japan running news

Wind and rain hit the 20th anniversary Nagano Marathon hard enough to slow things down, Japan's Asami Furus e (Kyocera) and Ethiopian Abdela Godana taking the top spots in the women's and men's races. Coached by former men's half marathon national record holder Atsushi Sato , Furuse and teammate Saki Tokoro were part of a lead group of five women that set out on low 2:33 pace. Kenyan Beatrice Jepkemboi dropped off he group near 20 km and Yukiko Okuno (Shiseido) did the same a few minutes later, leaving the Kyocera duo to face remaining Kenyan Pauline Wangui over the second half. Tokoro cracked just before 30 km and Wangui around 32 km, leaving Furuse to push on alone to an evenly-paced 2:34:09. Wangui faded to 4th, run down first by Tokoro and then by Okuno. Tokoro made it a 1-2 finish for Kyocera, another success for Sato is his short coaching career to date. 4th last year, former Tenmaya runner Aki Otagiri moved up from the second pack to take the 5th spot...

20th Nagano Marathon Elite Field Highlights Nagano, 4/15/18 times listed are best within last three years except where noted click here for complete field listing Men Abdela Godana (Ethiopia) - 2:09:45 (Seoul 2017) Julius Keter (Kenya) - 2:09:55 (Santiago 2017) Shoya Osaki (Japan/Chudenko) - 2:11:03 (Gold Coast 2017) Kazuya Ishida (Japan/Nishitetsu) - 2:12:25 (Beppu-Oita 2016) Shinichi Yamashita (Japan/Takigahara SDF Base) - 2:12:32 (Hofu 2017) Jackson Kiprop (Uganda) - 2:12:45 (Amsterdam 2017) Kohei Futaoka (Japan/Chudenko) - 2:13:28 (Beppu-Oita 2018) Yuki Munakata (Japan/Kanebo) - 2:13:53 (Beppu-Oita 2016) Kazuya Deguchi (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - 2:14:24 (Nobeoka 2018) Hiroshi Ichida (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - 2:15:15 (Biwako 2017) Women Tigist Girma (Ethiopia) - 2:29:05 (Beirut 2017) Beatrice Jepkemboi (Kenya) - 2:30:35 (Buenos Aires 2015) Asami Furuse (Japan/Kyocera) - 2:30:44 (Osaka Int'l 2017) Pauline Wangui (Kenya) - 2:30:49 (Sevilla 2017) Yukiko Okuno (Japan/...

by Brett Larner Japan's Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) and Reia Iwade (Team Noritz) will be in the field for Sunday's BMW Berlin Marathon .  Berlin has been good to Japan in the past, with the country's first 2:06 men's national record and the last three women's national records all happening on the ultra-flat Berlin course.  But in the last decade Berlin has seen fewer and fewer quality runs from Japanese athletes.   Kurao Umeki placed 3rd in 2006, but the fastest time over the decade was only 2:10:24 in 2013 by future Rio Olympian Suehiro Ishikawa .  For women too, Tomo Morimoto placed 3rd in 2010, her 2:26:10 also the fastest time in the last ten years but far off the quality of the 2:19 marks set  in Berlin by Naoko Takahashi , Yoko Shibui and Mizuki Noguchi .  The ten-year average times and places for Japanese athletes in the top ten in Berlin are 2:12:00 for 8th for men and 2:29:26 for 7th for women. Can Kawauchi and Iwade beat those aver...

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/sapporo-news/20150628/5792931.html translated by Brett Larner Now in its 25th year, 4500 runners from across the country ran Hokkaido's Hakodate Half Marathon on June 28, coming for the seaside course and staying for the legendary hot spring resorts.  A fall race up to now, this year the Hakodate Half saw its entry numbers swell by 1000 this year with a move to a June race date.  The race began at 8:00 sharp with the firing of a gun at Chiyogadai Field in Hakodate.  A light rain left runners shivering before the start, but things warmed up over the 21 km seaside course with enthusiastic cheering from roadside spectators.  One participant, a firefighter from Tokyo, commented, "This was both a race for me and a vacation for my family.  I really enjoyed the scenery along the course while I ran." Kenyan Mitchell Gizae (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) won the men's race in 1:02:29, while Asami Kato (Team Panasonic) was the women's winner in 1:12...

by Brett Larner Five days after winning bronze in the women's 10000 m behind gold medalist Ayuko Suzuki  (Nagoya Univ.)  Mai Tsuda  (Ritsumeikan Univ.) bookended Japan's 2013 World University Games with another gold as she outkicked 10000 m silver medalist  Alina Prokopyeva  (Russia) by five seconds over the final kilometer to win the women's half marathon in 1:13:12 on the final day of athletics competition.  Tsuda and Prokopyeva sat in a pack of nine made up entirely of Japanese and Russian athletes through 15 km before pulling away as a pair, crossing 20 km in 1:09:42 with Yukiko Okuno  (Kyoto Sangyo Univ.) alone four seconds back in 3rd.  Prokopyeva was outclassed in the final stage of the race and could only watch Tsuda surge away for the gold medal as she took silver in 1:13:18. Okuno held on to the bronze medal position in 1:13:24, nine seconds ahead of Russian Lyudmila Lebedeva .  Although the Russians' third runner came throug...

by Brett Larner 2010 Matsue Ladies Half Marathon winner Doricah Obare  (Kenya/Team Hitachi) returned to the top Mar. 17, winning the 2013 edition of the race in 1:11:11.  Doubling as the National University Women's Half Marathon Championships and the selection race for the Japanese women's half marathon squad for this summer's World University Games, Obare was up against an almost entire collegiate field and saw tough competition from Yasuka Ueno  (Tsukuba Univ.), who challenged for the win before falling back and taking 2nd in 1:11:30.   Ayako Mitsui  of 2012 national champion Ritsumeikan University and Meijo University ace Aki Odagiri  rounded out the collegiate top three to secure themselves places on the World University Games team, while last year's winner Ayame Takaki  (Meijo Univ.) was only 26th.   Ayumi Hagiwara  (Team Uniqlo) took the 10 km division in 33:19. 2013 Matsue Ladies Half Marathon National University Women's Half Mar...