japan running news

Waseda University's Tomonori Yamaguchi , Hosei University's Rei Matsunaga and Yamaguchi's Waseda teammate Taishi Ito are part of the men's field for the Mar. 17 United Airlines NYC Half announced today by the New York Road Runners. Yamaguchi and Matsunaga were the top two Japanese collegiate finishers at November's Ageo City Half Marathon , Yamaguchi running 1:01:16 for 3rd overall and Matsunaga 1:01:56 for 4th to score invitations to NYC. Since then Yamaguchi has run particularly well, placing 4th on the Hakone Ekiden's highly competitive 23.1 km Second Stage where he ran the equivalent of a 1:00:45 half marathon, and running a 28:17.87 PB for 10000 m. Ito is also a sub-62 half marathoner, running 1:01:50 at last year's Marugame Half Marathon and setting a 28:37.34 PB for 10000 m in the same January race as Yamaguchi. All three have raced in other parts of Asia and both Yamaguchi and Ito in Europe, but for all of them it will be their first time racing i...

Behind Kenenisa Bekele 's near-miss on the men's marathon world record, half marathon talent Kenta Murayama (Asahi Kasei) gave the Japanese national record another go at the Berlin Marathon. Almost dead even through halfway in 1:02:21, Murayama began to slip slightly over the second half before things started to fall apart after 30 km. Run down by China's Guo Jian Dong just before the finish, Murayama took 9th in 2:08:56, a PB by about a minute but far off his plans. Not far behind him, Yuichi Yasui (Toyota), a training partner of MGC race runner-up Yuma Hattori , negative splitted a 2:10:26 for 11th, adding to Toyota's claim as Japan's top current marathon team. Berlin Marathon Berlin, Germany, 9/29/19 complete results Men 1. Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) - 2:01:41 - NR 2. Birhanu Legese (Ethiopia) - 2:02:48 3. Sisay Lemma (Ethiopia) - 2:03:36 4. Jonathan Korir (Kenya) - 2:06:45 5. Felix Kandie (Kenya) - 2:08:07 ----- 9. Kenta Murayama (Japan) - 2:08:...

The Tokyo Marathon Foundation announced on Feb. 20 that 5000 m and 10000 m world record holder Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) has withdrawn from the Mar. 3 Tokyo Marathon 2019 due to injury. The statement read, "He has a stress fracture that is going to take a little more time to heal. His motivation to recover and set his sights on a new goal is high, but unfortunately it seems that is still going to take a while." #2-ranked Marius Kipserem (Kenya) has also withdrawn with injuries. On the domestic front, Kengo Suzuki (23, Fujitsu) has pulled out due to his condition. Yohei Suzuki (24, Aisan Kogyo) and Shinobu Kubota (27, Toyota) have also sustained injuries that will prevent them from starting. In the women's race, 2017 London World Championships team member Yuka Ando , 24, who earlier this month transferred from the Suzuki Hamamatsu AC team to the Wacoal corporate team, is also out with injury. source article: https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20190220-0000011...

Hot on the heels of the London Marathon field announcement, the Tokyo Marathon has put its 2019 elite field into the public sphere. With a new date a week later on March 3rd thanks to the impending Imperial succession Tokyo has at last put together a proper elite women's field at parity with the men's field, one including top-level Japanese women for the first time. Change is slow to come, but with this field it looks like it has arrived. 2:18:34 for 2nd in Berlin last year, Ethiopian Ruti Aga leads 14 women with times 2:23 or better in the last 3 years. Half are Ethiopian, two Kenyan, two Bahraini and three Japanese, with two high-level first-timers, Kenya's Joan Chelimo Melly and Japan's Mao Ichiyama , tacked on. #2 through #4-ranked women Boru Feyse Tadese , Yebrgual Melese and Ababel Yeshaneh all ran 2:19 to 2:20 last year, making the chances of an Ethiopian sweep definitely greater than zero. The structure of Japanese national team selection and marketin...

by Brett Larner photos by Tsukasa Kawarai In a career teeming to overflow with double medals at the Olympics and World Championships and an unprecedented triple crown of Great North Run wins earned to varying degrees, Great Britain's Mo Farah staked the ultimate claim to the title of Greatest of All Time with the single most important victory of his career, a win at Saturday's Akasaka 5-Chome Mini Marathon . Running on a hilly 900 m four-loop course around and through broadcaster TBS' Akasaka studios as part of its semi-annual All-Star Kanshasai variety show, Farah overcame a 5 minute, 55 second handicap start to run down a cavalcade of Japan's finest models and comedians for the win, catching the last trio led by entertainer Kenji Moriwaki on the final uphill run up to the studio. 【オールスター感謝祭 TBS】 ファラー速い！💨💨💨🏃 やっぱりファラーはロードでも強かった！😊 pic.twitter.com/tFdpxEXT3K — NOBUKI T&F (@hagechabin123) October 8, 2016 Farah covered the 3.6 km cours...

