Skip to main content

Kawauchi Wins Nijuken Doro Half Marathon, Set to Decide Olympic Trial Plans in Cape Town

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20150906-00000122-nksports-spo
http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/1534420.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

On Sept. 6 Rio Olympic team hopeful and amateur running hero Yuki Kawauchi (28, Saitama Pref. Gov’t) galloped through the home of the thoroughbred. Kawauchi won Sunday’s Nijuken Doro Half Marathon in Shin-Hidakamachi, Hokkaido, crossing the finish line in 1:05:32. With the town famous for producing thoroughbred racehorses, ranches filled the area around the course. “I come to Hokkaido a lot but this is my first time in the Hidaka region,” Kawauchi said. “Even when I was running I noticed horses all around. It was a lot of fun to run somewhere with a feeling of wide open space. I haven’t run very good times lately so I’m happy with my time here today.”

Kawauchi also talked about his plans for the lead-up to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, saying that he is currently considering running one of two Rio selection races, either the Dec. 6 Fukuoka International Marathon or the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon. He will make a decision about which race to run based on his performance at the Sept. 20 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in South Africa. “If I clear my target there then I’ll run Fukuoka,” he said. “My target time is between 2:10 and 2:12. In Fukuoka if I can’t run 2:07 then I won’t be able to be competitive in the race. As a step toward that, 2:10 to 2:12 in Cape Town. If I can’t clear that then I’ll run Lake Biwa.” With regard to his reasons for running Cape Town Kawauchi cited his Olympic ambitions, saying, “It’s in the southern hemisphere, it’s a long flight there and there’s a significant time difference. It’s an ideal rehearsal for Rio.”

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Ninja Runner Yuka Ando Leads Japanese Women's Marathon Team in London: "I Want to Go For It"

Her form has been dubbed "ninja running." Both arms held straight down with almost no movement. That idiosyncratic style carried Yuka Ando , 23, to the fastest-ever marathon debut by a Japanese woman, 2:21:36, at March's Nagoya Women's Marathon to land at #4 on the all-time Japanese lists. All at once Ando found herself catapulted to the top level of women's marathoning, a candidate for Japan's next great marathoner. When she was younger Ando ran moving her arms like other runners, but she had a bad habit of moving robotically, her upper body and lower body not working in sync. The turning point came in 2014 when she joined Suzuki Hamamatsu AC . Working there with coach Masayuki Satouchi to eliminate the faults in her form, the pair arrived at the ninja running style that let her run relaxed. "Other people keep asking me, "Isn't it hard to run like that?" but for me it's comfortable," she said. The efficient form helped her mai

Yamaguchi 10th at United Airlines NYC Half - Weekend Overseas Results

2024 national cross-country champion Tomonori Yamaguchi was the top Japanese finisher in the men's race at the United Airlines NYC Half , taking 10th in 1:04:36. A 2nd-year at Waseda University , Yamaguchi was one of three collegiate runners running New York in the 11th year of JRN's development program collaboration between the Ageo City Half Marathon and the New York Road Runners, a program that has seen people like future half marathon and marathon NR breaker Yuta Shitara and Paris Olympic team member Akira Akasaki make their international debuts. Yamaguchi's Waseda teammate Taishi Ito started fast, going with the leaders through 5 km in 14:29 before losing touch. Hosei University senior Rei Matsunaga went through in 14:42 in his last race before joining the JR Higashi Nihon corporate team in April. Yamaguchi, who caught COVID after winning last month's National Cross-Country Championships, started more conservatively with a 15:11 first 5km. But where both Ito

Rui Aoki Wins National University Men's Half Marathon - Weekend Results

Yuka Ando 's win at the Nagoya Women's Marathon was the big news of the weekend, but there were other high-level races happening, even in Nagoya. Held in parallel with the marathon, the Nagoya City Half Marathon saw Australians Natalie Rule and Ed Goddard take easy wins by about 2.5 minutes each, Rule in 1:13:57 and Goddard in 1:04:01. The new Biwako Marathon also had a non-Japanese winner, China's Yousheng Guan scoring 1st in 2:14:58 with Japan's Hirohito Sugai next in 2:16:40. Mikiko Ota won the women's race in 2:50:44. The Shizuoka Marathon returned for its first running in five years, with club runner Shumpei Oda leading the top 7 men under 2:20 in 2:15:36. Women's winner Remi Tanaka ran 2:41:23, beating runner-up Ayumi Sano by exactly 7 minutes. And in Tokyo, Rui Aoki continued what has been a great season so far for Koku Gakuin University with a win at the National University Men's Half Marathon . Aoki and Hiro Konda of Chuo Gakuin Unive