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Fukuoka International Marathon Elite Field Released

Fukuoka International Marathon is the first of this winter season's big selection races for the home soil team for next year's Tokyo World Championships, and the domestic field is a great one. 

Kenya Sonota, 2:05:59 in Tokyo last year, and 2:06 men Yusuke Nishiyama, Yuya Yoshida, Kazuya Nishiyama and Daisuke Doi make up the main contenders to get a spot, with internationals Lemeck Too, Jie He, Bethwel Yegon, Vincent Raimoi, last year's winner Michael Githae, and Shaohui Yang perfectly positioned to add momentum to the shot at the 2:06:30 Worlds standard that they'll all be taking.

8 other Japanese men in the 2:07 to 2:09 range make it one of the most competitive Fukuoka editions in a long, long time.

Last year Githae outkicked Yang by 1 second to win 2:07:08 to 2:07:09, Yang with a Chinese NR that was broken a few months later by He in Wuxi. Chinese men's marathoning has momentum right now too, and it wouldn't be surprising to see either He or Yang become Fukuoka's first Chinese winner. Jianhua Peng, 2:09:59 last year in Seoul, and Bo Li, 2:11:23 in Nanchang, are also in the race.

Fukuoka International Marathon Elite Field Highlights

Kenya Sonota (JR Higashi Nihon) - 2:05:59 (Tokyo 2023)

Lemeck Too (Kenya) - 2:06:29 (Rotterdam 2024)

Yusuke Nishiyama (Toyota) - 2:06:31 (Tokyo 2024)

Yuya Yoshida (GMO) - 2:06:37 (Osaka 2024)

Kazuya Nishiyama (Toyota) - 2:06:45 (Osaka 2023)

Daisuke Doi (Kurosaki Harima) - 2:06:54 (Osaka 2024)

Jie He (China) - 2:06:57 (Wuxi 2024)

Bethwel Yegon (Kenya) - 2:06:57 (Vienna 2023)

Vincent Raimoi (Kenya/Suzuki) - 2:07:01 (Fukuoka Int'l 2022)

Michael Githae (Kenya/Suzuki) - 2:07:08 (Fukuoka Int'l 2023)

Shaohui Yang (China) - 2:07:09 (Fukuoka Int'l 2023)

Koki Yoshioka (Kyudenko) - 2:07:28 (Osaka 2023)

Shin Kimura (Honda) - 2:07:34 (Tokyo 2024)

Derese Workneh (Ethiopia/Hiramatsu Byoin) - 2:07:58 (Beppu-Oita 2024)

Bedan Karoki (Kenya/Toyota) - 2:07:59 (Tokyo 2024)

Kazuya Azegami (Toyota) - 2:08:29 (Osaka 2023)

Kiyoshi Koga (Yasukawa Denki) - 2:08:30 (Beppu-Oita 2022)

Ryu Takaku (Yakult) - 2:08:38 (Fukuoka Int'l 2021)

Naoki Aiba (Chudenko) - 2:08:44 (Beppu-Oita 2022)

Kenta Murayama (Asahi Kasei) - 2:09:00 (Osaka 2024)

Kohei Futaoka (Chudenko) - 2:09:14 (Fukuoka Int'l 2021)

Jianhua Peng (China) - 2:09:59 (Seoul 2023)

Tesema Moges (Israel) - 2:10:31 (Rotterdam 2023)

Takumi Kumagai (Sumitomo Denko) - 2:10:41 (Fukuoka Int'l 2021)

Yusuke Tobimatsu (Hioki City Hall) - 2:10:47 (Hofu 2021)

Luka Musembi (Kenya/Tokyo T&F Assoc.) - 2:10:49 (Hokkaido 2022)

Asuka Tanaka (Runlife) - 2:11:09 (Tokyo 2022)

Bo Li (China) - 2:11:23 (Nanchang 2023)

Tadese Getahon (Israel) - debut - 1:00:47 (Copenhagen Half 2024)

(11/07/2024) Views: 145 ⚡AMP
by Brett Larner

Michael Githae wins 76th edition of Fukuoka Marathon for the second time

Kenyan runner Michael Githae won the 76th edition of Fukuoka International Marathon for the second time in three years at Heiwadai Athletic Stadium in Fukuoka, Japan on Sunday.

