japan running news

This was Japan's biggest marathon weekend since pre-pandemic, with at least four major races going off as scheduled. With 11,597 finishers the Kanazawa Marathon was the fastest of them. Last year's women's winner Mai Fujisawa , 48, ran her fastest time of her six certified marathons so far this year, winning again in 2:38:29. Erika Omi led 8 other women under 2:50, 2nd to Fujisawa in 2:42:55. The men's race was closer, with Kenta Fukumura edging last year's winner Junichi Ushiyama by 17 seconds to win in 2:16:20. 3rd-placer Hayato Sugimoto was the only other runner under 2:20, running 2:19:27. The Mito Komon Manyu Marathon in Ibaraki also saw a close men's race. Former Nihon University star and longtime Japan resident Benjamin Ngandu returned from a 4-year drug suspension to win in a course record 2:18:02, outkicking this year's 100 km World Championships silver medalist Jumpei Yamaguchi by 12 seconds. Shinobu Ayabe won the women's race in 2:4...

After being canceled last year, the Kanazawa Marathon returned Oct. 31 for its seventh edition, with 9.843 participants from across the country running down the autumn streets of Kanazawa. It was Japan's first full-size mass-participation marathon since February, 2020. Nagano's Junichi Ushiyama  won the men's race in 2:17:03 after frontrunning most of the race, with Mai Fujisawa  of Hokkaido scoring a commanding win by almost ten minutes in the women's race in 2:35:52. As part of the event's coronavirus strategy the start was divided into two waves of about 5,000 people each, the first wave starting at 8:35 from a start in front of Ishikawa Geihinkan and the second at 8:45 from in front of City Hall. Runners passed many of the city's historic temples and gardens en route to finishing at Seibu Ryokuchi Park Stadium. The Kanazawa Marathon is a joint project of the city and prefectural governments, and the Hokukoku Newspaper. source articles: https://www.hokkoku....

Due to be held the same day as voting in the upcoming election for the House of Representatives, runners at the Kanazawa Marathon can expect to be stopped at over 20 intersections on the course in order to allow voters on their way to the polls to pass without interference.  Scheduled to be held Oct. 31 after last year's race was canceled, the Kanazawa Marathon will take place while voting polls for the House of Representatives election are open. On race day, road closures for the marathon will be in place for up to 6 hours, but the locations of 14 polling stations on the course mean that voters will need to be able to cross through intersections. 50,000 voters are expected to use these locations, and while city officials are calling for people to utilize early voting or polling stations not affected by road closures then have made the decision to place security personnel at 21 intersections to stop runners when necessary. The Kanazawa Marathon already has this policy in place at...

With special precaution measures having been lifted within the prefecture of Ishikawa, states of emergency having been lifted nationwide including within the major cities, the number of cases of COVID-19 sharply declining both within and without Ishikawa, and the steady rise in vaccinations, the organizers of the Kanazawa Marathon have committed to staging this year's race with adequate precautions on Oct. 31.  The organizers ask all participants to monitor their physical condition for the 14 days prior to the race and to take steps to reduce the risk of contracting the coronavirus in their day-to-day lives. Participants are also encouraged to get vaccinated wherever possible. The general public is asked not to come watch the race in person and instead to show its support by following TV or radio coverage. Please be aware that in the event of situations such as a rapid increase in the number of infections, earthquakes, floods or typhoons in the time shortly before the race, the e...

Given the difficulty of estimating an end to the coronavirus crisis, the organizing committee of the Oct. 25 Kanazawa Marathon has decided to cancel this year's race as at this stage the safety and security of participants, medical and rescue staff, volunteers, and local supporters cannot be guaranteed. We ask for the understanding of everyone involved, from the runners who had been looking forward to and training for this year's race, to everyone in the local community, to our sponsors and partner companies. We hope that the current situation comes to an end soon and look forward to welcoming runners from Japan and abroad to next year's 7th edition with a smile. Thank you. Yukiyoshi Yamano Kanazawa Marathon Organizing Committee Director Translator's note: Kanazawa was one of the races which had earlier suspended opening registration. Another major fall race, the Dec. 6 Shonan International Marathon with almost 17,000 finishers last year, has also just announce...

