japan running news

Takanori Ichikawa starts off Day Two of the 2012 Hakone Ekiden for Toyo University on Hakone's toughest stage, the ~900 m downhill Sixth Stage, handing off to 2nd-year Yuta Shitara .

Saturday was the first full day of the Japanese outdoor track season with two large time trial meets and university intramurals across the country. The top marks of the day came over 3000 m at Tokyo's Setagaya Time Trials meet. In the women's A-heat Japan-based Kenyan Grace Mbuthye (Starts) won in 8:58.55, while another Japan-based Kenyan Evans Yego (Sunbelx) took the men's A-heat in 7:58.50. Both times were the 2nd-fastest outdoor marks in the world so far this season. Other notable marks: Kei Fumimoto (Kanebo) turned in the fastest Japanese time of the day at 8:06.95 for 4th in the A-heat. Junior high school 1500 m, 3000 m and 5000 m national record holder Kosuke Ishida made his high school debut in the C-heat running for Tokyo Nogyo Daini H.S. , finishing 3rd in 8:22.85, about 5 seconds off his best. After taking 7th at last month's NYC Half, 2017 World University Games half marathon gold medalist Kei Katanishi (Komazawa Univ.) got back into action, warm...

Having left the Konica Minolta men's corporate team at the end of March this year, Keita Shitara , 25, announced on Sept. 19 that he will join the Hitachi Butsuryu team. The official announcement is scheduled for Sept. 20. As a member of Toyo University Shitara was part of two Hakone Ekiden-winning teams before joining Konica Minolta following his graduation in 2014. His first year at Konica Minolta Shitara ran New Year Ekiden national championships' toughest stage, but since his second year he has experienced a slump. Saying, "I need to change my environment in order to get my head straight and back on track," Shitara chose to leave the team at the end of March, returning to Toyo as his training base. The Hitachi Butsuryu team came into being in April, 2012 as the successor to the Hitachi Cable Marathon Team. It is based in Matsudo, Chiba. Under the leadership of head coach Manabu Kitaguchi, 45, it has grown steadily, placing 10th at this year's New Yea...

by Brett Larner video by toyosina2008 Outdoor track season got moving early with two big meets on April 2nd. At the Setagaya Time Trials meet in Tokyo's Kinuta Park, 17-year-old Hyuga Endo (Gakuho Ishikawa H.S.) kicked hard over the last lap to outrun three members of 2016 Hakone Ekiden champion Aoyama Gakuin University , all of whom ran PBs, and all other competition and go under 13:50 for 5000 m for the first time.  A day after the start of his senior year of high school Endo won the fastest 5000 m heat in 13:48.13, moving up from #9 to #7 on the all-time Japanese high school lists .  AGU's Kazuki Tamura and Yuki Nakamura took 2nd and 3rd in PBs of 13:50.43 and 13:52.29, with Hakone Sixth Stage winner Yuji Onoda joining them under 14 for the first time in 13:56.87.  One other high schooler, Ryunosuke Omori (Sano Nittai Prep H.S.) scored his first sub-14, running 13:54.25 for 5th just behind Kenyan Silas Kingori (Team SGH Group).  Kenyan Rosemary Monica W...

Updated 12/26/16 JRN's 2016 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. Unlisted distances will be added as the season progresses. Click any image to enlarge. Past years: 　 2015 　・　 2014 　・　 2013 　・　 2012 　・　 2011 © 2016 Brett Larner all rights reserved

by Brett Larner videos by Ekiden News Kenyan Hiram Ngatia (Team Toyota) came up with a major PB at Saturday's Kanaguri Memorial Meet, beating Moscow World Championships 10000 m bronze medalist Paul Tanui (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) to win the 5000 m A-heat in a world-leading 13:13.66.  Running on his birthday, Yamanashi Gakuin University star Enock Omwamba (Kenya) likewise PBd in 13:28.41, with Keita Shitara (Team Konica Minolta) edging his twin brother Yuta Shitara (Team Honda) for top Japanese honors at 6th in 13:41.04. The Shitara twins' former Toyo University teammate Takanori Ichikawa (Team Hitachi Butsuryu) came up with a PB almost identical to theirs to win the B-heat in 13:41.84 just ahead of top collegiate Hironori Tsuetaki (Chuo Gakuin Univ.).  After running last month's United Airline NYC Half with support from JRN, Takashi Ichida (Team Asahi Kasei) and his former Kagoshima Jitsugyo H.S. teammate Koki Takada (Waseda Univ.) both PBd in the B-heat, Ichi...

