japan running news

by Brett Larner Men`s Marathon Atsushi Sato Born: May 8, 1978, Fukushima Prefecture Team Affiliation: Chugoku Denryoku Olympic Event PB: 2:07:13, 12/2/07 Season Highlights: -35th place, Sapporo Int’l Half Marathon: 1:04:01, 6/15/08 -2nd place, Central Japan Pro T&F Championships 10000m: 28:16.94, 5/17/08 -winner, Central Japan Pro T&F Championships 5000m: 13:47.13, 5/11/08 -3rd place and all-time Japanese 4th best, Fukuoka Int’l Marathon: 2:07:13, 12/2/07 Career Highlights: -NR and AR, half marathon: 1:00:25, 2007 -Former Univ. NR, marathon: 2:09:50, 2000 -World T&F Championships Marathon, 2003 -World Road Running Championships, 2007 -World Half Marathon Championships, 2002 -Nat’l T&F Championships 10000m, 2000-2002, 2004-2005, 2007 -Nat’l T&F Championships 5000m, 2002 Atsushi Sato is Japan`s best current male marathoner. An ekiden runner of incredible intensity, he set the previous university national record in the marathon while at Waseda University, going on t...

by Brett Larner Women`s 10000 m Yoko Shibui Born: Oct. 27, 1978, Tochigi Prefecture Team Affiliation: Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo Olympic Event PB: 30:48.89, 2002 – NR Season Highlights: -National Champion, 10000m: 31:15.07 (personal 2nd-best), 6/27/08 -4th place, Nat’l T&F Championships 5000m: 15:19.29 (personal 2nd-best), 6/29/08 -Meet Record, East Japan Pro T&F Championships 10000m: 31:21.92 (personal 4th-best), 5/17/08 -Hyogo Relay Carnival 10000m: 31:19.73 (personal 3rd-best), 4/27/08 Career Highlights: -NR, 10000m: 30:48.89, 2002 -Former WR, debut marathon: 2:23:11, 2001 -Former NR, marathon: 2:19:41, 2004 -National Champion, 10000m, 2008 -Winner, 2004 Berlin marathon and 2001 Osaka Int’l Women`s Marathon -Winner, Cardinal Invitational 10000m, 2002 -World T&F Championships 10000m, 2003 -World T&F Championships Marathon, 2001 -World XC Championships, 1998 -3rd place, Chicago Marathon, 2002 10000m national record holder Yoko Shibui has followed a strange and beautiful ...

by Brett Larner Men`s 10000 m Takayuki Matsumiya Born: Feb. 21, 1980, Akita Prefecture Team Affiliation: Konica-Minolta Olympic Event PBs: 5000m: 13:13.20, 2007 – NR; 10000m: 27:41.75, 5/4/08 Season Highlights: -National Champion, 5000m: 13:47.81, 6/28/08 -National Champion, 10000m: 27:51.27, 6/26/08 -All-time Japanese 4th best, Cardinal Invitational 10000m: 27:41.75, 5/4/08 Career Highlights: -WR, 30 km (road): 1:28:00, 2005 -NR, 5000m: 13:13.20, 2007 -National Champion, 5000m and 10000m, 2006-2008 -World T&F Championships 10000m, 2007 -World Half Marathon Championships, 2001, 2005 -2nd place, Rotterdam Marathon, 2007 Still young, Takayuki Matsumiya has the potential to be the successor to Toshinari Takaoka`s domination of Japanese men`s distance running. After setting the current world record for 30 km in 2005, Matsumiya has controlled the 5000m and 10000m in Japan, winning national titles in both distances for the last three years and setting the 5000m national record of 13:1...

by Brett Larner Women`s 5000 m Yukiko Akaba Born: Oct. 18, 1979, Tochigi Prefecture Team Affiliation: Hokuren Olympic Event PBs: 5000m; 15:06.07, 7/13/08; 10000m: 31:15.34, 6/27/08 Season Highlights: -Hokuren Distance Challenge 5000m, all-time Japanese 3rd best: 15:06.07, 7/13/08 -Nat’l T&F Championships 10000m, 2nd place and all-time Japanese 4th best: 31:15.34, 6/27/08 -Nat’l T&F Championships 5000m, 2nd place: 15:13.96, 6/29/08 -Hyogo Relay Carnival 10000m: 31:36.54, 4/27/08 -Nat’l Pro Half Marathon Champion, new CR and all-time Japanese 3rd best: 1:08:11, 3/16/08 Career Highlights: -Nat’l Pro Half Marathon Champion with new CR, 2008 -2nd place, Nat’l T&F Championships 5000m and 10000m, 2008 -Nat’l University Champion, 5000m, 1999 Akaba`s relatively recent profile fails to fully illustrate her long history. A standout collegiate runner during her days at Josai University, Akaba went on to be a garden variety professional runner in the Japanese jitsugyodan corporate ru...