The 29-year-old Commonwealth Games marathon bronze medallist, clocked a new personal best of 2:07.08 with China’s Yang Shaohui, coming home in second place in 2:07.09 while Norway’s Sondre Nordstad Moen sealed the podium with third place finish in 2:07.16.

Kenya’s Vincent Raimoi finished in fifth place with a time of 2:08:00, while the race favorite, the 2012 Olympics marathon silver medalist, Abel Kirui came home a disappointing eighth in a time of 2:08.36.

On Sunday, the leading pack was whittled down to three - Githae, China’s Yang Shaohui and Norway’s Sondre Nordstad Moen - when Hosoya fell behind around the 40-kilometer mark.

Githae, who spent his high school days in Fukuoka, broke away around a kilometer from the finish line to cut the tape as the winner but could not shatter the course record of 2:05.18 set four years ago by Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Kebede. By winning the race, Githae, who runs for Suzuki track team, improved his previous best of 2:08:17, which he set when finishing fourth at last year’s Fukuoka Marathon.

Meanwhile, Kenyan athletes failed to sparkle as Ethiopians dominated with Sisay Lemma collectinh another big-race in the men’s win category during the 2023 Valencia Marathon on Sunday.

The 2021 London Marathon winner broke clear of fellow Ethiopian Dawit Wolde and Kenya’s Kandiwott Kandie with 7km to go of the 42.195km race distance. The trio were well inside world record pace at 30km, but Lemma eventually crossed the line in 2:01:48, over a minute outside Kelvin Kiptum’s mark from Chicago in October.

Three-time Olympic gold medallist on the track, Kenenisa Bekele, was just over 20 seconds behind the lead group at halfway and appeared to have decided not to go with the strong pace at the front.

On his marathon debut, 5000m and 10,000m world record holder Joshua Cheptegei was among those dropped having reached the half in the lead group in 60:35. Uganda’s reigning 5000m Olympic champion tired badly in the second half of the race, eventually finishing down in 37th place in 2:08:59.

Ethiopia completed a podium sweep in the women’s race with Worknesh Degefa winning in 2:15:51 to go seventh on the all-time list.

(12/04/2023) Views: 661 ⚡AMP
by Dennis Mabuka

Bethwel Yegon out to make amends at Fukuoka Marathon

Bethwel Yegon failed to finish the race during last year's edition of the Fukuoka Marathon and will be returning to the Japanese city to right his wrongs next month

Bethwel Yegon will be out to heal last year’s heartbreak as he gears up for this year’s Fukuoka Marathon.

During last year’s edition of the marathon, Yegon failed to finish the race but he will be heading to this year’s event with a goal to finish in the podium bracket.

He opened his season at the Publix Atlanta Half Marathon where he finished sixth before securing second place at the Vienna Marathon. He then went on to finish sixth at the Runkara International Half Marathon last month.

Yegon will be joined by compatriot Abel Kirui who finished fifth during last year’s edition of the marathon. Kirui is the oldest athlete in the field but he will be banking on his experience to improve his performance.

Commonwealth Games marathon bronze medalist Michael Githae will also be in the mix with the hope of making an impact.

The Kenyan charge will be challenged by Ethiopia’s Abebe Negewo Degefa, who is the only athlete in the field to have gone under the 2:05:50.

The race will prove to be a battle of titans since there are six athletes on the entry list, who have run sub 2:07 and they will be going for the course record of 2:05:18 that was set four years ago by Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Kebede.

The field also includes the 2017 winner Sondre Nordstad Moen of Norway, who will be hoping to get under 2:10 for the first time since 2020 after a good 1:00:20 half marathon in Malaga two weeks ago.

