japan running news

Three Japanese athletes ran as part of Sunday's TCS New York City Marathon elite field. In the women's race, Mao Uesugi (Starts), 2nd in January's Osaka International Women's Marathon in 2:22:29, struggled with the quick turnaround from running the Princess Ekiden two weeks ago , finishing 17th in 2:32:56. Despite being over 10 minutes off her best, Uesugi's time was still the 5th-best ever by a Japanese woman in New York. Uesugi will run in the National Corporate Women's Ekiden in 3 weeks. 5000 m national record holder Suguru Osako (Nike) managed the 3rd-fastest Japanese men's time in New York history, running 2:11:32 for 5th. Close behind, in his first U.S. marathon since his winning 2:43:22 debut at the 2017 Maui Marathon Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Asahi Kasei) ran 2:12:12 for 6th, equalling Uesugi as the 5th-fastest Japanese man ever in New York. The debuting Sharon Lokedi (Kenya) won the women's race in 2:23:23. This year's Boston Marathon winner ...

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/29/sports/new-york-city-marathon-makoshi-yasuhiro.html Yasuhiro Makoshi , right, with Akira Tomiyasu and Haruka Yamaguchi at Restaurant Nippon the night before the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon. photo © 2021 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Although the official new coronavirus case count 7-day average for the entire country of Japan has dropped below 200, about 1/5 that of New York City which hosted its marathon this past weekend , marathons as far away as the Mar. 13, 2022 Shizuoka Marathon are still citing pandemic risks and announcing fresh cancelations. Despite that, some of Japan's marathons have bucked the trend of timidity and are bringing large-scale races back. The Oct. 31 Kanazawa Marathon was the first, with 9,457 finishers and winning times of 2:17:03 by Junichi Ushiyama  and an excellent 2:35:52 PB by 47-year-old Mai Fujisawa .  On the Nov. 3 public holiday, the Gunma Marathon in Maebashi returned for its 31st running. 3,408 people finished, Taku Fujiwara  winning the men's race in 2:23:14 and Tomomi Sawahata  winning for the fifth time in a course record 2:37:02. The same day as New York, 8,880 people finished the 6th edition of the Toyama Marathon within its 7-hour limit. Hiroki Suga...

50th TCS New York City Marathon New York, U.S.A., 7 Nov. 2021 Women 1. Peres Jepchirchir (Kenya) - 2:22:39 2. Viola Cheptoo (Kenya) - 2:22:44 3. Ababel Yeshaneh (Ethiopia) - 2:22:52 4. Moly Seidel (U.S.A.) - 2:24:42 5. Helalia Johannes (Namibia) - 2:26:09 ----- 12. Haruka Yamaguchi (Japan) - 2:34:04 Men 1. Albert Korir (Kenya) - 2:08:22 2. Mohamed El Aaraby (Morocco) - 2:09:06 3. Eyob Daniel (Italy) - 2:09:52 4. Elkanah Kibet (U.S.A.) - 2:11:15 5. Abdi Nageeye (Netherlands) - 2:11:39 ----- 13. Akira Tomiyasu (Japan) - 2:16:39 photo © 2021 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

In the last week or two, four major international marathons have announced elite fields that include Japanese athletes, mostly men. There aren't many homegrown elite-level races for them to pick from, either for men or women.  Postponed from the spring, despite corona numbers breaking new records almost daily the Tokyo Marathon is still scheduled to go ahead Oct. 17, a date that plops it right in the middle of ekiden season for both corporate men and especially women. The men-only Fukuoka International Marathon will hold its 75th and final running on Dec. 5, the traditional date that has contributed to its downfall due to a conflict with the New Year Ekiden less than four weeks later. The Hofu Marathon is two weeks after Fukuoka, even more in conflict with the New Year Ekiden, and with a World Athletics Elite Label this year it may be capitalizing on the void in women's racing opportunities by giving something approaching parity to its women's field. Or maybe not. With thos...

interview by Mika Tokairin and Tsuguki Matsuda translated by Mika Tokairin and Brett Larner In part one of his interview with JRN,  Arata Fujiwara talked about the 2008 Tokyo Marathon 2:08:40 run that made him famous. In part two of the interview he discussed the mental and physical aspects of his training. Now in part three he talks about racing; his strategy, tactics and long-term goals. Do you think it’s important to have practice runs on the course, to study the course and know where the curves and hills are? Yes, definitely, if you have the chance to do that it’s always a good idea. The first time you run a course it’s totally different whether you know a course well or not at all. The time passes more quickly if you know the course. For example, if you go somewhere on a training camp and jog for 60 minutes on a road you don’t know it feels longer. So, it’s a big advantage to know the course well. If you know the course you know what’s coming next, and after that...

