japan running news

At the South Kyushu Region High School Track and Field Championships held June 12-15 at the Prefectural Sports Park Field in Okinawa, more than a dozen students who ate boxed lunches provided by event organizers fell ill with stomach pain and vomiting. Prefectural officials are investigating whether the students suffered food poisoning. According to the prefectural high school athletics association, the boxed lunches were provided for students who worked at the meet. After some students who ate them started to say they felt unwell, organizers reported the situation to public health authorities. They are currently consulting with schools that participated in the meet to find out whether other students also became sick. A parent of one student who became sick commented, "Some students both competed in the meet and worked at it. There might be some of them whose performances are suffering because of this." source article: https://ryukyushimpo.jp/national/entry-5318898.html trans...

In light of the continued development of the coronavirus crisis, the organizing committee of the 29th Okinawa Marathon scheduled for Feb. 21, 2021 has decided to postpone the race for one year out of concern for the safety and well-being of the participants and volunteers who help make our event possible, for the local spectators along the course, and for everyone else involved in the race. The new date for the 29th running will be Feb. 20, 2022. The organizing committee had explored options and began preparations for holding the race, but the following are the reality of the current situation in relation to the coronavirus: 1. Eliminating the risk of infection among 15,000 participants, staff and volunteers is not possible. 2. In the event of second and third waves of infection it would not be possible to establish adequate emergency medical services to deal with coronavirus infections, making it impossible to ensure the safety of the race. 3. Due to the nature of the maratho...

By Brett Larner Sunday was a break in the elite Japanese marathon calendar, but there were at least seven quality amateur marathons across the country, two with over 10,000 finishers ranking them among the world’s largest full marathons . Winning times were as fast as 2:20:32 for men and 2:38:51 for women, with one race featuring a rare European winner. A nationwide breakdown of the Feb. 19 marathons: Kyoto Marathon , Kyoto Total finishers: 15,714 Men: 1. Kosuke Murasashi 2:20:32 Women: 1.Yuria Ikuno 2:45:15 Kumamoto Castle Marathon , Kumamoto Total finishers: 10,944 Men: 1. Haruki Okayama 2:22:45 Women: Chigusa Yoshimatsu 2:56:20 Kochi Ryoma Marathon ,  Kochi Total finishers:  9,589 Men:  1. Daisuke Ikemoto 2:28:06 Women:  1. Chiho Matoba 2:58:51 Kitakyushu Marathon , Fukuoka Total finishers: 9,434 Men: 1. Shuji Tsukamoto 2:22:31 Women: 1. Marie Imada 2:38:51 Okinawa Marathon ,  Okinawa Total finishers:  8,303 Men: ...

http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/sports/Sp200802160125.html translated by Brett Larner The invited domestic elites who will try for a spot on the Beijing Olympic team at this year's Tokyo Marathon assembled in Tokyo for a press conference on Feb. 15. Among the well-known runners is Kurao Umeki of Team Chugoku Denryoku. "First of all," commented Umeki, "I want to run strong. The ticket to Beijing is going to be settled in the 2nd half of this race." Umeki has worked hard this season, running the Berlin Marathon in September, the Nagoya Half Marathon in November, and the New Year Ekiden and Yamaguchi Ekiden in January, along with training camps in Okinawa and Kunming, China. "I've done a lot of long, slow, careful preparation," Umeki said with confidence. "I'll be coming to the start line well-prepared." At age 32, Umeki has run 14 marathons and is one of the veterans in the domestic field. He holds a PB of 2:09:52, but the fastest of his do...