japan running news

by Brett Larner photos by rikujolove and Dr. Helmut Winter, video by naoki620 Endeshaw Negesse and Birhane Dibaba scored the first-ever Ethiopian double at the Tokyo Marathon , both close to the course records as they won in 2:06:00 and 2:23:15.  Former Hakone Ekiden uphill star Masato Imai (Team Toyota Kyushu) made it a show for the home crowd with a 2:07:39 PB for 7th, making him the all-time #6 Japanese man and fastest-ever on the Tokyo course. With decent weather conditions the massive lead pack went out slower than the 1:02:35 first half planned to get them in range of Ethiopian Tsegay Kebede 's 2:05:18 Japanese all-comers' record, Kebede among those up front as they went through half in 1:03:08.  Early casualties included last year's top Japanese man and 2014 Asian Games silver medalist Kohei Matsumura (Team Mitsubishi Juko Nagasaki), 2012 Tokyo winner Michael Kipyego (Kenya), debuting great Tariku Bekele (Ethiopia), 2012 Fukuoka International Marathon...

by Brett Larner Last year the Tokyo Marathon expanded on its claim to legitimacy as a World Marathon Major with new course records of 2:05:42 and 2:22:23, alongside the London Marathon one of only two races in the world all year to have 9 men sub-2:09 and its grand total of 14 men sub-2:10 making it far and away the deepest race in the world in 2014.  But the absence of much big-name talent and Tokyo's lack of genuine international orientation meant not many people noticed or cared . Continuing to expand on its legitimacy, the Tokyo Marathon has partially remedied that by pulling in both quantity and some quality names for this year's race, especially on the men's side.  All told Tokyo features 21 men with bests from 2:03:02 to 2:09:30, the other spring World Marathon Majors Boston having 15 men from 2:03:38 to 2:09:37 and London 13 from 2:02:57 to 2:09:54.  Alongside last year's Tokyo course record-setting winner Dickson Chumba (Kenya) are Boston and New York Ci...

http://response.jp/article/2014/11/26/238309.html translated and edited by Brett Larner The organizers of the 2015 Tokyo Marathon have announced that both London Olympics gold medalists will run next year's race, men's marathon gold medalist Stephen Kiprotich (Uganda) and women's marathon gold medalist Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) each signing on to run as invited athletes.  Kiprotich ran the Tokyo Marathon in 2012 to qualify for the Olympics, finishing 3rd in 2:07:50 behind winner Michael Kipyego (Kenya) and Arata Fujiwara (Japan).  Formerly based in Japan, Gelana ran the Yokohama International Women's Marathon earlier this month where she was 6th in 2:29:13 . The 2015 Tokyo Marathon is scheduled to be held Feb. 22.  As of Nov. 14, 304,825 people had entered for the 28,400 places in the general division, and with entries for the elite, sub-elite, charity runner and other divisions well over capacity across the board, preparations are progressing steadily.  114 ...

by Brett Larner Two-time National Corporate Half Marathon champion Tomomi Tanaka (Team Daiichi Seimei) continued her transition to the marathon today, following up on her 2:26:05 debut for 5th in Nagoya in March with a 2:26:57 win over London Olympics gold medalist Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) and others at the final running of the short-lived Yokohama International Women's Marathon . The race started close to target pace with a 16:56 opening 5 km split, but from there to 10 km the Kenyan pacer Purity Cherotich lost control, running 16:35, sub-2:20 pace, and dropping all but independent Azusa Nojiri (Hiratsuka Lease) and debuting 19-year-old Reia Iwade (Team Noritz).  With a 20-second lead over Tanaka and formerly Japan-based Kenyans Philes Ongori and Caroline Rotich both Nojiri and Iwade let go and coasted, returning to a more sensible pace with a 16:57 for the next 5 km.  Rotich soon closed the gap and went by the leading Japanese pair, Nojiri letting her go but Iwade t...

by Brett Larner The 6th running of the Yokohama International Women's Marathon brings in a good field headed by formerly Japan-based London Olympic marathon gold medalist Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia), lending credibility to its struggle to remain relevant.  The equally formerly Japan-based Philes Ongori (Kenya) tops a trio of 2:23 women including Caroline Rotich (Kenya) and Olena Shurkhno (Ukraine) who should give Gelana a swing of it, with Marisa Barros (Portugal), 2014 Nagano Marathon winner Alina Prokopeva (Russia), Irvette Van Zyl (South Africa) and, welcomed back to Yokohama again after her drug suspension, Zivile Balciunaite (Lithuania), rounding out the international field in Yokohama's usual boutique style. The Japanese field is thin, with only three or four contenders for the top ten.  Independent 2014 Hokkaido Marathon winner Azusa Nojiri (Hiratsuka Lease) is the top Japanese woman on paper, but the better bet to factor into the race is her former teammate To...