With the 22nd typhoon of the season hitting Japan's eastern coast, five of Japan's biggest amateur marathons faced the decision of whether to go ahead as scheduled. The biggest of them, the third running of the  Yokohama Marathon , 10th largest in the world last year with 22,594 finishers, was the only one to cancel, a controversial decision that went out Saturday evening ahead of milder-than-expected conditions on race morning. With almost 13,000 finishers last year, the Kanazawa Marathon scored a new course record in its third edition as Kazuya Deguchi (Asahi Kasei) won in 2:18:44, the event's first sub-2:20 apart from disqualified Russian Victor Ugarov 's 2:17:19 at Kanazawa's first running two years ago . Deguchi ran Kanazawa as a tuneup for December's Fukuoka International Marathon. Mitsuko Ino (R2 Nishi Nippon) took eight minutes off the women's course record with a 2:42:24 win. For the second time in its three runnings to date, local res...

http://www.tulip-tv.co.jp/news/detail/?TID_DT03=20170512151125 translated by Brett Larner Scheduled for Oct. 29 this year, the Toyama Marathon faces a partial course change in a bid to ease traffic problems caused by the race. The plan was announced at an organizing committee meeting on May 12. Until now the Toyama Marathon course has crossed Toyama Bridge and Jinzu Bridge on the way to the finish in Kansui Park, but the new course this year is proposed to cross Toyama Kita Bridge en route to the finish. The change will reduce the number of bridges that must be closed to traffic from two to one, and by eliminating the passage over Mt. Kureha it is also expected to result in faster times for participants. Now in its third edition, the Toyama Marathon attracted 12,000 participants last year. For the first time it will be held the same day as the Kanazawa Marathon , meaning high occupancy for accommodations in the eastern part of Toyama prefecture. It was reported at the executive ...

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20151118-00000057-jij-spo http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2015/11/18/kiji/K20151118011531820.html translated and edited by Brett Larner On Nov. 17 the Russian Federation (ARAF) announced that it intends to impose a suspension of up to four years on marathoner Victor Ugarov for running in and winning the Nov. 15 Kanazawa Marathon after the IAAF's provisional suspension of the ARAF.  On Nov. 13 the IAAF voted to provisionally suspend the ARAF in response to revelations of systematic doping in Russia, a move which included a ban on Russian athletes competing internationally.  As such Ugarov was ineligible to participate in the Kanazawa Marathon but nevertheless ran the Nov. 15 race, which he won in a PB of 2:17:19.  A JAAF spokesperson indicated that Ugarov's mark will now be annulled. ARAF officials did not know of Ugarov's participation in the Kanazawa Marathon and are launching an investigation.  At the same time they ...

http://kanazawa.keizai.biz/headline/2553/ http://www.chunichi.co.jp/hokuriku/article/news/CK2015111602100006.html translated and edited by Brett Larner updated 11/16/15 with a quote from organizers from the second article above The first running of the Kanazawa Marathon took place Nov. 15, with 11,821 runners traversing the course from the start on Hirosaka Dori to the finish at Seibu Ryokuchi Koen Field and enjoying the best of the Kanazawa autumn. At 9:00 a.m., almost in sync with the starting pistol fired by Mayor Yamano , the rain that had been falling all morning abruptly stopped.  Runners from across the country and from Taiwan, America and other far-off lands made their way through the 7-zone course designed with the catchphrase "Run the whole of Kanazawa!" in mind. Volunteers along the course handed out unusual refreshments like traditional Japanese sweets and Kanazawa curry, and brass bands and local firefighters in fancy dress provided courseside entertai...

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/local/ishikawa/news/20141201-OYTNT50262.html translated by Brett Larner Scheduled for Nov. 15, the 2015 Kanazawa Marathon 's 42.195 km course has been certified by both the IAAF and AIMS, making it the only current IAAF-certified marathon course in the Hokuriku region.  The Kanazawa Marathon starts on Hirosaka Street in central Kanazawa, heading to a finish at Seibu Ryokuchi Park Field.  Runners pass by Kanazawa Castle park and the Kenrokuen gardens, getting a chance to enjoy the historic scenery and downtown skyline along the old highway west of Kanazawa Station. IAAF-certified races within Japan are divided into mass-participation urban races like the Tokyo Marathon and Osaka Marathon, and top-level elite races like the Fukuoka International Marathon and Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon.  The 17th course in Japan to receive certification, the Kanazawa Marathon is expected to join the ranks of the urban races. A spokesperson for the Kanazawa M...