japan running news

The Saitama International Marathon regrets to announce that invited athletes Workneh Debele (Ethiopia), Celia Sullohern (Australia) and Ayaka Inoue (Japan/Otsuka Seiyaku) have withdrawn from next weekend's race with injuries. Debele has been suffering from inflammation issues in her left leg, Sullohern sustained a stress fracture, and Inoue is experiencing heel pain.

In their place, organizers have invited Maryna Damantsevich (Belarus), 2:27:44 at this summer's Berlin European Championships, and Fatuma Sado (Ethiopia), 2:26:41 for the win last January at China's Xiamen Marathon.

source article:
https://saitama-international-marathon.jp/news/3308/
translated and edited by Brett Larner

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/20151025-OYT1T50034.html

translated by Brett Larner

Daniel Kosgei (Kenya) won the fifth running of the Osaka Marathon on Sunday, running 2:13:46 for the 42.195 km course.  Taiga Ito (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) was 2nd in 2:15:32.  In the women's race, Maryna Damantsevich (Belarus) won in a 2:32:28 course record with Hisae Yoshimatsu (Shunan City Hall) 2nd in 2:37:48.  Temperatures were 19 degrees Celsius with 39% humidity and 1.3 m/s easterly winds.

5th Osaka Marathon
Osaka, 10/25/15
click here for top results

Men
1. Daniel Kosgei (Kenya) - 2:13:46
2. Taiga Ito (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 2:15:32
3. Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (Mongolia/Team NTN) - 2:15:35
4. Sho Matsumoto (Team Nikkei Business) - 2:16:28
5. Yuko Matsumiya (Team Hitachi Butsuryu) - 2:16:40

Women
1. Maryna Damantsevich (Belarus) - 2:32:28 - CR
2. Hisae Yoshimatsu (Shunan City Hall) - 2:37:48
3. Yumiko Kinoshita (Second Wind AC) - 2:38:17
4. Chika Tawara (Kyushu E-Runners) - 2:39:44
5. Yoshiko Sakamoto (Mie …

by Brett Larner

With ekiden season in full swing it was the busiest weekend so far this fall as high schools across Japan competed in regional qualifiers for December's National High School Ekiden.  At the university level, the dynastic Ritsumeikan University women led start to finish to win their fourth-straight National University Women's Ekiden, bringing the school's total record to nine national titles.  With the last team to have beaten them, crosstown Kyoto rival Bukkyo University, having faded away following the departure of head coach Kenichi Morikawa for the Yamada Denki corporate women's team and Kanto Region rivals Tsukuba University likewise a ghost of their former selves with the decline of twin stars Haruka and Moe Kyuma, it fell to last year's runner-up Daito Bunka University to give Ritsumeikan a go for the title.

DBU's leading runner Rina Koeda was only a second behind Ritsumeikan's Natsuki Omori to get things off to a promising start, but …

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/running/feature/20140919-OYT8T50064.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner


The official 2014 Osaka Marathon theme song "42.195 km" by Kobukuro.

The organizing committee of the 4th Osaka Marathon on Oct. 26 have announced this year's 23-member elite field.  The men's race features all three champions crowned so far in race history led by last year's winner Jackson Limo (Kenya), who improved his PB to 2:09:06 at this year's Paris Marathon.  Seeking to stop him from become the first man in Osaka history to defend his title are Osaka's first winner Elijah Sang (Kenya) and second winner Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (Mongolia/Team NTN), who won last year's Hofu Yomiuri Marathon in a PB 2:09:00.

Japan's hopes lie with Satoshi Osaki (NTT Nishi Nihon), holder of a 2:08:36 best, and 2012 runner-up Yasuyuki Nakamura (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC).  2009 World Championships marathon 7th-place finisher Yuri Kano (Kyoto T&F Assoc.) leads the women'…