japan running news

JRN's most-read articles of 2011 by month: January Waseda over Toyo as both break Hakone Ekiden course record. -  Jan. 3 Blood testing for better performance - learning from Hakone and pro baseball.   - Jan. 8 February Study finds to become world-class, don't work too hard in junior high.   - Feb. 5 World's first two-legged robot-only marathon set for Feb. 24.   - Feb. 16 Jason Lehmkuhle wins Ome 30 km road race - first American win since 1983.   - Feb. 20 World Championships silver medalist Yoshimi Ozaki 2:23:56 Yokohama win. -  Feb. 20 Mekonnen wins Tokyo Marathon, amateur Kawauchi 3rd in 2:08:37. - Feb. 27 Japanese Federation and corporate league feel stinging impact of Kawauchi's run. - Feb. 28 "The Rocky of the marathon world" - Saitama Governor praises Kawauchi.  - Feb. 28 March What to do when the dream comes true?  Federation officials push management role as Kawauchi Fever sweeps Japan.   - Mar. 3 Wilson Kipsang ...

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2011041900324 translated and edited by Brett Larner Hanamaki, Iwate native Toyoyuki Abe (Team NTT Nishi Nihon) placed 15th in his marathon debut at the Apr. 18 Boston Marathon thanks to the support of his parents and friends back home, all of them in very difficult circumstances following the devastation of last month's earthquake and tsunami. "Despite their tough situation everyone cheered me on," Abe said. "It helped me push harder than ever." Abe has been successful as an ekiden runner, but beginning this year he has turned his focus to the marathon. He earned an invitation to Boston after finishing 2nd at February's Ome 30 km Road Race behind American Jason Lehmkuhle . Meeting his pre-race goal of a 2:15 finish as he clocked 2:15:48, Abe said of his future plans, "The next step is to work on my speed endurance and then see where that gets me." Translator's note: Ome women's winner Hiromi Omin...

by Brett Larner American Jason Lehmkuhle in a sprint finish against Toyoyuki Abe meters before winning the 2011 Ome 30 km. Jason Lehmkuhle won a tight sprint finish over Team NTT Nishi Nihon's Toyoyuki Abe at the 2011 Ome 30 km Road Race to become the first American to win the prestigious race since Greg Meyer 's 1983 victory. Lehmkuhle was aggressive throughout the race, leading the field of over 15000 through the early kilometers and remaining at the head of the pack over the difficult ups and downs through the middle 20 km. The pack, initially nine-strong, whittled down to a core of five by halfway. With roughly 5 km to go Lehmkuhle surged, first dropping eventual 4th-placer Atsushi Ikawa (Team Otsuka Seiyaku), then frequent leader Ryotaro Nitta (Team Konica Minolta). Local boy Daisuke Shimizu (Team Kanebo) was the next to fall, leaving only Abe at Lehmkuhle's side. The pair rounded the final righthand corner together with Lehmkuhle on the inside, and in the last sp...

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110126-OHT1T00300.htm http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/event/sports/news/20110126-OHT1T00302.htm translated and edited by Brett Larner 2009 Ome 30 km winner Hirokatsu Kurosaki (Team Konica Minolta) and 2007 Rotterdam Marathon winner Hiromi Ominami (Utic AC) will return to this year's 45th anniversary Ome 30 km , with a field of 15000 the world's largest 30 km race, scheduled for Feb. 20 in Tokyo's mountainous western suburbs. Kurosaki seeks to become the fourth man in Ome history to win twice. He will face the top Japanese man from last year's Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, Atsushi Ikawa (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) and the 2000 winner of Ome's H.S. 10 km division, Daisuke Shimizu (Team Kanebo). With such strong competition his win is anything but assured. Ominami will run Ome for the second straight year, having finished as runner-up last year. She will run Ome as a tune-up for March's Nagoya International Women's Marathon...