by Brett Larner Men`s 5000 m Takayuki Matsumiya Born: Feb. 21, 1980, Akita Prefecture Team Affiliation: Konica-Minolta Olympic Event PBs: 5000m: 13:13.20, 2007 – NR; 10000m: 27:41.75, 5/4/08 Season Highlights: -National Champion, 5000m: 13:47.81, 6/28/08 -National Champion, 10000m: 27:51.27, 6/26/08 -All-time Japanese 4th best, Cardinal Invitational 10000m: 27:41.75, 5/4/08 Career Highlights: -WR, 30 km (road): 1:28:00, 2005 -NR, 5000m: 13:13.20, 2007 -National Champion, 5000m and 10000m, 2006-2008 -World T&F Championships 10000m, 2007 -World Half Marathon Championships, 2001, 2005 -2nd place, Rotterdam Marathon, 2007 Still young, Takayuki Matsumiya has the potential to be the successor to Toshinari Takaoka`s domination of Japanese men`s distance running. After setting the current world record for 30 km in 2005, Matsumiya has controlled the 5000m and 10000m in Japan, winning national titles in both distances for the last three years and setting the 5000m national record of 13:13...

by Brett Larner Women`s 3000 m SC Minori Hayakari Born: Nov. 29, 1972, Kyoto Team Affiliation: Kyoto Koka AC Olympic Event PB: 9:33.93, 7/20/08 – NR Season Highlights: -NR, 3000m SC: 9:33.93, 7/20/08 -National Champion, 3000m SC: 9:48.43, 6/28/08 Career Highlights: -NR, 3000m SC: 9:33.93, 2008 -NR, 2000m: 5:53.70, 2002 -Former NR, 3000m SC: 9:38.68, 2007 -Former NR, AR, 3000m SC, 9:41.21, 2005 (broke NR 3 times in 2005) -National Champion, 3000m SC, 2006-2008 -National Champion, 800m and 1500m, 1996 -World T&F Championships, 3000m SC, 2005, 2007 -World T&F Championships, 3000m, 1991 -World XC Championships, 1990, 1991, 2002, 2005, 2006 -World Indoor T&F Championships, 1500m, 1999 Minori Hayakari comes to the Beijing Olympics as something of an anomaly in Japanese women`s distance running. After early-career success in the 3000m, in which she competed at the World Championships as a teenager, she switched focus in her mid-20’s to the 800 m and 1500 m. Once hitting her 30`...

by Brett Larner Men`s 3000 m SC Yoshitaka Iwamizu Born: June 20, 1979, Aichi Prefecture Team Affiliation: Fujitsu Olympic Event PB: 8:18.93, 2003 – NR Season Highlights: -6th place, Memorial Leon Buyle 3000m: 7:55.90, 7/26/08 -12th place, DN Galan 3000m SC: 8:34.05, 7/22/08 -National Champion, 3000m SC: 8:29.75, 6/29/08 -Top Japanese finisher, World XC Championships, 4/5/08 Career Highlights: -NR, 3000m SC: 8:18.93, 2003 -Asian Champion, 3000m SC, 2005 -National Champion, 3000m SC, 2001-2005, 2007-2008 -Athens Olympics, 3000m SC, 2004 -World T&F Championships, 3000m SC, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 -World XC Championships, 2004, 2006, 2008 Like Minori Hayakari in the women`s steeplechase, Yoshitaka Iwamizu is the undisputed master of the Japanese men`s 3000m SC world. The national record holder and former Asian champion, Iwamizu has competed in the last four World Championships, the Athens Olympics, and has won the National Championships every year but one since 2001. Although he won ...

http://mainichi.jp/enta/sports/general/track/news/20080802k0000m050054000c.html translated by Brett Larner On Aug. 1st, Rikuren announced that the Tokyo International Women`s Marathon, scheduled to end after this year`s 30th anniversary running on Nov. 16th, will be replaced with a new international women`s marathon in Yokohama. The first edition of the new race is scheduled to take place in Nov. 2009. The race is expected to feature elite foreign and domestic runners to continue in the tradition of the Tokyo International Women`s Marathon. The course and name of the new race have yet to be decided, but Rikuren intends for the successor race to be a selection event for major international competitions such as the Olympics and World Championships. As part of this move toward a new marathon, the Yokohama International Women`s Ekiden will be disbanded after its 27th running in Feb. 2009. The Tokyo International Women`s Marathon was the world`s first women-only marathon when it was founded...