiring, but he stil...

by Brett Larner Arata Fujiwara faces the Japanese media immediately post-race. Alongside the high-profile withdrawal of world record holder Haile Gebrselassie and low-profile withdrawal of 2010 European champion Viktor Rothlin from yesterday's ING New York City Marathon, Arata Fujiwara suffered his first-ever DNF at any distance as he pulled out of the marathon at the 35 km point . Throughout the first half of the race Fujiwara ran comfortably in the lead pack through the moderately-paced 1:05:20 first half, the slowest of any marathon he has ever run. Approaching the Queensboro Bridge he abruptly experienced sharp, stabbing pain in his lower left abdomen, something more serious than a simple cramp. "That was the worst pain I've felt since my first marathon," a dejected Fujiwara told Japanese media following the race. The pain intensified into spasms which forced Fujiwara to bend forward, disrupting his balance and leg motion and causing him to slip from the lead p...