japan running news

http://www.nyrr.org/media-center/press-releases/nyrr-news Mary Wittenberg's support has been key to the success of the Ageo City Half Marathon - NYC Half Japanese university student invite program over the last four years.  As the results at last weekend's Golden Games in Nobeoka show, this invite is having a major impact on the young athletes' futures and the state of Japanese men's distance running.

by Brett Larner The New York Road Runners announced on Feb. 14 that Kento Otsu  and Yuta Shitara  of 2012 Hakone Ekiden course record setters Toyo University  will run the Mar. 18 NYC Half Marathon as part of this year's elite field.  Sophomores Shitara and Otsu, both of whom turned 20 in December, went 2-3 at last November's Ageo City Half Marathon, Shitara in a PB of 1:02:35 and Otsu in a PB of 1:02:43.  Both excelled at January's Hakone Ekiden, Shitara running 1:02:32 for 21.3 km, equivalent to a 1:01:56 half marathon, to break the Seventh Stage record and Otsu missing the Eighth Stage record, Hakone's oldest, by only 7 seconds as he ran 1:04:12 for a hilly 21.5 km. Their invitation to New York is a first for Japan's top university men.  NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg  said, "All of us at NYRR are excited to see Kento and Yuta come to New York to run against some of the best in the world in this important step ahead in their careers. ...

Samuel Kamau Wanjiru, 1986-2011 I've put together this collection of quotes charting the life, career and environment of the late Samuel Wanjiru over the years by those who knew him and helped make him what he was, including Tsutomu Akiyama , Stephen Mayaka , Koichi Morishita , Takao Watanabe and Wanjiru himself. Wanjiru's achievements made him a great source of pride in Japan, as close as one can come to being considered one of their own. "Wanjiru arrived in Japan on May 4, 2002. I was the one who went to pick him up. When he came he was only so-so, but even in high school he became strong at 10000 m, and at the half-marathon too. Wanjiru succeeded at the marathon because he was trained in Japan. He would never have been able to do this kind of running if he had stayed in Kenya. Athletes raised in Kenya don’t have the same kind of mental toughness. They come here and they learn discipline, focus, they begin to understand gaman: absolutely do not make a move be...

Note: This is a press release from the NYRR. Mara Yamauchi has long been based in Tokyo, where she trains along the Tama River. New York, August 10, 2010 — Seven months after her come-from-behind triumph at the 2010 NYC Half-Marathon, Mara Yamauchi will seek a New York winning double by adding the ING New York City Marathon 2010 crown on Sunday November 7, it was announced today by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. No athlete has won both the NYC Half-Marathon and ING New York City Marathon in the same year. “I am looking forward very much to my debut run in the ING New York City Marathon. After winning the NYC Half-Marathon in March, I can’t wait to return to New York and race against the best marathon runners in the world,” said Yamauchi, who caught Deena Kastor of the United States in the closing miles to win the NYC Half on March 21 in a time of 1 hour, 9 minutes, 25 seconds. “New York is an iconic race and one of the best in the world. I will give it everyt...

The New York Road Runners held a press conference June 2 at Icahn Stadium as part of a National Running Day event to announce that Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie and Japan's #1 marathoner, Arata Fujiwara , will run this year's ING New York City Marathon on Nov. 7. JRN was there to cover the event. One of the better birthdays I've had. all photos (c) 2010 Yasunori Sakamaki all rights reserved

A NYRR press release for immediate release: Keflezighi, Kastor Announce Return to 2010 ING New York City Marathon on Live Lottery Stream Show Flurry of Activities Surround “I’m In. We’re In.” Marketing Platform to Help Launch Seven-Month Countdown to Race A record 120,000 apply for November 7 race; Victoria Salbu of Oslo is first lottery runner announced New York, April 7, 2010— Americans Meb Keflezighi, the ING New York City Marathon 2009 champion, and Deena Kastor, the nation’s finest female long distance runner of the past decade, were announced for this year’s ING New York City Marathon, along with the first runners selected from the lottery, by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg on Wednesday, April 7, in the first-ever live streaming of the lottery selection. The lottery show, seen at www.nyrr.org, was hosted by veteran sports announcer Bruce Beck and Wittenberg from the Parker Meridien Hotel overlooking Central Park. The announcement is accompanied by a flurr...

translated and edited by Brett Larner The New York Road Runners held a press conference at Tokyo's Conrad Hotel on Sept. 28 to formally announce the ING New York City Marathon debut of World Championships women's marathon 7th place finisher Yuri Kano (Second Wind AC). Kano, her coach Manabu Kawagoe and, via conference call, NYRR CEO and NYCM race director Mary Wittenberg took part in the press conference with JRN editors Brett Larner and Mika Tokairin serving as the interpreters between Wittenberg and Kano, Kawagoe, and the Japanese media. Below is a transcript of comments and responses. For clarification of the questions regarding Second Wind AC, most Japanese teams are corporate-sponsored and exist largely removed from and invisible to the everyday world of amateur runners and running fans. Second Wind is trying to operate on a new model in which amateurs can run in the same club with elite athletes such as Kano and 2009 Hokkaido Marathon 1-2 finishers Kiyoko Shimahara and Ak...