japan running news

Last year Nagano's Saku Chosei H.S. won the National High School Ekiden boys' race for the first time in 6 years, its third time winning the national title. Ahead of its attempt to take its first-ever repeat win at this year's race in Kyoto on Dec. 22, on the day the school held an open practice session for the media it was sunny but windy at times, an unusually warm 17˚. Last year Saku Chosei won in 2:01:00 for the 7-stage, 42.195 km course with a team that included 6 runners with 5000 m bests under 14 minutes, a top-class time for high school runners. All the team members demonstrated their strength, each helping the team achieve the win. Out of the 10 runners on Saku Chosei's entry roster at this year's Nationals 5 have 5000 m bests in the 13-minute range, but even though that is slightly less than last year there is no doubt about the team's talent level. Its goal is to be the strongest, not just the fastest. 3 members of last year's winning team are b...

After missing the men's 800 m national record by 0.07 at last month's National Championships, 17-year-old Ko Ochiai of Shiga Gakuen H.S. made history as the first Japanese man to break 1:45 with a 1:44.80 NR to win today's National High School Championships 800 m. Ochiai got lucky when Seita Kikuchi (Morioka Daiyon H.S.) took it out fast, going through 200 m just under 25 seconds and hitting 400 m in 52. Ochiai went to the front a step past 400 m, but he got another big break when Felix Muthiani (Yamanashi Gakuin H.S.) surged past him just before 600 m. That forced him to keep working, and Ochiai pulled even again with 50 m to go. Both went way under Ochiai's 1:45.82 high school record from Nationals last month , Ochiai cutting 0.95 off the senior national record in 1:44.80 and Muthiani, 19, next in an almost 4-second PB of 1:45.10. In an interesting article in mid-June , national champion Saku Chosei H.S. head coach Masaru Takamizawa speculated that the controve...

by Dai Yamazaki The "foreign student problem" is always a hot topic in the ekiden world, and this season will see big changes to the rules in high school ekidens. There has always been a lot of trial and error when it comes to international students in the ekidens, but what do the coaches on the front lines of competition think about these changes? We talked to Masaru Takamizawa , head coach of last year's National High School Boys Ekiden champion Saku Chosei H.S. which ran the fastest time in the race's 74-year history while using an all-Japanese lineup. The major rule changes regarding the use of non-Japanese athletes in high school ekidens were announced at the end of last year. Non-Japanese runners first appeared on the scene in high school running in the early 1990s and have been the source of constant debate since then. Restrictions have gradually tightened. In 1995 a rule limiting teams to one non-citizen in their starting lineup was announced. In 2008 non-Ja...

13:22.99 high school boys' 5000 m national record holder Hiroto Yoshioka , a 3rd-year at Nagano's Saku Chosei H.S. , talked to the media for the first time after returning from the Feb. 18 World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia. "I can't say everything is back to normal, but I'm getting better bit by bit," he said. In high temperatures at World XC Yoshioka ran an aggressive race against the international field, only to collapse right before the finish. "I was really flying, a lot more than usual, and I could feel it was really physically demanding," he said. "I thought I had crossed the finish line, but the line where I collapsed was actually the start line. People around me were shouting, 'You're not done!'" Unable to move his legs, he used his arms to inch forward feet-first. He instinctively felt he had reached the finish line and collapsed again, this time for good. But, he admitted, "Since I was goin...

Corporate women and junior high school students have already had their nationally-televised national championship ekidens, but tomorrow's National High School Ekiden in Kyoto kicks off the busiest part of the year, with 5 days of championship ekiden racing in the span of 10 days. NHK broadcasts high school Nationals live and ad-free on Dec. 25, with the girls' race starting at 10:20 a.m. and the boys at 12:30 p.m. local time. There's not likely to be any internationally-available streaming, but get a VPN and you should be good. With JRN's holiday travel plans canceled because of the weather in the PNW, we'll probably be covering both races live on @JRNLive . Buy us a coffee to help us get through the day. The top high school teams in Japan would do pretty well in the NCAA on both the girls' and boys' sides, meaning two high-level races. In the girls' race, 21.0975 km in five legs, Sendai Ikuei H.S. won in 1:07:16 by over a minute last year but is d...