Shaohui Yang will lead the home charge and holds the countries second fastest-ever time of 2:07:49 that he got early this year at the Wuxi Marathon.

(11/17/2023) Views: 595 ⚡AMP
by Abigael Wuafula

Kenyan Abel Kirui focused on finishing on the podium in Fukuoka Marathon

Double world marathon champion Abel Kirui will highlight the Fukuoka Marathon.

The former Olympic Games marathon silver medalist said he will be targeting the podium this time round after failing last year due to an injury.

Kirui finished 5th in 2:07.38 during the race won by Israeli Maru Taferi last year in 2:06.43. Kenyan duo Vincent Raimoi (2:07.01) and Michael Githae (2:07.28) took second and third positions respectively.

“It has been 18 years of running and I am still keen to improve on my last year’s position. Unlike last year when I had an injury, this time round, I am all set,” he added.

The former Chicago Marathon champion said he has been in the career for long because of his discipline and hard work.

“I have trained well this time around here in Iten under the guidance of veteran coach Renato Canova and I have this good feeling that I will finish in the top three positions,” he said.

Kirui, who won the 2012 Olympic Marathon silver medal, said his ambition to represent the country at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris, France is still alive. He said he is still keen to qualify for the Summer Games.

His prayer is to run well in Fukuoka and even get a slot for the Tokyo Marathon next year.

The Olympic Games are a huge opportunity for any athlete and urged his compatriots to take the opportunity seriously if granted the chance.

“If you are selected in Team Kenya please strive to get medals because that is why you are there. This is an opportunity of a lifetime,” he said.

The man, who won back-to-back world marathon titles in 2009 and 2011 in Berlin and Daegu respectively, urged Athletics Kenya to support the athletes by offering better logistical plans.

“Paris will be very competitive and we must all plan early enough,” said Kirui who won the Chicago marathon in 2016 before finishing second the following year.

The senior police officer said he has been able to run for a long time because he is never driven or excited with the earnings.

(11/16/2023) Views: 609 ⚡AMP
by Emmanuel Sabuni

Teferi Becomes Fukuoka's First Israeli Winner.

Japan had not one but two top-level men's marathons happening at the same time today. Conditions were a little too windy at the rescendent Fukuoka International Marathon to produce the kind of times organizers were hoping for, but there was still a great race up front. Almost dead-even on 3:00/km pace the entire way despite a building headwind from around 11 km to 18 km and again from 25 km to 32 km, and a strong tailwind from 32 km to the track finish, by 35 km a lead pack of 30 dwindled down to just 2021 winner Michael Githae (Suzuki), debuting teammate Vincent Raimoi (Suzuki), 40-year-old double world champ Abel Kirui (Kenya) and Ethiopian Israeli Maru Teferi. 

Teferi didn't really break it apart as much as he held steadier than everyone else. From 30 to 35 km he clocked 15:01 and from 35 to 40 km 14:59, while the other three slowed to the 15:17~15:23 range on the way to 40 km. Teferi kept that pace all the way to the end, winning in a PB 2:06:43.

Raimoi had the final gear to drop Githae for 2nd in 2:07:01, while Githae held on to 3rd in a PB 2:07:28. "This was another step for me," Githae told JRN post-race. "I'm happy with how I did."Kirui slowed further, bringing him into range of fast-closing Australian Brett Robinson. 18 seconds back at 40 km, Robinson closed the 3rd-fastest in the field to run Kirui down for 4th in 2:07:31. That was good enough to take 20 seconds off past Fukuoka champ Rob de Castella's 2:07:51 Australian record, another piece of history from sub-60 Marugame Half winner Robinson. Kirui was 5th in 2:07:38.

