japan running news

Ryu Takaku age: 26 sponsor: Yakult graduated from: Nasu Takuyo H.S., Toyo University best time inside MGC window: 2:10:03, 7rd, 2019 Hamburg Marathon PB: 2:10:03, 7rd, 2019 Hamburg Marathon other PBs: 5000 m: 13:57.89 (2016) 10000 m: 28:36.71 (2015) half marathon: 1:01:58 (2019) marathons inside MGC window (Aug. 1 2017 – April 30 2019) 7th, 2019 Hamburg Marathon, 2:10:03 – PB 9th, 2019 Tokyo Marathon, 2:11:49 30th, 2018 Fukuoka International Marathon, 2:19:51 6th, 2018 Gold Coast Marathon, 2:11:45 7th, 2018 Beppu-Oita Marathon, 2:12:12 other major results: 2nd, 2019 Hakodate Half Marathon, 1:02:43 10th, 2019 Marugame Half Marathon, 1:01:58 – PB 2nd, 2019 New Year Ekiden First Stage (12.3 km), 35:56 13th,, 2018 East Japan Corporate Ekiden Second Stage (15.3 km), 45:53 2nd, 2017 Kumanichi 30 km Road Race, 1:31:18 18th, 2017 Marugame Half Marathon, 1:02:34 5th, 2014 Kumanichi 30 km Road Race, 1:30:32 – PB 1st, 2014 Hakone Ekiden Eighth Stage (21.5 km), 1:04...

Daniel Njenga is a longtime member of the Yakult corporate team , formerly as an athlete and currently as part of its coaching staff . On June 8 Kenyan media published a detailed article credited to Peter Mwangi  claiming that Njenga had been kidnapped during a carjacking two days earlier while picking up his daughter from school. Longtime Njenga associate Brendan Reilly tweeted a link to the article, but after retweeting it in Japanese JRN received a tweet from a Yakult runner saying that he had talked to Njenga, who was at home as usual. The Yakult athlete subsequently deleted the tweet, but JRN confirmed with another source that Njenga is safe at home and that the article by Mwangi is a fabrication.

by Brett Larner Just 17 years old, 2016 Bydgoszcz World U20 Championships men's 5000 m bronze medalist Wesley Ledama of Kenya turned up at Akita's Towada Hachimantai Ekiden running for the Subaru corporate team to rock a new record on the 13.6 km First Stage.  Hammering experienced 32-year-old Ethiopian Kassa Mekashaw (Team Yachiyo Kogyo) into the ground, Ledama took almost a minute and a half off the 39:49 stage record set last year by Kenyan Charles Ndungu (Team Komori Corp.) as he handed off in 1st in 38:28.  Mekashaw likewise broke the record, next into the first exchange zone in 38:35, with Yuki Takamiya (Team Yakult A), the top Japanese man at this year's Tokyo Marathon and winner on Towada's First Stage in 2014, 3rd in 40:27. Both Yachiyo Kogyo and Yakult ran down Subaru on the 13.4 km Second Stage, stage record holder Bernard Kimanyi (Team Yakult A) coming just 2 seconds short of Shota Kai (Team Yachiyo Kogyo) for the lead at the second exchange zon...

http://www.hochi.co.jp/sports/etc/20160229-OHT1T50026.html translated and edited by Brett Larner With Sunday's Tokyo Marathon serving as the second selection race for the Japanese men's Rio de Janeiro Olympic team, general elite division entrant Yuki Takamiya (28, Team Yakult) ran a smart and punchy race to finish 8th overall in a PB of 2:10:57 as the top Japanese man.  Running down Beijing World Championships team member Masato Imai (31, Team Toyota Kyushu), Hakone Ekiden ace Tadashi Isshiki (21, Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) and other famous star athletes, Takamiya put himself into contention for the Rio team.  Feyisa Lilesa (26, Ethiopia) won Tokyo for the first time in 2:06:56. Takamiya was already more than 15 seconds behind the main Japanese pack by 10 km and was over 40 seconds behind at 35 km.  It all came down to the last 2 km, Takamiya's legs turning over with great drive straight from his soul.  Flying past leading Japanese man Yuma Hattori (22, Toyo Un...

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/local/akita/news/20150807-OYTNT50234.html translated by Brett Larner Carrying the tasuki over five stages covering 73.7 km from Lake Towada to Hachimantai, the 68th running of the Towada Hachimantai Ekiden took place August 7 in Akita prefecture, with the Yakult A team from Tokyo scoring its first win in 3:45:46, the sixth-fastest time in the event's history.  The top team from Akita, the Akita Track and Field Association team, finished 13th, three places better than last year.  The local Kazuno Track and Field Association team was 20th of 27 teams overall. The race began at 8:00 at Lake Towada in Towada, Aomori.  Running on a tough course featuring 818 m total elevation difference made all the tougher by blistering sunshine under cloudless skies, many athletes collapsed after finishing their stages.  Charles Ndungu (Team Komori Corp.) ran a new stage record of 39:49 on the hilly 13.6 First Stage to open a lead of over one minute o...