There's a monster new record on the books. At a time trial meet on Nov. 13 , Saku Chosei H.S. 3rd-year Hiroto Yoshioka ran a new 5000 m high school national record of 13:22.99. Yoshioka himself is humble about it, saying, "I might be the fastest high schooler ever, but I'm not the strongest." Yoshioka is now hot on the heels of the country's best, including Saku Chosei alumnus and Tokyo Olympics marathon 6th-placer Suguru Osako , in the hunt to make the Paris Olympic team. In his record-breaking run Yoshioka was in the lead pack of foreign athletes when its pace slowed with 1000 m to go. "I was feeling better than I expected," he says. "I decided to go back to the front." With two laps to go he sped up, setting himself up for a massive time. Yoshioka broke the previous high school record, 13:31.18 by Keita Sato of Rakunan H.S. , by over 8 seconds. When he had run the fastest-ever time by a 10th grader, Yoshioka and head coach Masaru Takamiz...

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20120627-973978.html translated and edited by Brett Larner On June 27 the management company of Hokkaido Marathon course record holder Kiyoko Shimahara , 35, who retired following January's Osaka International Women's Marathon, announced that she is expecting her first child.  The baby is due in December, following which Shimahara hopes to make a return to competition.  Shimahara is married to 2008 Hokkaido Marathon winner Masaru Takamizawa , the head coach at Nagano's famed Saku Chosei High School.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/e-japan/nagano/news/20110117-OYT8T01097.htm http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2011/01/17/kiji/K20110117000067200.html translated and edited by Brett Larner Saku Chosei H.S. head coach Hayashi Morozumi , 44, announced Jan. 17 that in April he will take over as head coach of his alma mater, 2011 Hakone Ekiden 4th-place Tokai University. Morozumi will replace current Tokai coach Toshihiro Arai , 58, who coached Morozumi during Morozumi's student days and asked him to be his replacement. Morozumi told reporters, "My goal is not just to do well at the Hakone Ekiden but to produce Olympians." Morozumi graduated from Tokai Dai-San Prep H.S. before running for Tokai University where he competed in the Hakone Ekiden all four years. He later ran professionally for the Nissan and Daiei teams. Morozumi has been head coach at Saku Chosei since 1995 and brought the school its first National High School Ekiden Championships title in 2008 along with twelve t...

http://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/news/sports/248520.html translated and edited by Brett Larner click link above for video highlights The 2010 Hokkaido Marathon took place Aug. 29 in Sapporo, Hokkaido under exceptionally hot and humid conditions with 27 degree temperatures and 70% humidity at the start. Two-time World Championships marathoner Yumiko Hara (Team Universal Entertainment) won the women's race in 2:34:12 in her debut wearing the Universal uniform after a year of inactivity following her sudden departure from former sponsor Team Kyocera. Kenyan Cyrus Njui (Team Hitachi Cable), winner of last month's Sapporo Half Marathon, won the men's race in 2:11:22, his debut over the marathon distance and the second-fastest time ever recorded in Hokkaido. Njui broke away from leader Mekubo Mogusu (Kenya/Team Aidem) at 38 km to seal the win in an outstanding time for the Hokkaido course. General division entrant Harun Njoroge (Kenya/Team Komori Corp.) likewise overtook the fad...

by Brett Larner Each year the Hokkaido Marathon in Japan's northernmost major city of Sapporo is the first elite race on the worldwide fall marathon season calendar. Although it rarely has overseas elites, Hokkaido showcases much of Japan's up-and-coming talent and some of the better Japan-based Africans. This year's race takes place this Sunday, Aug. 29. The race will be broadcast live on Fuji TV starting at noon, a broadcast which overseas viewers can watch for free by clicking here . Additionally, this year for the first time Hokkaido will sponsor a 5-hour official webcast via Ustream. Check the Hokkaido Marathon website closer to race date for more information. The men's race features the return of defending champion Daniel Njenga (Kenya/Team Yakult). The veteran Njenga may have slipped from the ranks of the world's top-tier marathoners but his world record-pace surge in the middle of last year's race showed that he still has the ability to compete and win...