Kazuma Kubo (Nishitetsu) was the last Japanese man to stay with the top group, making it as far as 30 km before dropping off. In the end the top Japanese spot went to Kiyohito Akiyama (Aichi Seiko), 7th in 2:08:43. He, 8th-placer Akira Akasaki (Kyudenko), 2:09:01, and 9th-placer Minato Oishi(Toyota), 2:09:08, all qualified for next year's MGC Race 2024 Olympic marathon trials. Kubo hung on for 10th in 2:09:19 and 11th-placer Koki Takada (Sumitomo Denko) made it five under 2:10 in 2:09:45, but both missed out on qualification. And in terms of the domestic results, Fukuoka lost out to Hofu.

(12/04/2022) Views: 911 ⚡AMP

Kenyan Abel Kirui set to run next month's Fukuoka Marathon

Two-time former world champion Abel Kirui leads a strong contingent of Kenyan elite runners to next month's Fukuoka Marathon.

Kirui, 40, with a personal best of 2:05:05, faces stiff opposition to win the event set for December 4.

This will be Kirui's first marathon of the year having last participated in the 2021 Milan Marathon, where he finished 11th in 2:06:52.

Kirui said he has what it takes to win the race despite the competition. "Marathon running is never easy but I have had good preparations and I am looking forward to having a good outing,” added Kirui. 

Kirui will have fellow Kenyans Kenneth Keter and Silas Too for the company. Keter has a personal best of 2:06:05 set at the 2021 Amsterdam Marathon, where he finished eighth while Too has a PB of 2:06:32 posted in the Eindhoven Marathon last year.

James Gitahi, who finished third last year in a time of 2:08:25, will be aiming to go two places better this time around. Last year's winner Michael Githae will be aiming to defend the crown he won last year when he clocked 2:07:51.

Githae is upbeat about his prospects despite placing 11th at the Tokyo Marathon in March this year at 2:07:55. Githae also won silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last August.

“I did not do well in Tokyo but I have trained hard for Fukuoka for the past three months. It's a very good field, especially the Kenyans and Ethiopians but I'm up to the task and ready to defend my title,” he said. 

Vincent Raimoi will be making his debut in the full marathon at the event having clocked 59:51 at the 2020 Ras El Khaimah Marathon in UAE, where he finished fifth. The Ethiopian athletes in the event will be led by Teshager Yegzaw and Yemane Tsegaye. 

(11/16/2022) Views: 854 ⚡AMP
by William Njuguna

The Fukuoka Marathon will return in a revamped form this year

On Mar. 14 the JAAF, Fukuoka Athletics Association and Fukuoka Prefectural Government announced that the Fukuoka International Marathon, discontinued after its 75th running last year, will return in a revamped form this year on Dec. 4 under the tentative name "Fukuoka International Marathon 2022." The new version of the race will inherit the history and tradition on which the curtain came down so shockingly last December.

The Fukuoka International Marathon began in Kumamoto in 1947 as the "Kanakuri Prize Asahi Marathon" in honor of the father of Japanese distance running, Shizo Kanakuri.

In its early years it was held in different cities across the country, first coming to Fukuoka in 1951 and settling there for good in 1964. It took the name Fukuoka International Marathon at its 28th running in 1974, and with numerous course changes over the years continued to be held under that name.

Most of the world's best runners competed there, and in the 1970s and 1980s its high-level races were so exciting that it was known as the best marathon in the world. World Athletics selected the Fukuoka International Marathon to receive its Heritage Plaque, making it effectively a World Heritage Site of the sport.

But in March last year it was decided to discontinue the race after its 75th running on Dec. 5 that year, with economic issues and declining interest cited as reasons for the decision. 

The news of the cancelation was greeted with widespread shock and dismay. In light of the reaction, the prefectural government and the two athletics federations met to discuss possibilities for bringing the race back.

The statement issued today read, "As a result of exploring ways to preserve the history and value of the race, we have created a new race management organization and reached an agreement with the Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting Co., Ltd to handle to brunt of broadcasting duties. Under this arrangement it will be possible to go ahead with the new version of the race."

JAAF head Mitsugi Ogata said, "I am very happy that we will be able to stage this race in a new form while maintaining its history and tradition." Fukuoka governor Seitaro Hattori commented, "This race is one of Fukuoka's great winter traditions, and by holding it again we hope to help our people feel that things are opening up again after being shut in by the pandemic.

