japan running news

It came down to a race between #1-ranked El Mahjoub Dazza (Morocco) and top Japanese man Taku Fujimoto (Toyota) after 30 km, but the Moroccan proved the stronger as he pulled away to win the Fukuoka International Marathon in 2:07:10. Japanese men had to run under the national record of 2:05:50 to score the last spot on the 2020 Olympic marathon team. Fujimoto, 2:08 man Yuki Sato (Nissin Shokuhin) and ambitious 2:12 guy Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) were the only ones to really give it a go, staying up front in the lead pack with most of the internationals, with Bedan Karoki (Kenya/DeNA) laying down the law at the head of the pacer group. A secondary lead group quickly separated off the back of the lead group, with Japan-based Kenyan Daniel Muiva Kitonyi (Track Tokyo), 2:09:52 man Jo Fukuda (Nishitetsu), Keita Shitara (Hitachi Butsuryu) and others cutting back to 2:07 pace. European marathon champ Koen Naert (Belgium) and Pan-Am Games gold medalist Christian Pacheco (Peru)...

The first men's race in the Final Challenge wildcard series to steal the third spot on the Sapporo 2020 Olympic marathon team from national record holder Suguru Osako (ex-Nike Oregon Project), the Dec. 1  Fukuoka International Marathon has brought in just the right people to support any Japanese men ambitious enough to take a shot at breaking Osako's record. You've got 2:05:26 Moroccan El Mahjoub Dazza and pacing from longtime Japanese resident and newly minted 2:05:53 man Bedan Karoki among others. Add in Seville winner Tsedat Abeje Ayana of Ethiopia, Belgian European marathon champion Koen Naert , Pan-Am Games champ Christian Pacheco of Peru, debuting Kenyan Shadrack Kiplagat and a few others and it's a quality field up front to be sure. Just about the only two Japanese men in the field who might give the Final Challenge a serious swing is Taku Fujimoto , a Toyota teammate and training partner of last year's winner Yuma Hattori with a 2:07:57 best to h...

Last Friday I ran most of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics marathon course at the exact time that the women will be running it at next summer's Games. This Friday I plan to do it again at the time that the men's marathon will take place next year. An athlete who plans to run the Olympic marathon contacted me and asked if I'd be able to do it today as well, so at 6:00 a.m. sharp we were down at the Olympic Stadium ready to go. This time around we ran from the start to about 11 km, going past the first two lefthand turns after 10 km before turning around in order to see the two small undulations on that section of the course that runners will hit on the way out to Asakusa just after 10 km and again on the way back just before 20 km. We cut out the two out-and-back sections up to Asakusa at 15 km and down to Shiba Park before 25 km, instead running the last part from about 29 km all the way back to the stadium including the turnaround in front of the Imperial Palace around 33 ...