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20100806-OHT1T00315.htm http://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/news/sports/245211.html translated and edited by Brett Larner On Aug. 6 the organizing committee of the 2010 Hokkaido Marathon , scheduled for Aug. 29 in Sapporo, Hokkaido, released the names of this year's invited athletes. Defending men's champion Daniel Njenga (Team Yakult) returns to face 2008 winner Masaru Takamizawa (Saku Chosei H.S. AC). The pair will be challenged by this year's Sapporo International Half Marathon winner Silas Njui (Team Hitachi Cable) in his marathon debut, and former Hakone Ekiden star Mekubo Mogusu (Team Aidem) who dropped out of his marathon debut at last December's Fukuoka International Marathon. The women's race features 2008 winner Yukari Sahaku (Team Universal Ent.) along with teammates Mizuho Nasukawa , the 2009 Tokyo Marathon winner, and Yumiko Hara , the 2007 Osaka International Women's Marathon winner. The Hokkaido Marathon is...

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2010050600753 translated by Brett Larner 2011 Asian Games women's marathon team member Kiyoko Shimahara (33, Second Wind AC) announced on May 6 that she is relocating her training base from Tokyo to the town of Saku in Nagano Prefecture. Last month Shimahara got engaged to Saku Chosei High School ekiden team coach Masaru Takamizawa (28). "I'm looking forward to training on the cross-country course the high school team uses and in all the great locations around Sugadaira," Shimahara said, promising that the new environment would be an excellent jumping-off point for the next stage of her career. With regard to her training, Shimahara will continue to be guided by Second Wind head coach Manabu Kawagoe. Apart from training in Nagano Shimahara will be going on the Rikuren-sponsored women's training camp in Boulder, Colorado in June. In July she plans to run the Sapporo International Half Marathon. "I'm not young an...

http://www.shinmai.co.jp/news/20100418/KT100418IWI090006000022.htm translated and edited by Brett Larner At the 12th Nagano Olympics Commemorative Marathon on April 18th, Australian Lisa Weightman ran a PB of 2:28:48 to win the women's race, while Kenyan Nicholas Chelimo ran 2:10:24 to take men's marathon, missing the course record by less than 10 seconds. After a freak snowstorm the day before the race, temperatures at the start were 12.5 degrees. In the women's race Weightman led an early pack with Kiyoko Shimahara (Second Wind AC) and Irene Limika (Kenya). Weightman made a move to break away only 17 km into the race and ran the remaining 25 km alone to become the first Australian winner in Nagano history. Defending champion Irina Timofeyeva experienced problems with her right thigh and was unable to maintain contact with the leaders. Eri Hayakawa (Amino Vital AC) overtook Shimahara to finish as the top Japanese runner in 3rd overall. In the men's race the lead pack ...

http://www.shinmai.co.jp/news/20100401/a-4.htm http://www.naganomarathon.gr.jp/modules/bulletin/article.php?storyid=108 translated by Brett Larner On Mar. 31 the organizing committee of the 12th Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon announced the 34 athletes in the elite field for this year's edition on Apr. 18. Nicholas Chelimo (Kenya) tops the men's field with a PB of 2:07:46. Nagano prefecture marathon record holder Masaru Takamizawa (Saku Chosei H.S. AC) is also scheduled to run. Defending women's champion Irina Timofeyeva (Russia) returns and will face Kiyoko Shimahara (Second Wind AC), who was just named to the Japanese national team for November's Asian Games in Guanzhou, China. Translator's note: Issue 3 of JRNPremium features an exclusive interview with Shimahara and will be published next week. Click here for more information . 2010 Nagano Marathon - Elite Field click here for complete elite field listing Men Nicholas Chelimo (Kenya) - 2:07:46 (Amster...

http://www.iaaf.org/LRR09/news/newsid=54846.html Note: Popular fan website letsrun.com mistakenly states that Athens winner Akemi Ozaki and Second Wind teammate Yuri Kano are coached by a woman. Both are coached by former Team Shiseido head coach Manabu Kawagoe, who is in fact a man. Ozaki's younger sister Yoshimi, the 2009 Berlin World Championships women's marathon silver medalist, is coached by Sachiko Yamashita, a woman and World Championships women's marathon silver medalist in her own right. Men's race 7th place finisher Masaru Takamizawa is engaged to Akemi Ozaki and Yuri Kano's third teammate Kiyoko Shimahara who will run this week's first edition of the Yokohama International Women's Marathon.