We hope that this will bring energy and life to all the citizens of our prefecture and to marathon fans everywhere. We in the prefectural government want to build on Fukuoka's reputation as a home for sport. We hope to see this race once again be a proving ground that will help produce top-class athletes who will go on to success around the world."

The race will be held on Dec. 4 this year on the same course as last year. Initial plans call for an elite field of around 100, with organizers expected to apply for JAAF Grade 1 labeling to enable it to continue as part of the Japan Marathon Championship series and play a vital role in selection for national teams and qualification for the MGC Olympic marathon trials.

The organizing group's statement concluded, "We will aim to hold the race up to the same standard as in the past, but will work to develop both it and the Japanese marathon world further."

(03/14/2022) Views: 1,060 ⚡AMP
by Japan Running News (Brett Larner)

What would Jerome Drayton’s marathon time be with today’s shoe technology?

At Japan’s Fukuoka Marathon in 1975, Canada’s Jerome Drayton smashed his Canadian record from 1969 to win the marathon in 2:10:09 – a record that stood for 43 years until Cam Levins broke it at the 2018 Toronto Waterfront Marathon (2:09:25). When Levins set the record, he ran in the Hoka Carbon Rocket X, a shoe with carbon-plated technology Drayton did not have 43 years prior. Both times are remarkable, but it brings into question what Drayton’s time would translate to today if he had had carbon-plated shoes. 

In the 70s, the Fukuoka Marathon had the reputation as the unofficial world championship, as organizers would invite the best marathoners from around the world to Fukuoka to compete. Drayton won the race three times in seven years, beating the likes of marathon greats American Frank Shorter and Japan’s Shigeru So (who held the world record from 1978 to 1980).

When Drayton set his record he wasn’t wearing the Adidas Adizero Pro or Nike Vaporfly. He had the Adidas SL76 on his feet, which was described as ‘the shoes for all seasons,’ built for pounding the roads in the marathon and jogging around the block. The shoe featured super-light technology, a ghillie loop lacing system and an EVA midsole – in short, a lightweight, flat running shoe. 

In a 2021 video from Brigham Young University student Easton Allred, he discussed the development of carbon-plated shoes with a professor of biomechanics, Dr. Iain Hunter, who studies how people can run faster by the way they move. The two discussed whether carbon-plated shoes affect athletic performance and how much time they could take off each kilometre.

Hunter found that the top carbon plated shoes can take off two to three seconds per kilometer.

If you take Drayton’s time of 2:10:09 and take two seconds off each kilometre, it correlates to approximately 84 seconds off his time (2:08:45). Again, this calculation is hypothetical, but that time would be a record and untouched by any Canadian runner to this day.

(01/06/2022) Views: 1,281 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickinson

Githae wins final edition of Fukuoka Marathon

Michael Githae was victorious at the 75th and final edition of Fukuoka International Marathon on Sunday (5), winning the World Athletics Elite Label road race in 2:07:51.

Githae, who runs for Suzuki track team, improved his previous best of 2:08:17, which he set when finishing fourth at last year’s Fukuoka Marathon. Japan’s Kyohei Hosoya finished second, 25 seconds adrift of Githae.

The pacers, led by 2012 Olympian Yuki Sato, directed the huge lead pack through 5km (14:47), 10km (29:39), 15km (44:30) and 20km (59:24) in what turned out to be something of a race of attrition. Yuta Shitara was one of the athletes to fall out of contention before the half-way stage; the former national marathon record-holder dropped out at 20km.

The half-way point was reached in 1:02:41, meaning an attack on the 2:05:18 course record was not out of the question. Simon Kariuki and Charles Wanjiku kept the pace going at the start of the second half, and 30km was reached in 1:29:08. But the pacemakers dropped out soon after, and the pace dramatically slowed down.

