japan running news

The Hokkaido Marathon happens Aug. 30 in Sapporo. Although it's not a top-tier race on the global schedule, the JAAF gives it special status in qualification for the MGC Race Los Angeles Olympics marathon trials, with 3 spots available to men who run under 2:12:00 and women under 2:32:00. Compare that to the criteria for making the trials by running the WA platinum label Sydney Marathon the same day, where men have to run under 2:06:30 and women 2:23:30 regardless of how they place. It's hard to see that as anything other than disincentivizing Japanese runners from racing abroad, with protecting the JAAF's financial interest in domestic races being the priority over getting the best athletes into the Olympic trials. But anyway, there are pretty good fields of people willing to not step out of line. All 6 women with marathon finishes to their name have run under 2:30 in the last 3 years led by veteran Hitomi Niiya with a 2:21:50 in Tokyo 2 years ago. Most are in the 2:26-2...

photo © 2025 Victah Sailer/PhotoRun Even with a few withdrawals there was a massive group of Japanese athletes at the Berlin Marathon this year, most of the group that typically goes to the Chicago Marathon seeming to opt for Berlin instead. With men's winner Sebastian Sawe taking a shot at the world record, Akira Akasaki , Yuhei Urano and NR holder Kengo Suzuki sat back in a 3rd group targeting the JAAF's 2:06:30 standard for 2028 Olympic marathon trials qualification. The group held steady on that pace, quickly passing and leaving behind Hakone fan favorite Aoi Ota , who went out with a 14:26 opening 5 km only to finish in 2:14:02. Suzuki dropped off, but Akasaki and Urano were together through 30 km until Urano did the same. The top Japanese finisher in the Paris Olympics last year, from there Akasaki had what had to have been an incredibly fun last 12 km, picking faster people off one by one as he rolled on. Ultimately he made it all the way up to 2nd in a 2:06:15 PB. ...

The Jan. 1 New Year Ekiden is the only major championship ekiden that doesn't give podium placers auto-qualification for the next year, forcing corporate men's teams to run the regional qualifiers every November and impacting runners' ability to do a fall marathon. The Olympic marathon trials 3 weeks ago impacted the dynamic this time, as any team that had had someone at the Trials and finished its regional qualifier would make the New Year Ekiden regardless of whether it finished in the bracket. That didn't really come into play much at the Kyushu Region Corporate Ekiden in Fukuoka, where 7 of the 9 teams in contention for 8 qualifying spots had people at the Trials. Kurosaki Harima led start to finish, its lead duo Yusuke Tamura and Sitonik Kiprono both winning their stages to give the team a 31 second lead. Traditional power Asahi Kasei came on strong in the middle of the race with stage wins from Takashi Ichida and Ryo Saito and an excellent new CR of 31:18 fo...

On Aug. 29 the JAAF announced that Shuho Dairokuno (Asahi Kasei) has withdrawn from the Oct. 15 Marathon Grand Championship race, Japan's trials event for the 2024 Paris Olympics marathon team. Dairokuno is reported to be suffering from tibial periostitis in his left leg due to overuse. A native of Kagoshima, Dairokuno is 30 years old. While at Meiji University he won the 8th Stage at the 2014 National University Ekiden, and since joining the Asahi Kasei corporate team has been a member of three national champion lineups at the New Year Ekiden. His PBs include 13:28.61 for 5000 m, 27:46.55 for 10000 m, and 1:01:32 for the half marathon. At the 2021 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon he ran his 2:07:21 marathon best. source article: https://www.rikujyokyogi.co.jp/archives/113235 translated by Brett Larner

The Osaka Marathon is only 2 1/2 weeks away but it's taken until now for it to announce its elite fields. Last year's Milan Marathon winner Vivian Kiplagat is the clear favorite in the women's race, but beyond her there's a pretty even group of 7 at the 2:23~2:25 level including Ethiopian duo Beyenu Degefa and Helen Bekele , Australian Lisa Weightman , and Otsuka Seiyaku teammates Ikumi Fukura and Rie Kawauchi , Given the current version of Osaka's history as the descendent of the men-only Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, this field is a pretty good step toward parity. But the men's race is still a lot bigger and higher-level. Ethiopians Hailemaryam Kiros and Abayneh Degu lead a group of 7 internationals at the 2:04~2:06 level. Toshiki Sadakata and Shuho Dairokuno come in just below that as the top-ranked Japanese men in a group of 11 at the 2:07 level. One of the key names in there is Yuma Hattori , winner of Fukuoka in 2018 in 2:07:27 but still strugglin...