After finishing 6th at the MGC Race 2020 Olympic marathon trials on Sept. 15, Yoshiki Takenouchi (NTT Nishi Nihon) ran the second-fastest time of his career, 2:11:18, to take 8th at the New York City Marathon. His time was one of the best-ever by a Japanese man in New York, the fastest since Masato Imai 's 2:10:45 in 2013. New York City Marathon New York, U.S.A., 11/3/19 complete results Men 1. Geoffrey Kamworor (Kenya) - 2:08:13 2. Albert Korir (Kenya) - 2:08:36 3. Girma Bekele Gebre (Ethiopia) - 2:08:38 4. Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia) - 2:09:20 5. Shura Kitata (Ethiopia) - 2:10:39 ----- 8. Yoshiki Takenouchi (Japan) - 2:11:18 Women 1. Joyciline Jepkosgei (Kenya) - 2:22:38 2. Mary Keitany (Kenya) - 2:23:32 3. Ruti Aga (Ethiopia) - 2:25:51 4. Nancy Kiprop (Kenya) - 2:26:21 5. Sinead Diver (Australia) - 2:26:23 © 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/31/obituaries/miki-gorman-overlooked.html Michiko Suwa moved to the U.S.A. to work when she was 28, known there as Miki Gorman . She remains the only Japanese-born athlete female or male to win the New York City Marathon.

by Brett Larner Running just his second career marathon, Toyo University graduate  Hiroyuki Yamamoto followed up on his 2:11:48 debut at Beppu-Oita last year with a 2:11:49 for 4th at the New York City Marathon .  Always in the lead pack until he wasn't, always looking smooth, confident and relaxed, Yamamoto's placing was the best-ever by a Japanese man in New York, his time also up near the top of the Japanese lists in New York. 2015 World Champion Ghirmay Ghebreslassi e (Eritrea) smoked a 2:07:51 for the win, the third-fastsest winning time in NYC history, while this year's Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon winner Lucas Rotich (Kenya) was 2nd.  The perpetual Abdi Abdirahman (U.S.A.) held Yamamoto off for 3rd in 2:11:23.  In an admittedly weaker than usual field, Yamamoto's best-ever Japanese placing was also arguably the best performance by a Japanese man in any of the World Marathon Majors events since Kurao Umeki 's 3rd-place finish at the 2006 Berlin Marath...

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2015/11/03/kiji/K20151103011443060.html http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/1559367.html translated and edited by Brett Larner The evening of Nov. 3 civil servant runner Yuki Kawauchi (28, Saitama Pref. Gov't) returned to Tokyo's Narita Airport from the New York City Marathon, where his 6th-place finish was the best Japanese men's placing in this year's World Marathon Majors.  Looking ahead from New York to December's Fukuoka International Marathon where he will take his shot at making the Rio de Janeiro Olympic team Kawauchi firmly declared his intentions, saying, "The field in New York was even stronger than in Fukuoka.  Experiencing racing in the middle of top-notch world-class speed puts me in a good position for Fukuoka.  One way or another I'll be in the top three.  If I can make the podium then I know I can compete against the best in the world.  If they still don't put me on the Olympic ...

by Brett Larner Incognito at the expo. After two failed attempts and a year mostly lost to self-inflicted injury following a moderate ankle sprain late last December, Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) turned in his best race of the year and one of the best of his career at the TCS New York City Marathon, negative splitting 2:13:29 for 6th place overall as the top non-African finisher. Kawauchi and winner Stanley Biwott (Kenya) pre-race. Running NYC for the third time with support from JRN, Kawauchi looked strong and comfortable through the relatively slow 1:06:50 first half, rolling with the ebbs and flows of New York's unpaced, hilly race.  Coming off the Queensboro Bridge after 25 km in the lead pack for the first time in his three NYCM attempts, he stayed in contention as part of a group of eight leaders as the pace went as fast as 2:55/km heading up to the Bronx, focused and mostly free of his characteristic pained grimace. Finally losing touch when Ke...

http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/yuki-kawauchi-the-marathon-rock-star Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) will be running Sunday's TCS New York City Marathon as the only invited Japanese athlete in the NYCM field .