by Brett Larner Japan's fastest-ever under-20 marathoner, Reia Iwade (Team Noritz) took 4th in a solo run behind winning Ethiopian trio Aberu Kebede , Birhane Dibaba and Ruti Aga  at Sunday's BMW Berlin Marathon .  With all three going under the 70 minute mark at halfway, the #3-ranked Iwade was alone in 5th, 20 seconds behind Kenyan Janet Ronoh .  Just before 40 km Iwade ran Ronoh down to move into 4th at almost the same time that Kebede took the win in 2:20:45.   Dibaba and Aga were over a kilometer behind in 2nd and 3rd, Iwade another 3 1/2 minutes further back in 2:28:16. Hopeful of breaking his 3-year-old PB of 2:08:14, Kawauchi ran with support from two pacers and company from Eritrea's Yohanes Gebregergish and France's Jean Habarurema .  In a classic race that saw greats Kenenisa Bekele and Wilson Kipsang front a lead pack that went through halfway in 1:01:11 on the way to Bekele's sprint finish 2:03:03 win, Kawauchi's group planned to hit h...

NEWS RELEASE – BMW BERLIN-MARATHON on September 25: Wilson Kipsang and Kenenisa Bekele face strong competition Expectations are high once again for a very fast race in the 43rd edition of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON on September 25. All the omens are favourable with the recruitment of another high quality field which, given good weather conditions, points to another year of outstanding, world class times. The former world record holder Wilson Kipsang of Kenya and Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele have taken centre stage as the pre-race build-up has taken place, but alongside them are a clutch of athletes possessing the talent to be right up there with them. Seven runners in the field have best times under 2:06. At the head of the women’s field is the double BMW BERLIN-MARATHON champion Aberu Kebede of Ethiopia. The BMW BERLIN-MARATHON is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series and an IAAF Gold Label event, the highest category of road race awarded by the International Association...

Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia), Wilson Kipsang (Kenya) and Yuki Kawauchi (Japan/Saitama Pref. Gov't) have been announced for the September 25 Berlin Marathon:   http://run.hwinter.de/?p=6966

by Brett Larner The 2013 Great North Run lived up to expectations with thrilling races up front on both the men's and women's sides.  Battling strong crosswinds through the first half of the race and benefitting from an equally strong tailwind through the middle stages, 5000 m and 10000 m world record holder Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) made a successful transition to longer distances with a 1:00:09 win by one second over favorite Mo Farah  (Great Britain) and the great Haile Gebrselassie  (Ethiopia) who took nearly two minutes off the existing 40+ world record in 1:00:41, while London Marathon winner Priscah Jeptoo  (Kenya) mopped the soaking wet roads with Moscow World Championships 5000 m and 10000 m gold medalists Meseret Defar  (Ethiopia) and Tirunesh Dibaba  (Ethiopia) to win in a smoking 1:05:45.  The JRN-supported Japanese contingent brought its A-game, six of the seven of them making the top eight led by Arata Fujiwara  (Miki House) w...

by Brett Larner Scratches from the upper end of the entry lists for tomorrow's Great North Run include Koen Raymaekers  (Netherlands) and Andy Vernon  (Great Britain) in the men's race and #1-ranked Brit Gemma Steel , Irene Jerotich  (Kenya), Jen Rhines  (U.S.A.), Laura Whittle  (Great Britain) and Abigail Bayley  (Great Britain) in the women's race. 2013 Great North Run Start List Highlights Newcastle-South Shields, U.K., 9/15/13 Men Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) - debut Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) - 58:55 (Phoenix, 2006) Mo Farah (Great Britain) - 1:00:22 (New York 2011) Collis Birmingham (Australia) - 1:00:56 (Marugame 2013) Daniele Meucci (Italy) - 1:01:06 (New York 2013) Arata Fujiwara (Japan/Miki House) - 1:01:34 (Marugame 2012) Tomohiro Tanigawa (Japan/Team Konica Minolta) - 1:02:17 (Marugame 2013) Yuki Kawauchi (Japan/Saitama Pref. Gov't) - 1:02:18 (Marugame 2012) Jonathan Mellor (Great Britain) - 1:02:59 (New York 2012) Ryota Mat...

by Brett Larner Sunday's Great North Run  features men's and women's races bound to go down in history, with the winners of the last five Olympic 10000 m gold medals, Kenenisa Bekele  (Ethiopia), Mo Farah  (Great Britain) and now-veteran Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) slated to go head-to-head in the men's race and London Olympics marathon silver medalist Priscah Jeptoo  (Kenya) going after Moscow World Championships 5000 m and 10000 m gold medalists Meseret Defar  (Ethiopia) and Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia).  Even though there may be doubts as to whether Bekele will really start what would be his half marathon debut, what more could you ask for? But beyond the big stars both races feature deep quality fields.  The men's race features 2013 Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon winner Collis Birmingham (Australia), top Europeans Daniele Meucci  (Italy) and Koen Raymaekers  (Netherlands), and five Japanese men appearing with support...