Three Japanese men ran Sunday's Amsterdam Marathon, Yuki Sato (SG Holdings) in pursuit of a faster time than his 2:08:17 best, and Shuho Dairokuno (Asahi Kasei) and Akira Tomiyasu (Aisan Kogyo) looking for times that would get them inside the cut for next year's 2024 Olympic marathon trials. Sato went out with the lead group on 2:04 pace through 15 km before falling off, hitting halfway in 1:03:10 and 30 km in 1:33:33. Just past 40 km he dropped out after hitting it in 2:14:19. Dairokuno, who needed to run 2:09:49 to score trials qualification, went through halfway in 1:04:33 before overtaking Sato and clocking 1:31:49 at 30 km. Unable to sustain that, he finished 21st in 2:12:38. Tomiyasu had the most modest goal, only needing to run 2:11:05 to clear the trials standards. 1:04:56 at halfway and 1:31:59 at 30 km, he briefly caught up to Dairokuno before struggling after the lefthand turn into the strong headwind at 35 km. He ultimately finished 24th in 2:15:21, over a minute...

The Hokuren Distance Challenge series continued Saturday in Kitami , where the biggest news came in the women's 3000 m. National ekiden champion Meijo University 's Yuma Yamamoto took over 6 seconds off Masako Saito 's collegiate record dating back to 1994, running 8:52.19 for 6th. 19-year-old Agnes Mwikali (Kyocera) took the top spot in a PB 8:45.86, with high schoolers Janet Nyiva (Kurashiki H.S.) and Susan Kamotho (Oita Tomei H.S.) running impressive U20 times of 8:47.89 and 8:50.24. The top 9 were all under 9 minutes, very deep for a domestic Japanese race. 2019 World University Games half marathon gold medalist Yuka Suzuki (Daito Bunka Univ.) ran her 2nd PB for 5000 m this week, taking the top spot in the A-heat in 15:30.14 with a 2:59 final 1000 m. The men's 3000 m saw former 1500 m NR holder Nanami Arai (Honda) run a PB 7:48.50 for the win, moving him up to all-time Japanese #5. Hazuma Hattori (Toenec), younger brother of marathoner Yuma Hattori , was 2n...

The Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon is going ahead this Sunday, for at least a part of its field. TBS will be broadcasting it live starting at 11:50 a.m. Sunday local time, and JRN will cover it on  @JRNLive . There's no word at this point on official streaming, but you could always give mov3.co a go. Two weeks before the race, organizers announced that they were cutting back the field of nearly 4,000 to only those with qualifying times under 2:30, entrants in the blind marathon division, and qualified locals, a total of about 500. That pretty much eliminated women from the race, including 7-time Hofu Marathon winner Hisae Yoshimatsu , leaving Tokyo Paralympics gold medalist Misato Michishita (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) as the probable favorite in the women's race unless a local is ready to run sub-3. The men's entry list is heavily dominated by people who part of the Miracle in Lake Biwa last year, Shuho Dairokuno (Asahi Kasei) and Tsubasa Ichiyama (Komori Corp.) leading th...

Other races have started canceling as Japan's COVID-19 numbers climb again, but the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon is set to return this year on Feb 6, announcing its elite field on Jan 14. The front end is heavily dominated by people who part of the Miracle in Lake Biwa last year, Shuho Dairokuno  (Asahi Kasei) and Tsubasa Ichiyama  (Komori Corp.) leading the way at 2:07:12 and 2:07:41 from that race. Four others on the list have run 2:08 recently, three at Lake Biwa, with two 2:09 veterans rounding out a sub-2:10 club that's as good as in any past year at Beppu-Oita, even without an international field. Well, there is one Ethiopian in the race, 2019 Fukuoka 3rd-placer Derese Workneh (Hiramatsu Byoin), but he's locally-based in Kyushu. But where this year's field really stands out is in its list of first-timers. Sub-61 half marathoners Kiyoshi Koga  (Yasukawa Denki) and Yusuke Nishiyama (Toyota) are there fresh off good runs on the New Year Ekiden 's longest stag...

