japan running news

Fukuoka and Hofu were the big races of the weekend in Japan, but there was a lot of other action going on across the country. Saturday at a special one-day edition of the rebranded Nittai University Time Trials series in Yokohama, 19-year-old Sonata Nagashima (Asahi Kasei) followed up Keita Sato 's 27:28.50 U20 10000 m national record last weekend with the second-fastest time ever by a Japanese U20 man, winning the fast heat in 27:44.86. 21-year-old Reishi Yoshida (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) was just back in 27:47.01 for 2nd, with 3rd through 5th all getting under 28 minutes. The 10000 m National Championships are still coming Dec. 10, but as of this race Japan has 30 men sub-28 this year. By comparison, Kenya has 58, 49 of them done in Japan, Ethiopia has 11, and the U.S.A. has 8. The winner at last month's Fst in Fukuoka road 5 km, Edwin Kisalsak (Fujisan no Meisui) took the men's 5000 m fast heat at Nittai in 13:19.97. Yusuke Tamura (Kurosaki Harima) was the top Japanese m...

December kicks off with another big weekend on the track and roads across Japan. First up it's Friday's rescheduled long distance segment of this year's National Track and Field Championships in Osaka, strategically positioned just inside the reworked qualifying window for next year's Tokyo Olympics. Across men's and women's 3000 m steeplechase, 5000 m and 10000 m, anyone who wins their event with the Olympic standard will be guaranteed a place on the Tokyo team. It doesn't look like there's any official streaming, but the meet will be broadcast on NHK-BS1 starting at 16:00 local time. The 9:30.00 standard in the women's 3000 mSC is faster than the Japanese national record, and with defending national champ Reimi Yoshimura (Daito Bunka Univ.) the closest at 9:49.30 there's not much chance that spot will get taken barring a big step up from her. Her main competition is Yuno Yamanaka (Ehime Ginko), close behind on PB at 9:50.05, with two other...

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/event/sports/news/20130204-OHT1T00222.htm http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/feature/sports/20090121-834932/news/20130212-OHT1T00189.htm http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/feature/sports/20090121-834932/news/20130214-OHT1T00117.htm http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20130214-OHT1T00245.htm http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20130215-OHT1T00216.htm translated and edited by Brett Larner The 47th edition of the Ome 30 km and 10 km Road Race is just around the corner on Feb. 17.  Once again this year runners will pour in from across the country to take part, with 15000 entered for the 30 km and 5000 for the accompanying 10 km division.  We profile five people from among the elites and amateurs who will pass through the early-spring streets of Ome this Sunday. Ryuji Kashiwabara   (23, Team Fujitsu) - Men's 30 km The star of the Hakone Ekiden from 2009 to 2012, Kashiwabara is targeting an ambitious time of 1:30:30 in his 30 km debut. ...