japan running news

After running the 2nd-fastest time ever by a Japanese man, 2:05:12, to finish 6th at the Sept. 29 Berlin Marathon, Yohei Ikeda (26, Kao) made an appearance at city hall in his hometown of Shimada, Shizuoka on Oct. 3. Ikeda told Mayor Kinuyo Someya , 70, "I'm disappointed that I missed my goal of breaking the Japanese national record by 16 seconds. But the work I put in paid off. This was a race that's going to lead to something more." Ikeda was a member of the baseball team when he was a student at Shimada Ichi J.H.S. before switching full-time to the track team at Shimada H.S. Starting his second year at Nittai University he was a regular on Nittai's Hakone Ekiden team. After graduating he joined the Kao corporate team, running 2:06:53 in his marathon debut at the 2023 Osaka Marathon. Berlin was his third shot at the marathon distance, and he succeeded in improving his PB by 1:41. Local residents flocked to join city officials in greeting the new local hero ...

On June 15th the Shizuoka Prefectural High School Athletic Federation Track and Field Division announced that the canceled Shizuoka Prefectural Championships has been rescheduled for July 18 and 19 at Ecopa Stadium in Fukuroi, Shizuoka. The regional qualifying meets for the Prefectural Championships will take place July 4 and 5, with the Eastern Region meet happening at Tamoteki Field in Ashita Kakoiki Park, the Central Region meet at Kusanagi Field, and the Western Region meet at Ecopa Stadium itself. In the past the regional and prefectural meets have been held over three days, but due to the current limitations on school activity hours it was determined that it would be difficult to include a weekday in the meets' schedules. The programs have been shortened to fit into a two-day weekend schedule by eliminating the semifinals in sprint events and by holding relay events with a time race format. Limitations have also been put in place on participation in order to reduce cr...

Ladies and gentlemen, Hitomi Niiya is back. You might remember Hitomi Niiya from the 2013 Moscow World Championships 10000 m, where she led the entire way only to get destroyed over the last lap and finish 5th in 30:56.70. That made her the third-fastest Japanese woman ever over that distance, but not long after that race she quit the sport entirely, getting an office job as far away from athletics as she could and not running for almost five years. But the pull of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is strong, and, now 30, early this year she made the decision to try to make a comeback. Under the eye of former men's 800 m national record holder Masato Yokota she ran a 3000 m and two 5000 m time trials on the track between April and October before choosing the East Japan Women's Ekiden for her return to the roads and the longer distances. The East Japan Women's Ekiden celebrated its 34th running Sunday, 9 stages totaling 42.195 km through the Fukushima countryside with teams...

http://www.at-s.com/sports/detail/1174213755.html translated by Brett Larner One of Japan's top 3000 m steeplechase runners, Tsuyoshi Takeda (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) announced his retirement following his run at the Shizuoka Prefecture Track and Field Championships.  In addition to long-lasting pain in the bottom of his right foot, Takeda, just 28, has recently had problems with the meniscus in his right knee that have meant he could not run as planned this season.  Before last month's National Championships he said, "If I don't produce results then that's it," and after finishing 9th he stuck to that decision. For his final race he chose the Prefectural Championships, saying, "I want my family to see me run."  With his wife Aiko and sons Hayato, 2, and Futoshi, 6 months, watching, Takeda took 2nd, running an active race that saw him do much of the leading work up front.  Takeda will remain a Suzuki employee for the time being but hopes to become...

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/local/shizuoka/news/20150610-OYTNT50188.html translated by Brett Larner Skirting the feet of Mt. Fuji, the Mt. Fuji Women's Ekiden national university women's invitational ekiden championship race is set to go off again this year.  Co-organized by the Fuji city government, the race's third edition will be held at the end of the year on Dec. 30.  For the first time, its field will include a select team made up of top Shizuoka talent. The course is the same as in the first two runnings, starting at Fuji Hongu Sengen Shrine in the city of Fujinomiya and covering 43.4 km in 7 stages on the way to the finish at Fuji Sports Park Field in Fuji.  20 schools will race including top finisher teams from October's Morinomiyako Ekiden national university women's championships.  New this year, the Shizuoka Prefecture Student Select Team will feature university and graduate student athletes who graduated from junior high schools and high schools in ...