by Brett Larner Two veterans made comebacks to win the 2009 Hokkaido Marathon in its first edition on a new course. In the men's race Kenyan Daniel Njenga (Team Yakult) endured a relatively slow first 5k of 15:46, typical of hot, summery Hokkaido, before cutting loose at 12 km with a surge at world record pace. From 12 km to 18 km Njenga ran under 3:00 / km pace, clocking as fast as 2:50 / km to kill off all rivals. He hit halfway in 1:04:11 with a chase pack of three including fellow Kenyan Laban Kagika (Team JFE Steel), Seiji Kobayashi (Team Mitsubishi Juko Nagasaki) and debutant Takayuki Tagami (Team Kyudenko) around 25 seconds behind. A minute ahead of the Hokkaido Marathon record, Njenga began to slip in the heat and was down to 3:10 / km pace by 25 km. He continued to fade, but the chasers were likewise suffering and could make no headway. Approaching 40 km, first-timer Ryo Yamamoto (Team Sagawa Express) cruised past into second as Njenga dropped to 3:20 / km. Yamamoto almos...

by Brett Larner The 2009 Hokkaido Marathon takes place Sunday, Aug. 30. Typically run under hot summer conditions, the Hokkaido Marathon isn't known as a speed race but in most years attacts a top domestic field and several good overseas runners. The highlight of this year's race, the first edition on a new course, will be the women's event. Defending champion Yukari Sahaku (Team Aruze) will be back straight from her disappointing run in the 10000 m at the Berlin World Championships. Her strongest competition and arguably the race favorite is her teammate Mizuho Nasukawa (Team Aruze), the 2009 Tokyo Marathon winner. Heat specialist Kiyoko Shimahara (Second Wind AC), who ran her PB of 2:26:14 in Hokkaido four years ago, ran her best half marathon in several years at last month's Sapporo International Half Marathon and may also be a threat. Also conceivably in contention is Naoko Sakamoto (Team Tenmaya), whose six-year old PB of 2:21:51 marks her as the fastest in the fi...

by Brett Larner The Hokkaido Marathon has announced the elite field for this year's race, scheduled for Aug. 30 on a new course. The premier summer Japanese marathon, Hokkaido has attracted a top field of domestic athletes not running the World Championships a week prior. The women's race promises to be the highlight of the event, with this year's Tokyo Marathon winner Mizuho Nasukawa (Team Aruze), inexplicably omitted from the World Championships marathon team, squaring off against teammate and defending champ Yukari Sahaku (Team Aruze) who is running the 10000 m in the Berlin World Championships, 2008 Tokyo Marathon winner Claudia Dreher (Germany), 2008 Honolulu Marathon winner Kiyoko Shimahara (Second Wind AC), 2006 Hokkaido winner Kaori Yoshida (Amino Vital AC) and more. In the men's race, defending champ Masaru Takamizawa (Saku Chosei H.S.) will face former teammates Yuzo Onishi (Team Nissin Shokuhin) and Toshinari Suwa (Team Nissin Shokuhin), Kenyan great Daniel ...

by Brett Larner There were no surprise upsets in the 11th edition of the Nagano Marathon on Apr. 19. Running on a new course, the fastest man in the field, Isaac Macharia (Kenya) bided his time before dropping the other leaders in the final 7 km to take his second Nagano win in 2:11:21, while the woman with the best recent time, Irina Timofeyeva (Russia), finished strong to overtake ailing Kenyan Irene Limika in the final stretch, clocking 2:30:08 for the win. Expected men's contender Masaru Takamizawa (Saku Chosei H.S.) went flat in the second half of the race, leaving the top Japanese man title to debutant Masaki Shimoju (Team Konica Minolta), 7th overall in 2:15:57. Akemi Ozaki (Second Wind AC), the older sister of 2009 World Championships team member Yoshimi Ozaki (Team Daiichi Seimei), was the top Japanese woman, 3rd overall in 2:31:18. Frontrunning the race as he did on his way to victory at last year's Hokkaido Marathon, high school coach Masaru Takamizawa took the race...

http://iaaf.org/LRR09/news/newsid=50217.html Surprisingly, there will not be a live broadcast of this year's Nagano Marathon. NHK will broadcast a one-hour highlights show on Apr. 25 at 2:00 p.m.