by Brett Larner The Great North Run celebrated three-part history Sunday, with the great Mary Keitany breaking marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe 's course record and Mo Farah bringing home the first British men's win in 29 years to set the stage for the millionth finisher in GNR history, the first race in the world to hit that mark. In beautiful conditions with a comfortable tailwind heavy favorite Keitany soloed the race the entire way on track for Radcliffe's 1:05:40 record, only appearing to falter near the end.  Bearing down in the home straight she looked to hit the line dead on, but when official results were posted it was announced that she had made it by a second with a new record of 1:05:39.  Nearly a kilometer back, the U.K.'s Gemma Steel was shockingly strong, going head-to-head with London Olympics gold medalist Tiki Gelana , Commonwealth Games silver medalist Caroline Kilel and two-time World Championships gold medalist Edna Kiplaga...

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20140411-1283502.html translated by Brett Larner In an April 10 interview ahead of her marathon debut at Sunday's London Marathon as an invited elite, Yuko Shimizu (Team Sekisui Kagaku) was cautiously ambitious as she said, "However it turns out, I want to have fun running it.  I want to race at a good pace I can sustain."  Last year's East Asian Games 10000 m gold medalist, Shimizu will be up against the likes of giants like 2012 London Olympics marathon gold medalist Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) and two-time World Championships gold medalist Edna Kiplagat  (Kenya).  "How often do you get the chance to be on the starting line with the best in the world?" Shimizu said with enthusiasm.

by Brett Larner Correction: Although Kenta Murayama is 19, his 1:01:19 will apparently not be considered a new Asian Jr. record as age is calculated on Dec. 31 of the year of competition for the purposes of junior records. After a record-setting edition last year the Marugame Half Marathon was back with exciting races in both the men's and women's divisions.  London Olympics marathon gold medalist and defending Marugame women's winner Tiki Gelana  (Ethiopia) went out alone with a 15:52 opening split, but the fastest woman in the race, Kim Smith  (New Zealand), patiently reeled her back in and by 15 km had a stride-length lead.  At 20 km they were virutally side-by-side, but Gelana still had the kick to put Smith away.  Gelana crossed the finish line 7 seconds ahead of Smith in 1:08:53, just off her best but good enough for a second-straight Marugame title.  3rd-place Yuko Shimizu  (Team Sekisui Kagaku) broke from the Japanese chase pack at 15 km t...

by Brett Larner A big weekend of racing is ahead in Japan with three major races and a handful of other events on the calendar for Sunday.  First and foremost is the 67th Kagawa Marugama International Half Marathon , where London Olympic marathon medalists Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) and Abel Kirui  (Kenya) bring the most prestige.  Women's gold medalist Gelana is challenged by #1-ranked Kim Smith  (New Zealand) and 2010 Marugame winner Nicole Chapple  (Australia) from south of the equator, with 2012 Sanyo Ladies Half Marathon winner Yukiko Akaba  (Team Hokuren) making up the domestic challenge.  All three challengers hold faster PBs than Gelana, setting up for an exciting race.  Other top-level entrants include Marisa Barros  (Portugal) and Hiroko Miyauchi  (Team Kyocera). Men's silver medalist Abel Kirui  (Kenya) is the fastest man in Marugame, where last year's men's field set new world records for depth .  His strongest com...

http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/other/athletic/headlines/20130115-00000028-kyodo_sp-spo.html translated by Brett Larner The domestic and international elite fields for the Feb. 3 Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon were released on Jan. 15.  Headlining the men's field is London Olympics marathon silver medalist Abel Kirui  (Kenya), who will be joined by Japanese Olympic marathoners Arata Fujiwara  (Miki House) and Ryo Yamamoto  (Team Sagawa Express).  London Olympics women's marathon gold medalist and defending Marugame champion Tiki Gelana  (Ethiopia) returns to face off against 2011 Daegu World Championships marathon 5th-placer Yukiko Akaba  (Team Hokuren) and last year's National Championships 10000 m 5th-place finisher Yuko Shimizu  (Team Sekisui Kagaku). 2013 Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon Entry List Highlights Marugame, Kagawa, 2/3/13 click here for complete field listing Women Kim Smith (New Zealand) - 1:07:11...