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/1554422.html http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/1554651.html translated and edited by Brett Larner photo by STITCHrunner 1430 people ran in the 40th anniversary Takashimadaira Road Race 20 km on Oct. 18 on a 5 km loop course in northwestern Tokyo.  Women's winner Kit Ching Yiu (Hong Kong), coached by Japan's Shinetsu Murao , set a national record 1:10:49 to win, at least her third national record on Japanese soil in the last year.  In the men's race invited athlete Yuki Kawauchi (28, Saitama Pref. Gov't) broke away on the last lap for a solo win in 1:00:57 just a week after setting a course record at the Kitakami Marathon .  His next race is the Nov. 1 TCS New York City Marathon, followed by the Dec. 6 Fukuoka International Marathon where he hopes to secure a place on the Rio Olympic team. Kawauchi ran well in warm temperatures of 23 degrees, keeping his cool in a lead pack of five until 15.5...

http://www.nyrr.org/media-center/press-releases/marathon-greats-wilson-kipsang-and-meb-keflezighi-lead-2015-tcs-new-york-city-marathon-mens-field Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) will return to the Nov. 1 TCS New York City Marathon with support from JRN for the third time to take one last shot at the world's biggest marathon.

http://www.lequipe.fr/Athl-sme/Infos/Le-mysterieux-m-kawauchi/512309

by Brett Larner In a windy and weird race Japan's Masato Imai (Team Toyota Kyushu) and Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't), rare top-level Japanese men at the TCS New York City Marathon, almost perfectly replicated their results from their U.S. debuts in New York last year, both of them among the countless people in the front pack to take the lead before slipping out of contention to finish 7th and 11th. Like everyone else the cold headwind throughout most of the race meant time goals went out the window as soon as the gun fired.  The pace see-sawing between 3:20 and 2:50/km as course record holder Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya), 2014 Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi (U.S.A.), American Nick Arciniaga and two unknown Europeans all took their turns leading, Kawauchi made a move to go out front near 17 km to try to get things moving faster and was promptly nearly run down by an oblivious police motorcycle escort.  Two km later the pack reeled him in, and near 23 km at a...

http://fittish.deadspin.com/how-this-working-man-became-japans-most-controversial-m-1653676890?rev=1414881432046

by Brett Larner The TCS New York City Marathon is a major draw for amateur Japanese marathon tourists, but due to conflicts with the fall regional qualifiers for the year-ending national corporate ekiden championships it rarely sees top-level Japanese elites in its field.  Last year was an exception , with London Olympian Risa Shigetomo (Team Tenmaya), former Hakone Ekiden star Masato Imai (Team Toyota Kyushu) and rebel government clerk Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) all lining up.  Shigetomo and Kawauchi ran only decently, each finishing 11th, but Imai, famous in Japan as a hill specialist, finished 6th in 2:10:45, a solid time on the NYC course and the best-ever there by a Japanese man.  This year both Imai and Kawauchi are back for more and better. Since last year both Imai and Kawauchi were named to the JAAF's new National Team development program .  After hovering at the 2:10 level for the last three years Imai, coached by Barcelona Olympics silver...

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20141019-00000091-spnannex-spo translated by Brett Larner Enough with the hate mail.  Marathoner Yuki Kawauchi (27, Saitama Pref. Gov't) returned to the Chiba Aqualine Marathon , where he is the course record holder, to run its half marathon on Oct. 19, winning in 1:04:22 and beating 2nd place by more than 5 minutes.  "I had fun today!  I was grinning the whole time I was running," he said with a smile.  "I held my pace steadily and even picked it up at the end." His shot for a gold medal in the Asian Games marathon ending in bronze, Kawauchi has excused himself from running any of the domestic selection races for the Japanese team for next summer's World Championships marathon in Beijing, China.  Taking himself out of contention for the national team for the time being has lightened Kawauchi's load and left him feeling free.  "Up to now I've always had to worry about my time and place when I ran," h...

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2014/10/13/kiji/K20141013009092370.html translated and edited by Brett Larner The civil servant runner has pushed the reset button.  In his first race since his Asian Games men's marathon bid ended in a bronze medal nine days ago , Yuki Kawauchi (27, Saitama Pref. Gov't) ran the Kitami Half Marathon in Kitami, Hokkaido on Sunday, crossing the line first in 1:04:33.  Because he missed winning the gold medal at the Asian Games and its accompanying place on the Japanese team for next summer's World Championships in Beijing, China, Kawauchi will sit out the rest of the domestic selection races for the Beijing team.  Instead he will next race November's New York City Marathon, following his own route to becoming a better athlete.