Nevertheless, the pack became strung out to almost a single file, and by 34km just Githae, James Rungaru, Hosoya and Ryu Takaku remained in contention. Soon after, Githae surged and Hosoya made a valiant effort to stay close but Githae gradually pulled away to win by 25 seconds in 2:07:51.

In third, Rungaru set a PB of 2:08:25, while fourth-placed Shohei Otsuka and Ryu Takaku and Daisuke Uekado in fifth and sixth respectively were just outside their PBs. Yuki Kawauchi, running his 12th Fukuoka Marathon, fittingly finished 12th in 2:11:33. He is planning on running the Hofu Marathon in two weeks’ time.

Looking back at Fukuoka's history

The Fukuoka International Marathon – which was awarded a World Athletics Heritage Plaque in 2019 – started in 1947 and is the second oldest marathon in Japan behind the now defunct Lake Biwa Marathon.

In its 75-year history, the world record was broken twice there – first in 1967 when Derek Clayton became the first runner to break 2:10 with 2:09:37, and then in 1981 when fellow Australian Rob de Castella ran 2:08:18.

De Castella isn’t the only global marathon champion to have contested the race over the years. Frank Shorter, the 1972 Olympic champion, notched up four consecutive Fukuoka Marathon victories between 1971 and 1974. 2000 Olympic champion Gezahegn Abera won in 1999, 2001 and 2002, while 1996 Olympic champion Josiah Thugwane won in 1997. The late Samuel Wanjiru, winner of the 2008 Olympic title, made a remarkable marathon debut in Fukuoka in 2007, winning in 2:06:39. And two-time world champion Jaoud Gharib won in 2010.

Numerous world record-holders have also competed in Fukuoka, including Haile Gebrselassie (winner in 2006), Belayneh Dinsamo (1990 winner) and Patrick Makau (2014 and 2015 champion).

Japanese runners have also enjoyed moments of victory in Fukuoka. Toshihiko Seko won four times (1978-1980 and 1983), and Takeyuki Nakayama won twice (1984 and 1987). During his 1987 run, Nakayama was on world record pace through 20km (58:37) and 35km until a heavy downpour in the closing stages slowed him down, and he eventually finished in 2:08:18.

When asked about the end of the Fukuoka Marathon, four-time winner Seko said: “It is like part of my history is being erased.”

Japan Running News, a leading authority on the sport in Japan, has produced a docu-film on the Fukuoka Marathon, entitled ‘Inside the Outside – When the World Came to Fukuoka’.

Leading results

1 Michael Githae (KEN) 2:07:512 Kyohei Hosoya (JPN) 2:08:163 James Rungaru (KEN) 2:08:254 Shohei Otsuka (JPN) 2:08:335 Ryu Takaku (JPN) 2:08:386 Daisuke Uekado (JPN) 2:08:567 Kohei Futaoka (JPN) 2:09:148 Masaya Taguchi (JPN) 2:09:359 Toshiki Sadakata (JPN) 2:10:3110 Takuma Kumagai (JPN) 2:10:4111 Ryota Komori (JPN) 2:11:3212 Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) 2:11:33

(12/05/2021) Views: 935 ⚡AMP

Hosoya, Takaku and Uekado Will Lead Fukuoka International Marathon's Final Elite Field

With just over a month to go until its final edition, on Nov. 1 the organizers of the Fukuoka International Marathon held a press conference to announce its last elite field. For the second year in a row it's domestic-only, headlined by Kyohei Hosoya (Kurosaki Harima), 2:06:35 at the final Lake Biwa Marathon this past spring, Ryu Takaku (Yakult), 2:06:45 in Tokyo last year, and Daisuke Uekado (Otsuka Seiyaku), 2:06:54 in Tokyo just behind Takaku. 

Out of a total field of 124, along with the 3 sub-2:07 guys there are 11 sub-2:08, 18 sub-2:09, 25 sub-2:10 and many more at the sub-2:11 and sub-2:12 levels. It's an even bigger front end than was on the entry list at the record-breaking final Lake Biwa Marathon earlier this year, and for a domestic field it's one worthy of sending off Fukuoka's 75-year history. Last year's winner Yuya Yoshida (GMO), who was scheduled to run October's Tokyo Marathon before it was postponed until March, is absent. 

