japan running news

Spanning three days beginning Friday, Apr. 22, the Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji returned this weekend after cancelations the last two years during the pandemic, with great weather across the course around the foot of Mt. Fuji through Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures. 1,808 people ran the UTMF 165 km long course, with another 489 in the KAI 69 km short course, all of them enjoying spectacular views of Mt. Fuji as they ran its trails. Among them were some of the country's best trail athletes, making for the first elite-level trail race in Japan in a long time. Covering 157.9 km with 6388 km total elevation gain, the UTMF 165 km division race started at Fujisan Kodomonokuni park in Fuji, Shizuoka and finished at the Fujikyu Highlands amusement park in Yamanashi in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi. With a course change announced on Apr. 20 that cut out some of the hilliest sections and kept runners on shorter and flatter forest roads, 2019 4th-placer Masatoshi Obara took the lead in the early stages...

After being canceled last year in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ome Takamizu International Trail Run, one of the most popular trail races in the Tokyo area, returned Sunday for its 23rd edition. Beating the rain that hit the mountainous region of far western Tokyo later in the day, 40-year-old  Miki Ushida  won the men's 32 km long course race by over five minutes in 2:12:29. Women's winner  Sachi Nakano  was even more dominant, winning by more than eight minutes in 3:00:20. A total of 722 people finished the long course race which started in waves of fifty. The men's 19 km short course race was closer, with Tokyo-based British runner  Gary Wilberforce  outrunning local  Koichi Shimazaki  by 27 seconds for the win in 1:01:02. Women's winner  Rieko Koshi , 41, had what was probably the run of the day, placing 9th overall in 1:13:55 and more than eleven minutes ahead of runner-up  Reika Kijima . 681 people finished the s...

Just ahead of an approaching typhoon former Hakone Ekiden Fifth Stage man  Shun Gorotani and established mountain runner Yuri Yoshizumi both repeated their summit climb wins in Friday's 71st edition of the iconic Fuji Mountain Race . Video: Finish: 五郎谷俊 Shun Gorotani（コモディイイダ）が2:39:28で第70回富士登山競走山頂コースを昨年に続いて連覇。昨年の箱根駅伝5区での快走で知られるトップ選手です。 #富士登山競走 #mtfuji pic.twitter.com/MjxrQxNjlI — Dogsorcaravan (@Dogsorcaravan) July 27, 2018 Already having established himself as one of Japan's premier uphill specialists, Gorotani had a lead of over four minutes by halfway into the run up to the peak of Mt. Fuji. Gorotani covered the 21 km, 3000 m+ elevation gain course in 2:39:28, almost 8 minutes off his winning time last year but 14 minutes ahead of runner-up Miki Ushida . Speaking to Dogsorcaravan post-race Gorotani expressed disappointment with his time, saying he couldn't move his legs at all. "I've still got a long way to go," he said. Video: Finish: 吉住友里...