japan running news

Translator's note: Over his 2nd year at four-time national champion Komazawa University , 1500 m, 3000 m, indoor 3000 m and 5000 m U20 NR holder Keita Sato spent a total of three months training with OAC with support from JRN, one week in Boulder last spring, three weeks in St. Moritz during the summer, and the last two months back in Boulder. During that time he ran the equivalent of a 27:57 road 10 km and 59:22 half marathon in ekidens and U20 Asian area best 27:28.50 for 10000 m, all at age 19, and since turning 20 in January an indoor 5000 m NR of 13:09.45, an indoor 3000 m NR of 7:42.56, and an Asian area best 8:14.71 for 2 miles indoor. This interview by journalist Tatsuo Terada took place in late February before The TEN, where Sato ran 27:34.66. Komazawa University 2nd-year Keita Sato had a great indoor track season. On January 26 in Boston just after his 20th birthday he ran a 13:09.45 indoor 5000 m national record, the 2nd-fastest time ever by a Japanese man behind o...

by Brett Larner video courtesy of USATF.TV Suguru Osako (Team Nissin Shokuhin) continued to break ground as the only top-level Japanese man to base himself abroad, scoring the third national record of his tenure at the Nike Oregon Project in the Paavo Nurvi 5000 m at Saturday's NYRR Millrose Games.  Running in an exclusively Nike-sponsored field he stayed relatively steadily throughout the race, starting near the front and slipping slightly toward the read before coming back to challenge for the win. Just 0.40 separated winner Lopez Lomong (Nike BTC), runner-up Ryan Hill (Nike BTC) and Osako, but with no official national record on the book Osako's 13:28.00 was more than enough to give him a legitimate mark to add to his outdoor 3000 m and indoor 2 mile national records.  Osako easily beat training partner Cam Levins (Nike OP), raising hopes among home ground fans that Osako will take down the longstanding outdoor 5000 m and 10000 m national records of 13:13.20 and...

by Brett Larner It's another busy weekend on the roads in Japan.  One runner who won't be part of it is one of its best, Oregon-based Suguru Osako (Team Nissin Shokuhin).  Osako has set national records for 3000 m and indoor 2 miles since affiliating with the Nike Oregon Project and is set to run Saturday's Millrose Games Paavo Nurmi 5000 m .  There is no official Japanese NR for indoor 5000 m, but the JAAF has a blank waiting for whatever time he runs.  Considering that his indoor 2 mile NR of 8:16.47 two weeks ago broke the outdoor NR by 8 seconds that could end up being a very decent one. The biggest race back home is Sunday's National Corporate Half Marathon Championships .  The men's race has a fantastic field, featuring all-time Japanese #4 Chihiro Miyawaki (1:00:53, Team Toyota), all-time Japanese #5 Masato Kikuchi (1:00:57, Team Konica Minolta), sub-61 Japan-based Kenyans Jacob Wanjuki (1:00:55, Team Aichi Seiko) and Daniel Gitau (1:00:59, Te...