japan running news

April 1 is the start of the new academic and fiscal year, the time when runners move up from high school to university teams and on from university to the corporate leagues. The Kanaguri Memorial Meet is always one of the first chances to see people debut in new uniforms, and even though it was a week later than usual this year there were still lots of interesting items to be had. #1 among them was the debut of Australian Melissa Duncan in the Shiseido team's pink uniform. Duncan had no trouble putting away the field of Japanese and Kenyan corporate leaguers, soloing a 15:20.88 to win the women's 5000 m A-heat by over 20 seconds. 2018 National Sports Festival women's 1500 m champion Ran Urabe (Nike Tokyo TC) had a much narrower margin of victory in the 1500 m A-heat but still pulled out a win over 2018 World U20 Championships 3000 m gold medalist Nozomi Tanaka 4:21.96 to 4:22.25, Tanaka debuting in the new Toyota Jidoshokki TC uniform after moving to that club spo...

On Apr. 11 the Noritz women's corporate team announced that former Suzuki Hamamatsu AC coach Masayuki Satouchi has been appointed its new head coach effective immediately. During his time at Suzuki, Satouchi developed two of Japan's top marathon women, Yuka Ando , 25, all-time Japanese #4 at 2:11:36 and currently running for the Wacoal team, and London World Championships team member Mao Kiyota , 25, 2:23:47. After that he left his coaching position, but his ability as a women's coach remained highly regarded. The Noritz team currently features three-time World Championships team member Mari Ozaki , 43, and 2020 Olympic trials qualifier Madoka Nakano , 27, on its roster. Previous head coach Yoshihiko Morioka retired at the end of January. source article: https://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/201904110000442.html translated by Brett Larner

On Apr. 10, 1999 Wrold Championships silver medalist and 2000 Sydney Olympian Ari Ichihashi announced on her Instagram account that a breast cancer exam had revealed the need for more detailed examination. She said that there was "no problem" with the results but that she "would like to make use of this opportunity to deal with breast cancer and health issues facing women." Ichihashi currently helps coach a running club, makes frequent guest appearances at races, and does television commentary. In the midst of such a busy lifestyle she had a routine examination and was surprised that, "when the results came back a lump was visible in the mammogram." Afterward she underwent further examination, illuminating her uneasy feelings as she wrote, "I was only there a few days, but the faces of my beloved family and friends kept coming to me one after another. I feel like I haven't really done much to leave behind so I want to use the time I left mea...

On Apr. 9 the organizing committee of February's Ome 30 km Road Race recognized local care worker Tomoko Furuya , 59, and three race officials for saving the life of a fallen spectator during the race. Furuya downplayed her role, saying, "I only did what anyone would've done." While watching the Feb. 17 Ome race Furuya saw an elderly man who collapsed along the side of the course. When she came nearer to him she saw that he had been one of her teachers in junior high school. Repeatedly calling him "teacher," Furuya performed CPR. Race officials Takao Murakami , 70, and Toru Hara , 64, rushed to assist Furuya with the aid of an AED. A third official, Masao Yamaguchi , 82, organized emergency transportation. The stricken man was taken to a hospital where he recovered and was discharged on Mar. 5. Via telephone he told Furuya, "I received the gift of life, and I will spend it all with my wife." source article: https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/local/...

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee announced on Apr. 8 that the marathon scheduled for the final day of the Tokyo Paralympics on Sept. 6, 2020, will be held on the same course to be used for the Olympics. The 42.195 km course will start and finish at the New National Stadium, the first time since the 2008 Beijing Olympics that the same course has been used for both the Olympics and Paralympics. Starting at 7:00 a.m., the race will feature five different classes of wheelchair and visually-challenged athletes. Committee Sports Director Koji Murofushi commented, "For a Paralympic marathon this will be a uniquely wide-ranging, dynamic course." 2018 Paris Marathon winner Hiroki Nishida (Baccarat Pacific), the first-ever Japanese winner of Paris' wheelchair division, expected the final uphill section of the course, which climbs 30 m in the last 3 km, to be crucial, saying, "Tactics will play a role until just before the hill, and there...

It's a week until the Boston Marathon . After decades of its best giving it a miss Boston is coming back into fashion among Japan's elite marathoners. With top three finishes in the men's race the last two years we just might see three in a row for the first time since the golden years back in 1965-1967. A brief introduction to who'll be on the starting line this year: Nami Hashimoto PB/SB: 2:33:22 (Nagoya 2019) Hashimoto has been on a roll so far this year, winning her debut at the Jan. 27 Katsuta Marathon in 2:34:18, running a PB of 1:46:30 three weeks later for 2nd at the Ome 30 km, then bettering her Katsuta time another three weeks later with a 2:33:22 at the Nagoya Women's Marathon. Both Katsuta and Ome send top-placing finishers to Boston, making this Hashimoto's international debut. Hiroto Inoue PB/SB: 2:06:54 (Tokyo 2018) Generally considered to have the best chance of making Japan's 2020 Olympic marathon team, Inoue had a stellar 20...

This weekend was the first in the last month of qualifying for September's MGC Race 2020 Olympic marathon trials. People who haven't made it yet have until Apr. 30 to squeeze in one more race under 2:24:00 or averaging under 2:28:00 with one other race inside the qualification window for women and 2:08:30 or 2:11:00 for men. Natsuki Omori (Daihatsu) and Hanae Tanaka (Shiseido) were at the Rotterdam Marathon to go for the two-race average, Omori needing to run 2:26:45 and Tanaka 2:28:20. Despite on-target first halves both came up short, Omori running 2:29:58 and Tanaka 2:39:55. Omori's time was the fastest so far this year outside Japan by a Japanese woman. At the Vienna City Marathon , Hideyuki Ikegami (Aminosaurus) went through halfway on track for a sub-2:10, but the pace proved too much for him as he dropped over the second half to finish in 2:15:24. © 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

With the traditionally season-opening Oda Memorial Meet coming a week late this year the outdoor track season got started with two main time trial meets Saturday. Runners from the Toenec corporate team dominated Aichi's Chukyo University Saturday Time Trials, with Daichi Takeuchi following up his runner-up finish at last month's Inuyama 10 km with a win in 13:42.57 over Kenyan Nicholas Kiplimo (Aichi Seiko). His teammate Daiji Kawai returned from a 2:10:50 at Lake Biwa to take 3rd in 13:51.52. The B-heat was also decently quick, winner Ryusei Takahashi (Aichi Seiko) just dipping under 14 minutes in 13:59.00. Usually maxing out at 3000 m at this point in the season, this time around Tokyo's Setagaya Time Trials featured both women's and men's 5000 m and even a men's 10000 m. Kenyan Grace Kimanzi (Starts) won the women's 5000 m in 15:43.53, with Hakone Ekiden Fifth Stage winner Yuhei Urano (Koku Gakuin Univ.) taking the fastest men's heat in 13:...