japan running news

by Brett Larner The day Japanese marathon fans have been waiting for for years finally arrived as half-marathon national record holder Kayoko Fukushi  (Team Wacoal) finally stepped up to inherit the legacy of Olympic gold medalists Naoko Takahashi  and Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) with a bronze medal in the women's marathon on the hot opening day of the 2013 Moscow World Championships, tough in the heat as the favorites faded. Noguchi, making a long-awaited comeback to world-level competition, was a DNF in the rough conditions, but third team member Ryoko Kizaki (Team Daihatsu) ran a solid and steady race to take 4th. Both Fukushi and Noguchi went with the fast early pace set by Italy's Valeria Straneo , but by 10 km Noguchi, running her first world-level marathon since her 2004 gold in Athens, could not keep up.  Fukushi stayed at the back of the lead pack as the numbers dwindled from eight to seven to four.  Kizaki stayed in the second pack for the first qu...

By David Monti (c) 2012 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved Toyo University's Kento Otsu (#2) and Yuta Shitara (#4).  Photo by Kazuyuki Sugimatsu . NEW YORK (01-Mar) -- The New York Road Runners announced today that some of the distance running's top international stars would run the seventh annual NYC Half on Sunday, March 18, joining USA Olympians Desiree Davila , Kara Goucher , Meb Keflezighi and Dathan Ritzenhein at America's most competitive spring half-marathon. Race director Mary Wittenberg , the NYRR's president and, called the additions to the race "a dynamic field of stars," adding that "the NYC Half will provide a thrilling preview" for this summer's Olympic Marathon. Leading the list on the women's side are defending champion, Caroline Rotich of Kenya (1:08:52 PB); the fastest-ever women's half-marathoner on U.S. soil, Kim Smith of New Zealand (1:07:11); and reigning ING New York City Marathon champion, Firehi...

by Brett Larner Yuri Kano (Second Wind AC) continued her summer of strength on July 27th, finishing in 3rd place at the 3rd New York City Half Marathon behind Kenyan marathon legend Catherine Ndereba and Mexican marathon national record holder Madai Perez. After finishing 4th in the race`s previous two editions, Kano once again found herself in a lead pack of four along with Ndereba, Perez and Kenyan Alice Timbilili. The four runners stayed close together throughout the race, with Kano doing most of the leading and Ndereba characteristically holding back just off the other competitors` shoulders. Timbilili was the first to fall back as Perez and Kano began to trade surges, but neither the Mexican nor the Japanese runner could respond to Ndereba`s long surge over the final two kilometers. Ndereba won in 1:10:19, with Perez 2nd in 1:10:26 and Kano 3rd in 1:10:31. Kano`s teammate Kiyoko Shimahara, in training for the Chicago Marathon, was 10th with a 1:13:41. Across the Atlantic, men`s 40...