All good things must pass. Tomorrow is the final running of the  Fukuoka International Marathon , Japan's most iconic marathon and last remaining elite men-only race. On paper it has a field to rival the one that broke records at February's final running of the  Lake Biwa Marathon , and with excellent conditions on the forecast and the attitude on display at the pre-race press conference it looks like Fukuoka might get the sendoff it deserves.  Former half marathon and marathon NR holder Yuta Shitara  (Honda) was confident and mature in his answers at the presser, saying his training has been the same as in previous marathons, that he is in Fukuoka to win, and that he plans to run a controlled first half and then push the second. Shitara also announced a sponsor change from Nike, which which he's had a relationship since college, to Puma. Shitara's twin brother Keita Shitara  (Hitachi Butsuryu), 2:12:13 in Tokyo last year, is also in the race, creating the like...

Regional qualification for the New Year Ekiken corporate men’s national championships started Wednesday with two of the most competitive regions, East Japan and Kyushu. In East Japan, 2020 national champ Fujitsu returned with an anchor stage reversal to win East Japan for the second year in a row. Honda ’s Olympic 10000 m man Tatsuhiko Ito led on the 13.4 km opening stage, but on the 8.4 km Second Stage Yakult ’s Stanley Waithaka put his team out front where they stayed until another Honda Olympian, steepler Ryoma Aoki regained the top spot on the 8.4 km Fourth Stage.  Over the next two stages Honda maintained the lead, but behind them Fujitsu drew closer and closer. Fujitsu anchor Ken Yokote started just one second behind Honda’s Yuta Shitara and had no trouble running him down and opening an 8-second margin of victory by the end of the stage. The top 12 teams in East Japan qualified, with the Comodi Iida supermarket team not moving into the 12th spot until late in the fina...

With just over a month to go until its final edition, on Nov. 1 the organizers of the Fukuoka International Marathon held a press conference to announce its last elite field. For the second year in a row it's domestic-only, headlined by Kyohei Hosoya  (Kurosaki Harima), 2:06:35 at the final Lake Biwa Marathon this past spring, Ryu Takaku  (Yaklut), 2:06:45 in Tokyo last year, and Daisuke Uekado (Otsuka Seiyaku), 2:06:54 in Tokyo just behind Takaku.  Out of a total field of 124, along with the 3 sub-2:07 guys there are 11 sub-2:08, 18 sub-2:09, 25 sub-2:10 and many more at the sub-2:11 and sub-2:12 levels. It's an even bigger front end than was on the entry list at the record-breaking final Lake Biwa Marathon earlier this year, and for a domestic field it's one worthy of sending off Fukuoka's 75-year history. Last year's winner  Yuya Yoshida  (GMO), who was scheduled to run October's Tokyo Marathon before it was postponed until March, is absent.  With Ja...

an editorial by Kazuhiro Masuda Nike's recent generations of thick-soled platform racing shoes swept the 2020 Tokyo Marathon , with 28 out of the top 30 placing men wearing them, including international entrants. Of these, 9 including new Japanese national record holder Suguru Osako (Nike) wear wearing the new Air Zoom Alphafly Next% model with a 3.95 cm thick sole complying with new regulations from World Athletics. With 10 Japanese men running under 2:08 in a single race for the first time in history, all 10 were wearing models of the platform shoes. Despite a mix in choice of models, the shoes dominated the market in the race. One after another, thick green, black, pink, and green and orange shoes crossed the finish line in Marunouchi, Tokyo. From winner Birhanu Legese to 30th-place Shuho Dairokuno , 28 men had the Nike shoes on their feet. The other 2 were wearing Adidas and Asics. Wearing the latest model of the Nike shoes for his latest national record, Osako said, ...