2012 Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km Nijmegen, Netherlands, 11/18/12 click here for complete results Women 1. Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) - 47:08 2. Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) - 48:09 3. Beatrice Mutai (Kenya) - 48:52 4. Lucy Macharia (Kenya) - 49:00 5. Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) - 49:26 6. Aki Odagiri (Japan) - 50:57 7. Merel de Knegt (Netherlands) - 51:43 8. Eriko Kushima (Japan) - 51:49 9. Hikari Yasuhara (Japan) - 52:14 10. Miranda Boonstra (Netherlands) - 52:23 11. Mei Matsuyama (Japan) - 52:59 ----- 19. Ai Furukubo (Japan) - 55:16 Men 1. Nicholas Kipkemboi (Kenya) - 42:01 2. Leonard Komon (Kenya) - 42:18 3. Nguse Amlosom (Ethiopia) - 42:28 4. Kennedy Kimutai (Kenya) - 42:29 5. Abera Kuma (Ethiopia)

by Brett Larner Three Japanese men from two rival companies were on the roads in Europe this weekend competing over the half marathon distance.  At the Great North Run former Meiji University captain Minoru Ikebe  (Team Honda) had the fastest time of the three, running just off his PB in 1:03:48, the fastest time ever by a Japanese man on the Great North Run course even though far off winner 2011 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon winner and London Olympics bronze medalist  Wilson Kipsang 's winning time of 59:06.  Former Team Denso runner and 2012 Olympic Marathon gold medalist Tiki Gelana  (Ethiopia) took 3rd in the women's race behind the outstanding debut of Tirunesh Dibaba  (Ethiopia) and runner-up Edna Kiplagat  (Kenya), the 2011 World Championships marathon gold medalist. In the Czech Republic at the Usti nad Ladem Half Marathon, 2011 World Championships men's marathon team member Yoshinori Oda  (Team Toyota) ran almost 30 seconds off Ikebe'...

http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/sports/28609/ translated by Brett Larner The views expressed in this editorial are those of the original author. In a rainy Olympic women's marathon, the top Japanese finisher was  Ryoko Kizaki  (27, Team Daihatsu), 16th in 2:27:16 as the Japanese women missed out on the medals and even the top ten for the second Olympiad in a row.   Yoshimi Ozaki  (31, Team Daiichi Seimei) was 19th in 2:27:43, while Risa Shigetomo  (24, Team Tenmaya) ran 2:40:06 for a lowly 79th place.  By comparison,  Tiki Gelana  (24, Ethiopia) set a new Olympic record as she won in 2:23:07.  The Japanese women were totally defeated and could not even improve on top Beijing Olympics Japanese finisher*  Yurika Nakamura 's 13th place.  What has happened to Japan? "It's not so much that the international level has gotten more competitive, it's more that Japan has stopped going anywhere," says double Olympic marathon medalist a...

by Brett Larner photos by Horst Milde Japan's results in the London Olympics women's marathon gave a fair account of the state of the sport in the country, an improvement over Beijing with all three women finishing and two under 2:28 versus one finisher in 2:30:19 four years ago, but where Yurika Nakamura  (Team Tenmaya) was 13th in Beijing the highest finisher this time, autumn 2011 Yokohama International Women's Marathon winner Ryoko Kizaki  (Team Daihatsu), was only 16th.  Despite a fall at a drink station just past halfway, former Team Denso runner Tiki Gelana  (Ethiopia) won gold to continue the legacy of Japan-trained African Olympic marathon medalists, outkicking 2011 Daegu World Championships silver medalist  Priscah Jeptoo  and Russia's Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova , a top-five finisher at both the 2011 and 2012 Tokyo Marathons. 2012 Osaka International Women's Marathon winner Risa Shigetomo  (Team Tenmaya) was among the early pacesette...

by Brett Larner Like other races across the country, the 2012 Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon was fortunate to have ideal conditions for a historic men's race.  Sub-59 Kenyan Matthew Kisorio  had little trouble with the win, running a minute ahead of Japan-based Daniel Gitau  (Kenya/Team Fujitsu) but missing both the course record of 59:48 and Samuel Wanjiru 's Japanese all-comers' record of 59:43 after a fast first half.  Gitau, a graduate of Nihon University, ran in a chase trio together with his successor at Nihon, Benjamin Gandu  and pro Jacob Wanjuki  (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko), narrowly outkicking both as both he and Gandu recorded strong new PBs.  Further back, a second trio of Japanese men Yusuke Takabayashi  (Team Toyota), Arata Fujiwara  (Tokyo T&F Assoc.) and Shinobu Kubota  (Komazawa Univ.) likewise worked together, all three recording massive new PBs. Kubota, the winner of this year's Hakone Ekiden Ninth S...