japan running news

Aiming to make it back to the Hakone Ekiden for the first time in 12 years, on Apr. 6 Asia University held a press conference in Tokyo to announce the addition of Rio Olympics marathoner Satoru Sasaki , 35, to its coaching staff. "I can feel that expectations of me are very high," Sasaki said. "But it's my hope that I can use that as fuel in helping get Asia back to Hakone." Having retired after last December's Fukuoka International Marathon, Sasaki joined the staff at Asia, the 2006 Hakone champion, on Apr. 1 at the start of the academic year. After leaving the Asahi Kasei  corporate team and relocating from its base in Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Sasaki moved into the team dormitory on Apr. 2 to start living with the athletes. "There are a lot of student athletes here who are running very well, and the times they are chasing in training are high quality," he commented on his impressions of the current Asia team. "What's left is to think with the...

Not having made it to the Hakone Ekiden since 2010, on Aug. 1 former champion Asia University announced the hiring of Kenyan Patrick Mwaka , 27, as assistant coach to oversee its comeback. A longtime member of the Aisan Kogyo corporate team until this past April, Mwaka has track bests of 13:21.45 for 5000 m and 27:33.14 for 10000 m, and ran his half marathon best of 1:00:53 at February's National Corporate Half Marathon. Among the main Hakone schools Kokushikan University also has Kenyan James Mwangi , 35, as assistant coach, but at just 27 Mwaka can still run with the students and give them the support they need to raise their game from close up. With his wife and two children still back in Kenya, he also now lives together with the student athletes in the team dormitory. First thing in the morning on his first day on the job Mwaka was at Asia's home track in Hinodemachi, Tokyo to guide the student athletes. In Japanese he said, "Let's all make it to the Hakone...

Taku Fujimoto age: 30 sponsor: Toyota graduated from: Takamizu H.S., Kokushikan University best time inside MGC window: 2:07:57, 8th, 2018 Chicago Marathon PB: 2:07:57, 8th, 2018 Chicago Marathon other PBs: 5000 m: 13:38.68 (2010) 10000 m: 28:08.30 (2018) half marathon: 1:01:31 (2015) marathons inside MGC window (Aug. 1 2017 – April 30 2019) DNS 2019 Hamburg Marathon 8th, 2018 Chicago Marathon, 2:07:57 15th, 2018 Lake Biwa Marathon, 2:15:30 other major results: 6th, 2019 Gold Coast Half Marathon, 1:03:44 15th, 2019 New Year Ekiden Fourth Stage (22.4 km), 1:06:15 2nd, 2018 Kumamoto Kosa 10-Miler, 45:57 1st, 2018 Chubu-Hokuriku Corporate Ekiden First Stage (12.0 km), 34:58 4th, 2017 National Corporate Half Marathon Championships, 1:01:53 8th, 2016 Marugame Half Marathon, 1:01:51 8th, 2015 National Corporate Half Marathon Championships, 1:01:31 – PB 3rd, 2012 Hakone Ekiden Third Stage (21.5 km), 1:03:08 1st, 2011 Kanto Region University T&F Championshi...

The World Championships in athletics were first held in Helsinki, Finland in 1983. Up until the 1991 Tokyo World Championships they were held once every four years, but beginning with the 1993 Stuttgart World Championships they switched to an every other year format. London this year was the 16th edition. To date 68 men with Hakone Ekiden experience have competed in the World Championships, with three of them winning medals in the marathon. In Tokyo in 1991 Hiromi Taniguchi became the first Japanese World Championships gold medalist, raising the excitement level at the games.  As a student at Nittai University Taniguchi had won the Hakone Ekiden's downhill Sixth Stage three years in a row from 1981 to 1983. As a fourth-year in 1983 he set a new stage record of 57:47. Course changes have rendered his record an historical artifact, but Taniguchi is still considered Hakone's greatest downhill runner. At the 1999 Seville World Championships and 2005 Helsinki World Championsh...

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110812-OHT1T00304.htm translated and edited by Brett Larner Marathoner Yuki Kawauchi at the pre-Daegu press conference. Click photo to enlarge. 37 members of the Japanese national team for this month's World Track and Field Championships in Daegu, Korea assembled at a Tokyo hotel over the weekend for the official sendoff press conference.  Among them was the now-famous amateur runner Yuki Kawauchi (24, Saitama Prefecture) who will run the men's marathon on Sept. 4, and team captains Yukifumi Murakami (31, Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) from the men's javelin and women's 400 m hurdler  Satomi Kubokura (29, Niigata Albirex AC).  Kawauchi revealed that he is aiming for a top-eight finish and that after months of limiting his consumption of coffee, his favorite drink, he plans to celebrate post-race with a fresh hot cup. Wearing the Rising Sun on his chest for the time, Kawauchi's spirits were high as he appeared at the pres...