by Brett Larner For the second year in a row #1-ranked Komazawa University  returned from a shambolic performance at October's Izumo Ekiden to take the win at the National University Men's Ekiden Championships , anchor Shinobu Kubota  running down Toyo University  first-year Yuma Hattori  to bring Komazawa home in a course-record 5:12:43 for the eight-stage, 106.8 km race between Nagoya and Ise.  It was Komazawa's tenth national ekiden title under head coach Hiroaki Oyagi , an achievement which puts him solidly in the record books among Japan's all-time greats.  Toyo, #3 on paper leading into Nationals, just missed the course record, running 5:13:32 for 2nd, while #2-ranked Waseda University was hit-and-miss as it took 3rd in 5:15:08. Nittai University , Meiji University and Nihon University  rounded out the top six to make the seeded places for 2013's National Championships, but times were fast all around as the top eight all beat Waseda...

http://www.niigata-nippo.co.jp/news/sports/39194.html translated by Brett Larner Course record-setting winners of the 2012 Hakone Ekiden this past January, the Toyo University ekiden team arrived in Yamakoshi, Niigata on Aug. 23 for intensive summer training. Looking to defend their Hakone title, ten members of the team led by assistant captain and Hakone Sixth Stage winner Takanori Ichikawa (21) will kick off their season on the tough, hilly mountain roads around Yamakoshi. This year marks Toyo's fifth time doing summer training in Yamakoshi.  The team will be knocking out its training for five days through the 27th. Arriving midday on the 23rd, the athletes were very soon out the door and running on a 9 km course. Cheers of encouragement from local residents helped the team on as they gritted their way up a steep uphill.

by Brett Larner 2012 Hakone Ekiden course record-setter Toyo University dominated rival and previous Hakone course record holder Waseda University in the men's 3000 m at the 2012 Trial in Isesaki night meet organized by Jobu University .  Toyo's downhill specialist Takanori Ichikawa ran up front with twin teammates Yuta Shitara and Keita Shitara , emerging a step ahead of Yuta for the win as both broke eight minutes.  Keita, until recently the stronger of the twins, fell behind late in the race but held on for third in 8:07.12.  Waseda's top finisher Fuminori Shikata could do no better than 5th a second back from Keita. All told Toyo athletes took eight of the top ten spots, boding well for their chances in the upcoming fall ekiden season and their Hakone title defense on Jan. 2-3.  Look for Toyo to line up in next month's Hood to Coast Relay in Oregon. 2012 Trial in Isesaki Jobu University, Isesaki, Gunma, 7/21/12 click here for complete results Men...

by Brett Larner click here for Day One report and results click here for a breakdown of records set at the 2012 Hakone Ekiden Toyo University anchor Takashi Saito ten seconds from history at the 2012 Hakone Ekiden. All photos by Julie Setagaya . Click photo for more. Toyo University brought in the New Year with inspiration, reaching up beyond themselves to take the Hakone Ekiden to another level in its 88th running. Last year we called Waseda University and Toyo the two best university teams ever assembled, Waseda’s first-ever sub-11 hour clocking for the two-day, ten-stage, 217.9 km Hakone course a historic achievement. Like the Kenyan marathoners of 2011, this year Toyo redefined what was possible, refusing to settle back and run conservatively, attacking each stage to take an incredible 8:15 off Waseda’s 2011 Hakone course record, running 10:51:36 to become the first school ever to average under 3:00/km for the entire course, its ten men averaging 2:59.4 per km, an av...

by Brett Larner Updated by request with top ten times per stage. Keita Shitara anchors Toyo University in for its first-ever Izumo Ekiden win. Click photo to enlarge. 2009 and 2010 Hakone Ekiden champion Toyo University , always weak in the early season in past years, came out swinging at the start of the university men's ekiden season to take down defending champion and course record holder Waseda University  and top-ranked Komazawa University  for its first-ever win at the Izumo Ekiden Oct. 10 in Izumo, Shimane. With Waseda hampered by injuries and missing three members of last year's winning squad it was always near the front but never held a clear lead.  Komazawa spent the entire race digging itself out after star first-year Kenta Murayama  blew his university ekiden debut and finished only 13th out of 21 on the 8.0 km First Stage.  Toyo ace Ryuji Kashiwabara 's opening run was actually its weakest of the day as he finished only sixth.  Toyo S...

by Brett Larner Members of Japan's top two university teams, 2011 Hakone Ekiden winner Waseda University  and 2009-2010 winner Toyo University , held a midsummer face-off July 23 in Isesaki Gunma at the Trial in Isesaki meet hosted by locally-based Jobu University .  With early pacing provided by Jobu graduate Yusuke Hasegawa  (Team S&B), Waseda second-year Suguru Osako , the Asian junior area record holder in the half marathon, won the men's 3000 m A-heat with a gap of nearly six seconds over Toyo's Takanori Ichikawa  and Hiroyuki Uno , running 8:05.70.  2009 Ageo City Half Marathon winner Shota Hiraga  (Waseda Univ.) was off his game as he finished only 7th in 8:18.29. For Osako the meet was a tuneup for next month's World University Games in Shenzhen, China.  Although he set the Asian junior record at the half marathon last fall as a first-year, Osako has since backed off the distance and focused on the track.  At the World Univers...