After an exciting head-to-head last year that saw them race each other to sub-2:10 PBs, Desmond Mokgobu (South Africa) and Hayato Sonoda (Kurosaki Harima) return to the Feb. 3 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon . The pair face not only each other but recent sub-2:10 men Hicham Laqouahi (Morocco), Abdela Godana (Ethiopia), Hiroyuki Yamamoto (Konica Minolta),  Daisuke Uekado (Japan/Otsuka Seiyaku), Justus Kiprotich (Kenya), Takuya Fukatsu (Asahi Kasei)  Kohei Ogino (Japan/Fujitsu) and Yihunilign Adane (Ethiopia) and sub-62 half marathoners Keijiro Mogi (Asahi Kasei), Charles Ndirangu (JFE Steel) and Shuho Dairokuno (Asahi Kasei), setting up a better-than-average pack by Beppu-Oita standards. For the Japanese men Beppu-Oita counts toward qualification for the MGC Race , Japan's 2020 Olympic Trials. Sonoda and Uekado have already made it along with fellow entrants Naoki Okamoto (Chugoku Denryoku) and Tomohiro Tanigawa (Konica Minolta), but for Ogino and others it wil...

JRN's 2018 Japanese track and road distance running rankings. Overall rankings are calculated using runners' times and placings in races over 5000 m, 10000 m, half-marathon and marathon and the strength of these performances relative to others in the top ten in each category. Click any image to enlarge. Past years: 2017 　・　 2016 　・ 　 2015 　・　 2014 　・　 2013 　・　 2012 　・　 2011 © 2018 Brett Larner,  all rights reserved

Three main races make up this weekend's action, the Fukuoka International Marathon, Kumamoto Kosa 10-Miler and Nittai University Time Trials. 2018 has been the best year in history for Japanese men's marathoning, and Fukuoka is sure to add to the numbers. There hasn't been a Japanese winner in Fukuoka since Tsuyoshi Ogata in 2004, and with ten recent sub-2:10 Japanese in the field including half marathon national record holder Yuta Shitara (Honda) and a few others with potential for high-level breakthroughs or longshot comebacks it wouldn't be surprising to see someone overcome the relatively weak international field. The loss of Callum Hawkins (Great Britain) to injury takes some of the spark out of the international contingent, leaving a group of East Africans at their peak a few seasons back and now in range of any Japanese man looking to run at the 2:07 to 2:08 level. 2011 World Championships silver medalist Vincent Kipruto (Kenya) is the only one to stand ...

The 2018 Hakodate Marathon and Half Marathon took place July 1 in Hakodate, Hokkaido. Despite heavy rain on and off throughout the race, 6767 people out of 7139 starters finished. The third year Hakodate has had a full marathon division, 3147 people started in the full and 3992 in the half. Both races began and finished at Chiyogadai Field, the half starting at 9:00 a.m. and the full going off at 10:00. As rain fell the runners were cheered on by local supporters lining the streets of the western parts of the city and the coastal areas popular with tourists. Volunteers at aid stations handed out local delicacies like mini sashimi bowls and cold salty ramen to enthusiastic participants. Yuya Yamashita (26, Sunbelx) took four minutes off the course record to win the men's full marathon in 2:18:27. "The hills in the second half were tough, but I'm really happy to have won it," he said post-race, his face full of smiles. Kenyan Paul Kuira (Konica Minolta) won a c...

Returning from her stellar 2:22:44 marathon debut in Osaka in January, Mizuki Matsuda (Daihatsu) delivered the highlight of the opening day of competition at the 102nd Japanese National Track and Field Championships in Yamaguchi. Starting with a conservative 3:20 for the first 1000 m the pace gradually picked up thanks in large part to National Corporate Half Marathon runner-up Yuka Hori (Panasonic). Anxious to avoid a repeat of last year when she was outkicked by Matsuda over the last lap, 2016 national champ Ayuko Suzuki (Japan Post) launched a long surge from four and a half laps out, a move only Matsuda could follow. With one lap to go Suzuki had opened a 2 second lead, but it was nowhere near a margin of safety. Summoning up the same winning move as last year, Matsuda blew by Suzuki to win by 5 seconds in 31:52.42. Hori held on to 3rd in 32:05.52. The day's other track final was the men's 10000 m. On a roll since his 2:06:54 breakthrough at the Tokyo Marathon in Fe...