japan running news

an Abbott World Marathon Majors press release The Abbott World Marathon Majors Series XI Champions were officially crowned in London following the conclusion of the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon. Tim Hadzima, General Manager of the Abbott World Marathon Majors said: “It has been another sensational series for Abbott World Marathon Majors. We started in London with a women’s world record from Mary Keitany in 2017 and continued with some astonishing races in each of our six cities.” Eliud Kipchoge won his third consecutive AbbottWMM title after winning the 2017 BMW Berlin Marathon and the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon to give him 50 points. Second behind Kipchoge was his fellow Kenyan Geoffrey Kirui with 41 points. Kirui won 25 points with victory at the 2017 IAAF World Championships Marathon and added 16 more with second in the 2018 Boston Marathon. In third was Japan’s Yuki Kawauchi with 25 points after his victory in the 2018 Boston Marathon. Kawauchi was tied in joi...

http://athleticsasia.org/index.php/k2-component/143-500-000-usd-prized-asian-premier-marathon-series-2017-18-launched-in-beijing A very interesting World Marathon Majors-style development with prize money only for Asian athletes. Equally interesting is the absence of a Japanese race in the series. Japanese marathoners would dominate the series if they ran its three component races, their only real current competition in Asia coming from East African-born Bahraini athletes.

http://www.excite.co.jp/News/chn_soc/20161201/Recordchina_20161201005.html translated and edited by Brett Larner On Nov. 29 the Chinese media outlet Tencent  published a column examining why China is not the equal of Japan in the marathon.  At the Nov. 20 Ageo City Half Marathon in Saitama, Japan, 196 men, all Japanese and most university students, ran faster than 1 hour 6 minutes.  No Chinese men have cleared that time this year.  Even going back two years, only a total of two have done it. According the the Tencent column, Japan far surpasses China in distance running because "Japan's running boom has been happening for 40 years, and what keeps its fire lit is its women.  A large number of housewives run to relieve stress, and it is said that a sport that tests patience and mental power like the marathon is ideal for the Japanese woman.  On the other hand, few Chinese women run to relieve stress, with many instead involved in community plaza dances...

http://www.daily.co.jp/general/2012/11/10/0005516153.shtml translated and edited by Brett Larner London Olympics men's marathoner Arata Fujiwara  (31, Miki House) revealed Nov. 9 that his primary motivation in running the Dec. 2 Fukuoka International Marathon is to defeat civil servant runner Yuki Kawauchi  (25, Saitama Pref.). Appearing at an event in Tokyo commemorating the Tokyo Marathon's entry into the World Marathon Majors, Fujiwara was asked about his reasons for running Fukuoka.  He answered, "Once the Olympics were finished and I had to think about what would motivate me next, I thought a showdown with him would be the most fun." After Fujiwara's Olympics ended with a 45th-place finish as the last Japanese man on the team, this season it's time for another swing at the younger "upstart."  With four wins in seven marathons so far this year, Kawauchi is a golden target.  His stated goal for Fukuoka is the 2:07:59 qualifying time for th...

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2012/11/01/kiji/K20121101004456550.html translated by Brett Larner On Oct. 31 officials announced that beginning next year the Tokyo Marathon will join London, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York in the alliance of the world's leading big-city marathons, the World Marathon Majors.  Founded in 2006, the World Marathon Majors are a two-season series in which athletes accumulate points at member races, along with the Olympics and World Championships, with the male and female series leaders picking up $500,000 prizes at the end of each two-year cycle.  By aligning itself with the world's most historic and prestigious races the Tokyo Marathon hopes to draw a larger share of international attention.

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20120612-966393.html translated and edited by Brett Larner Rikuren, the Japanese athletics federation, announced on June 12 the criteria for selection for Japan's team for next year's Moscow World Championships.  To encourage Japanese athletes to get faster, the qualification times announced for the marathon are far higher than in previous years, while track and field events will see their first-ever specific qualifying marks. Five men and five women can run the marathon in Moscow.  To make the team, men must run 2:07:59 or better and women 2:23:59 or better at any of the three major domestic men's and women's marathons.  Any athlete who clears these times at one of five specified overseas races will also be a candidate for the team. The domestic races for men are the Fukuoka International Marathon, the Tokyo Marathon and the Biwako Mainichi Marathon, while for women the races are the Yokohama Internati...

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/f-sp-tp0-20080128-313344.html translated by Brett Larner The official meeting of the Tokyo Marathon organizing committee opened Jan. 28 at the Tokyo metropolitan government's office complex. At the top of the agenda was ratification of the Mar. 22 date for next year's race. Another major topic of discussion was the addition of an elite women's race to the existing elite men's component of the event. Because next year will see a World Championships (Berlin), The Tokyo Marathon committee, "...would like to see [top] men and women together in the same race." Rikuren [JAAF] said it will consider all points of view in making its decision on approving the plan. In its first 2 years, the Tokyo Marathon has been held in February. Because of concerns about top athletes' ability to recover from a March selection race in time for a summer championship event, the committee discussed further possible date changes as well as potential ...

With less than two weeks to go until the 2nd mass-participation Tokyo Marathon I will be focusing on articles about this race and its impact. First is an article by JRN's Mika Tokairin which appeared in the May 2007 issue of Japan's largest running magazine, Runners . This issue of Runners was dedicated exclusively to coverage of the first Tokyo Marathon; one article sought the opinions of non-Japanese participants. by Mika Tokairin translated by Brett Larner photo by Robin Orlansky Among 30,000 runners, 1200 foreigners ran through the streets of Tokyo. What did the first Tokyo Marathon look like through their eyes? How did it compare to marathons overseas? What is the running culture like in their countries? We interviewed three foreign runners to find the answers. Bob Poulson was born in New York and has worked in Tokyo as a copywriter for over 30 years. He is the founder of Tokyo’s international running club Namban Rengo. He frequently runs marathons, road races and ekidens...

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/071217/oth0712171840002-n1.htm http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/071217/oth0712171614001-n1.htm translated by Brett Larner Tokyo International Women`s Marathon main sponsor Asahi Newspapers announced on Dec. 17 that the 30th edition of the race to be held next year on Nov. 16 will be its final running. With the shift in the Tokyo metropolitan government`s support to the mass-participation Tokyo Marathon, the Tokyo Police Department is now unwilling to issue road closure permits for 2 marathons. A spokesperson from the JAAF commented, "There is nothing we can do to stop the race from being cancelled." With an eye to the future, "We are looking at other locations and opportunities for a new women-only marathon." The Tokyo International Women`s Marathon was founded in 1979 as the world`s first women-only marathon. 50 women ran in the first running and very few finished, leading many commentators of the time to hold the view tha...