by Brett Larner 2:07:48 marathoner and London Olympian Arata Fujiwara  (Miki House) is one of seven Japanese athletes running next week’s Great North Run half marathon in the U.K. with support from JRN. Out of competition with injury since a memorable run at last December’s Fukuoka International Marathon, the Great North Run will be Fujiwara’s first race of 2013. On Sept. 3 JRN met up with Fujiwara at his training base in St. Moritz, Switzerland. While doing a 33 km trail run together starting at 1772 m and peaking at 2755 m, we chatted about his current condition and plans for the upcoming season. Are you an E.L.O. fan?  That's what I was listening to the whole way up here. "Mr. Blue Sky" came on just before the train pulled into St. Moritz station, appropriately enough. No, I don't really know them.  I've been listening to a lot of early Pink Floyd lately. How long have you been up here? About a month. I needed to get away and focus for a while. ...

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/great-north-run-citizen-runner-5817853 Along with Kawauchi, London Olympian Arata Fujiwara  (Miki House) will run his first race of 2013 at the Great North Run after recovering from a long injury following December's Fukuoka International Marathon.  Among the other Japanese men competing at the Great North Run,  Ryuji Watanabe  (Team Toyota Kyushu) and Tomohiro Tanigawa  (Team Konica Minolta) both beat Kawauchi at July's Shibetsu Half Marathon, making for an interesting race-inside-a-race.   Ryota Matoba  (Team Komori Corp.) and female athletes Ayaka Hitomi  (Team Shimamura) and Misaki Kato  (Team Kyudenko) round out the Japanese contingent appearing at the Great North Run with support from JRN.

http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/farah-v-bekele-brothers-10000m-duel-is-eugene London Olympics 10000 m 5th-place finisher Bedan Karoki  runs for the Tokyo-based and Toshihiko Seko -coached DeNA Running Club.

2011 Memorial Van Damme Men's 10000 m Brussels, Belgium, 9/16/11 click here for complete results 1. Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) - 26:43.16 2. Lucas Rotich (Kenya) - 26:43.98 - PB 3. Galen Rupp (U.S.A.) - 26:48.00 - PB, AR 4. Emmanuel Bett (Kenya) - 26:51.95 5. Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) - 26:53.27 6. Geoffrey Kirui (Kenya) - 26:55.73 - PB 7. Titus Mbishei (Kenya) - 26:59.81 - PB 8. Paul Lonyangata (Kenya) - 27:21.62 9. Mike Kigen (Kenya) - 27:30.53 - PB 10. Denis Masai (Kenya) - 27:32.97 - PB 11. Josphat Bett (Kenya) - 27:57.60 ----- DNF - Kazuya Watanabe (Team Shikoku Denryoku)

Click here to enter JRN's World Championships marathon prediction contest for a chance to win a 2009 Japanese national team singlet. by Brett Larner Double 1500 m and 5000 m national champion Yuichiro Ueno ran according to his reputation today in the men's 5000 m heats at the 2009 World Championships . With one of the slowest PBs in the field, 13:21.49, Ueno took a cue from women's 5000 m champion Yurika Nakamura and went out the way he needed to in order to stand a chance of making the final - bang on a steady 2:40 pace. In Nakamura's case the field responded and went with her, but for Ueno he was left alone as the field relaxed and trailed a few seconds behind. On the strength of his recent performances Ueno should easily have been able to sustain the pace, but after only 1 km he abruptly slowed and was helpless as the field, which maintained its pace of around 2:43/km, breezed past. Virtually flailing, Ueno finished dead last in 14:30.76 versus winner Kenenisa Bekel...

Click here to enter JRN's World Championships marathon prediction contest for a chance to win a 2009 Japanese national team singlet. by Brett Larner 2009 men's 10000 m national champion Yuki Iwai ran in the 10000 m on the third day of the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. Having experienced problems with his right Achilles tendon since winning the national title in June, Iwai was visibly wincing during his warmup and while stretching on the starting line and he fared accordingly in the race. In last place in the field of 30 after only a lap, Iwai soon lost contact with the group and was overtaken by the leaders twice in the course of the race which saw winner Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia set a new World Championships record of 26:46.31, all three medalists break 27 minutes, and the top 14 set season or lifetime bests. In light of Rikuren's questionable decision to omit 27:38 runner Yuki Sato from the team Iwai was the sole Japanese runner, and unlike the five athletes who...