japan running news

Despite losing Kenyan Peter Wanjiru late in the race, favorite Daito Bunka University repeated as winner to lead the qualifiers for January's 100th Hakone Ekiden at Saturday's Yosenkai Half Marathon in western Tokyo's Showa Kinen Park. Collegiate 5000 m and 10000 m record holder Richard Etir of Tokyo Kokusai University led the first 8.5 km in his debut at the distance with a pack of around including lone Japanese man Reishi Yoshida of Chuo Gakuin University right behind. Just before 8.5 km Etir was clipped from behind by Nihon Yakka University 's Dennis Kipruto and turned around to tell him off. A few steps later Kipruto clipped him again hard enough that Etir went airborne horizontal before crashing to the pavement. The favorite for the individual win, Etir never regained contact with the front of the race. And that ended up having profound consequences for Tokyo Kokusai. In Etir's absence Nihon University 's took over at 10 km, quickly getting rid of e...

by Brett Larner top Fukushi photo by Victah Sailer, c/o Horst Milde other photos by Werner Philipp and Hannes Uhtoffs, c/o Dr. Helmut Winter 2013 Tokyo Marathon winner Dennis Kimetto (Kenya) shook the world with his incredible 2:02:57 world record at today's Berlin Marathon, running a 1:01:12 second half that brought the concept of a low-2:02 marathon into the realm of possibility.  2014 Tokyo Marathon women's winner Tirfi Tsegaye (Ethiopia) added another World Marathon Majors title to her resume, outrunning three compatriots, the U.S.A.'s Shalane Flanagan and Moscow World Championships bronze medalist Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) for the win in 2:20:18.  Less well-noticed was Fukuoka Marathon course record holder Tsegaye Kebede 's 2:10:27 for 9th, his 18th career sub-2:11 and tying Korean great Lee Bong Ju 's world record for most times sub-2:11. Fukushi, quietly coming to Berlin in search of a time closer to the three Japanese women who have run 2:19...

http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/olomouc-ronoh-kipsang-pacemaker-wins-kiplagat Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon Olomouc, Czech Republic, 6/22/14 Men 1. Geoffrey Ronoh (Kenya) - 1:00:17 2. Wilson Kipsang (Kenya) - 1:00:25 3. Dennis Kimetto (Kenya) - 1:01:42 4. Wilfred Kirwa Kigen (Kenya) - 1:01:56 5. Joel Kipkoech Kimutai (Kenya) - 1:02:49 6. Nicholas Kipchirchir Bor (Kenya) - 1:03:20 7. Viktor Rothlin (Switzerland) - 1:03:23 8. Kenji Yamamoto (Japan/Team Mazda) - 1:03:28 9. Marcin Chabowski (Poland) - 1:03:32 10. Paul Kariuki Mwangi (Kenya) - 1:03:33 Women 1. Edna Kiplagat (Kenya) - 1:08:53 2. Betelhem Moges (Ethiopia) - 1:09:23 3. Hirut Alemayehu (Ethiopia) - 1:10:57 4. Faith Jeruto Kipsum (Kenya) - 1:11:12 5. Janet Jelagat Rono (Kenya) - 1:12:40 6. Alyson Dixon (Great Britain) - 1:13:12 7. Kotomi Takayama (Japan/Team Wacoal) - 1:13:22 8. Mame Feyisa (Ethiopia) - 1:13:25 9. Yukari Abe (Japan/Team Shimamura) - 1:13:34

2013 was a big year for JRN, with total views since JRN's founding in 2007 crossing the one million mark in June and closing in on 1.5 million by year's end.  Needless to say, much of the readership revolved around the adventures of  Japan's most popular indy runner  Yuki Kawauchi  (Saitama Pref. Gov't), who factored into eight of our thirteen most-read stories of the year including all of the top three. 1. Mathathi Makes Transition to Marathon in Fukuoka, Kawauchi 3rd in Third Sub-2:10 of 2013  - Dec. 1 2007 Osaka World Championships 10000 m bronze medalist Martin Mathathi (Kenya/ Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) made a successful return to the marathon with the second-fastest-ever closing split on the Fukuoka course, while Kawauchi became the first Japanese man to break 2:10 three times in one year.   Click here for JRN's race preview . 2. Kawauchi Over Nakamoto in 2:08:15 Beppu-Oita Course Record  - Feb. 3 Kawauchi and London Olympian Kentaro Nakamoto ...

by Brett Larner photos by Collin Winter and Dr. Helmut Winter In the distance behind Kenyan winners Dennis Kimetto  and Rita Jeptoo , Japanese runners Hiroaki Sano  (Team Honda) and Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren) each took 7th at the 2013 Chicago Marathon , Sano running almost dead even half splits for a 2:10:29 PB and Akaba fading to 2:27:49 after starting out among the leaders.   Yoshinori Oda  (Team Toyota) also sneaked into the men's top ten, dropping dropping American Matt Tegenkamp in the last 3 km to take 9th in 2:11:29. Oda started out on 2:10-flat pace, with Sano and other 2:12~2:13 Japanese entrants Kenji Higashino (Team Asahi Kasei), Norihide Fujimori (Team Chugoku Denryoku), Hiroki Tanaka (Team Chugoku Denryoku) and Yoshiki Otsuka (Team Aichi Seiko) running in Tegenkamp's group with Alistair Cragg (Ireland) and Michael Shelley  (Australia) at 2:11:30 pace.  As the pace gradually increased toward 2:10 first Oda was absorbed, the...

by Brett Larner video by naoki620 On a cold and moderately windy day, pre-race favorite Dennis Kipruto Kimetto (Kenya) lived up to expectations to bring the Tokyo Marathon into the World Marathon Majors with a 2:06:50 course record, holding off defending champion Michael Kipkorir Kipyego (Kenya) over the final kilometers after taking the lead at 34 km. The group of pacers taking the lead men through 30 km were far off the target splits of 14:50-55 per 5 km, never breaking 15:00 and immediately eliminating 2:05 from possibility. At 30 km James Kwambai  (Kenya) took over, initiating a surge that turned into a 5 km split of 14:20 once Kimetto went to work at 34 km.  Kipyego came close to catching up back up in the final 5 km but could not manage to close the final 3 seconds before losing ground in the final kilometer. 2009 Tokyo runner-up Kazuhiro Maeda (Team Kyudenko), who ran a 2:08:38 PB in Tokyo last year, was the only Japanese man to go with Kwambai's push, movi...

by Brett Larner Tokyo makes a decent entry into the Majors with an elite field including four 2:04 men and six with 2:06 bests, and a women's field featuring three under 2:21.  Defending champions Michael Kipkorir Kipyego  (Kenya) and Atsede Habtamu  (Ethiopia) return but are not shown the courtesy of the #1 bibs in their divisions, those going to 2012 Berlin Marathon runner-up Dennis Kipruto Kimetto (Kenya) and 2:19:19 runner  Irina Mikitenko (Germany). Mikitenko seems bound to fall prey to Ethiopians Bezunesh Bekele  and Aberu Kebede with 2011 Boston champion Caroline Cheptonui Kilel  also in the top group of competion.  Kipruto is up against the resurgent James Kwambai  (Kenya) and two components of last year's Miracle in Dubai, Dino Sefir  and Jonathan Kiplimo Maiyo  (Kenya). If Kipruto feels motivated to go for the win this time he is the sure favorite, and it is certainly worth his while.  The combination of 1st place a...