japan running news

Japan's most obscure elite-level marathon, the Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon has announced its elite field for its 57th running on Feb. 10. Generally a developmental-level race with winning times in the 2:11 to 2:13 range, Nobeoka serves as a springboard for early career marathoners to move on to bigger things. Which hasn't stopped local Ryoichi Matsuo (Asahi kasei) from making it an annual event on his calendar, with wins in 2016 and 2017 and 2nd-place in an exciting sprint finish last year. Matsuo is back again this year to try to become only the second man in the race's history to win it three times. His main competition is Josai University ekiden team assistant coach Shingo Igarashi , 2nd in Osaka last fall and racing Nobeoka after training run efforts at the Xiamen and Dubai marathons in January. With a 2:15:02 best in Tokyo two years ago Takuma Shibata (Komori Corp.) should also factor in. The most interesting first-timer is Masamichi Yasuda (Aichi Seiko), a ...

by Brett Larner Following up on a disappointing showing at last weekend's Great North Run and Prague Grand Prix 10 km, Japan's corporate league runners underwhelmed again at Sunday's Köln Marathon and Usti nad Labem Half Marathon.  In a race won by Kenya's Anthony Maritim in 2:10:26 in Köln, 2:09:18 marathoner Yuko Matsumiya (Team Hitachi Butsuryu), the twin brother of 5000 m and 30 km national record holder Takayuki Matsumiya (Team Konica Minolta), could do no better than 2:18:41 for 3rd.  2:15:05 man Kenta Iinuma (Team Sagawa Group) fell well below the professional level, running only 2:23:12 for 4th.  Formerly Japan-based Kenyan Julia Mumbi took the women's race in 2:28:00. Further east, Japanese results at the Czech Republic's Usti nad Labem mirrored those at the Great North Run, with 1:02 half marathoners Yuya Ito (Team Toyota) and Masamichi Yasuda (Team Aichi Seiko) and their 1:03 counterpart Atsushi Yamazaki (Team Subaru) all clocked leisurel...

by Brett Larner Fifteen hours after winning the National Corporate Track and Field Championships 10000 m, Kenyan teammates Sally Chepyego  and Paul Tanui  of Team Kyudenko  returned to win their  5000 m qualifying heats.  Chepyego took the women's 5000 m heat one in 15:52.97, the fastest time among the 27 qualifiers for the final, with heat two going to Grace Kimanzi  (Kenya/Team Starts) in a relaxed 16:07.28.  Tanui's 13:58.81 was good enough to win the second men's heat but was the slowest of the three men's winning times.  Sera H.S. graduates Bitan Karoki  (Team S&B) and Charles Ndirangu  (Team JFE Steel) won the other two heats, Karoki in 13:55.72 and Ndirangu in 13:53.61, the fastest time among the 27 qualifiers.  Close behind Ndirangu, Hayato Saito  (Team Honda) had the fastest qualifying time by a Japanese runner, 13:55.37.  Karoki and Ndirangu's matchup in the final should be one of the highlights of this yea...

by Brett Larner On a cold day when snow blanketed most of the country, Takahiro Aso (Team Aisan Kogyo) ran 47:26 to win the 51st edition of the Himejijo 10-Miler on Feb. 11. Aso outran Meiji University graduate Masamichi Yasuda (Team Aichi Seiko) by 8 seconds to win in the fastest time since course record holder Terukazu Omori 's 46:34 at the 2007 race. Continuing with his post-Beijing injury comeback begun two weeks ago at the Chugoku Yamaguchi Ekiden, 2:08 marathoner Satoshi Osaki (Team NTT Nishi Nihon) ran a credible 47:46 to take 8th just 20 seconds off Aso's winning time. 2011 Himejijo 10-Miler click here for complete results 1. Takahiro Aso (Team Aisan Kogyo) - 47:26 2. Masamichi Yasuda (Team Aichi Seiko) - 47:34 3. Hironori Arai (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 47:39 4. Yoshiyuki Oseki (Team Aichi Seiko) - 47:42 5. Kazuo Ietani (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 47:43 6. Shinichi Watanabe (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 47:43 7. Takuji Morimoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 47:44 8. Sat...

by Brett Larner Click here for JRNLive's detailed live race commentary . For the second straight year, Toyo University sophomore Ryuji Kashiwabara was the key figure on the first day of the Hakone Ekiden . Starting the fifth and final stage of the day in 7th place 4:26 behind leader Kimiya Hisakuni of Meiji University, Kashiwabara blew by the competition as he attacked the 874 m climb stage, taking the lead with ease after just 12.7 km. Where last year Kashiwabara had rival Masayuki Miwa of Waseda University to battle until the last 2 km, this year he had only his own record to race over the last 10.7 km. Kashiwabara finished in a stunning new record of 1:17:08, but even more impressively went from a 4:26 deficit to a 3:36 lead. As Toyo begins the second day tomorrow morning it is in an excellent position to defend its 2009 Hakone title. Where last year's Hakone Day One was a complex, turbulent mix of four stage records, surprise meltdowns and the last runs by three of the m...

by Brett Larner Less than a month after winning the 2009 Izumo Ekiden, Nihon University returned for a surprise win at a wild and unpredictable 2009 National University Ekiden Championships in Nagoya on Nov. 1. Running both of its Kenyan aces, first-year Benjamin Gando and fourth-year anchor Daniel Gitau, Nihon succeeded where it failed last year in stepping up to the longer stage lengths at Nationals and succeeded in taking down 2009 Hakone Ekiden champion Toyo University, surprise leader Meiji University and perpetual contender Waseda University. Three-time defending champion Komazawa looked to have the race safely under control thanks to an outstanding run by 2nd Stage ace Tsuyoshi Ugachi but fell from grace after a complete breakdown by another of its strongest runners, 4th Stage runner Sota Hoshi. Nihon was as low as 12th place in the field of 26 due to weak performances by its first two runners. 3rd Stage runner Naohiro Domoto put Nihon into 9th place before Gando went to work ...

by Brett Larner The 2008-2009 university men`s ekiden season officially began on June 22nd with the 40th annual All-Japan University Ekiden Kanto Regional Qualifying Meet at Tokyo`s Oda Field. The top six teams at last year`s All-Japan were seeded for the 2008 ekiden. Chuo Gakuin University was also awarded a seeded spot on the strength of its unprecedented third place finish at this year`s Hakone Ekiden. Additional teams would be selected from the different parts of Japan on the strength of their performances in the regional qualifying meets. For the Kanto Regional Qualifying Meet, any university in the region could submit names and personal bests of eight team members. The fastest twenty teams based on aggregate time would be eligible to run in the qualifier. Each team`s eight runners were split evenly between four 10000 m track races, roughly seeded so that runners of similar ability would compete against each other. The eight runners` total times in the four races were then added a...

by Brett Larner Mekubo Mogusu in the lead. Click image for video of the race. One week after winning his third titles in the 1500 m and 10000 m events, setting a PB, meet record and Japanese university record of 27:27.64 in the latter, Yamanashi Gakuin University senior Mekubo Mogusu of Kenya broke his own course record to win the half marathon on the final day of the Kanto Regional University Track and Field Championships at Tokyo`s National Stadium. The half marathon was contested over a ten-loop course. Beginning in the National Stadium, runners completed 1 km on the track before exiting the stadium for a hilly, twisting section on the roads. Runners then re-entered the stadium before beginning the next iteration of the road loop. The course is notoriously difficult; last year Mogusu set the course record of 1:03:10 in the midst of a year in which he broke one hour for the half marathon three times. This year competitors faced the additional challenge of rain and wind brought by th...