With Japan still holding tight to its border closures the international component of the field is covered by Japan-based internationals Michael Githae (Suzuki), 2:08:17 in Fukuoka last year, Mongolian NR holder Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (Mie T&F Assoc.) past Marugame Half winner Paul Kuira (JR Higashi Nihon), James Gitahi Rungaru (Chuo Hatsujo), Daniel Muiva Kitonyi (Track Tokyo), and the debuting Nicholas Kosimbei (YKK).

complete field listing

Kyohei Hosoya (Kurosaki Hariima) - 2:06:35 (Lake Biwa 2021)

Ryu Takaku (Yakult) - 2:06:45 (Tokyo 2020)

Daisuke Uekado (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 2:06:54 (Tokyo 2020)

Toshiki Sadakata (Mitsubishi Juko) - 2:07:05 (Tokyo 2020)

Shuho Dairokuno (Asahi Kasei) - 2:07:12 (Lake Biwa 2021)

Shin Kimura (Honda) - 2:07:20  (Tokyo 2020)

Yuki Kawauchi (ANDS) - 2:07:27 (Lake Biwa 2021)

Shohei Otsuka (Kyudenko) - 2:07:38 (Fukuoka Int'l 2020)

Masaru Aoki (Kanebo) - 2:07:40 (Lake Biwa 2021)

Yuta Shitara (Honda) - 2:07:45 (Tokyo 2020)

Atsumi Ashiwa (Honda) - 2:07:54 (Lake Biwa 2021)

Natsuki Terada (JR Higashi Nihon) - 2:08:03 (Fukuoka Int'l 2020)

Kento Otsu (Toyota Kyushu) - 2:08:15 (Lake Biwa 2021)

Michael Githae (Kenya/Suzuki) - 2:08:17 (Fukuoka Int'l 2020)

Junichi Tsubouchi (Kurosaki Harima) - 2:08:35 (Lake Biwa 2021)

Yuji Iwata (Mitsubishi Juko) - 2:08:45 (Tokyo 2020)

Kazuma Kubo (Nishitetsu) - 2:08:53 (Lake Biwa 2021)

Kenta Murayama (Asahi Kasei) - 2:08:56 (Berlin 2019)

Chihiro Miyawaki (Toyota) - 2:09:04 (Tokyo 2020)

Kohei Futaoka (Chudenko) - 2:09:15 (Beppu-Oita 2019)

Shoma Yamamoto (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 2:09:18 (Lake Biwa 2020)

Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (Mongolia/Mie T&F Assoc.) - 2:09:26 (Lake Biwa 2021)

Yoshiki Takenouchi (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 2:09:31 (Fukuoka Int'l 2020)

Takahiro Nakamura (Kyocera Kagoshima) - 2:09:40 (Lake Biwa 2021)

Paul Kuira (Kenya/JR Higashi Nihon) - 2:09:57 (Fukuoka Int'l 2020)

Jo Fukuda (NN Running Team) - 2:10:32 (Beppu-Oita 2020)

Ryota Komori (NTN) - 2:10:33 (Lake Biwa 2021)

Yuki Nakamura (Sumitomo Denko) - 2:10:47 (Lake Biwa 2021)

Takuma Shibata (Komori Corp.) - 2:10:48 (Hofu 2020)

Koshiro Hirata (SG Holdings) - 2:10:50 (Lake Biwa 2021)

Shota Saito (JFE Steel) - 2:10:50 (Beppu-Oita 2020)

Asuka Tanaka (Runlife) - 2:11:07 (Fukuoka Int'l 2020)

Taiki Suzuki (Eldoreso) - 2:12:09 (Fukuoka Int'l 2019)

Keita Shitara (Hitachi Butsuryu) - 2:12:13 (Tokyo 2020)

James Gitahi Rungaru (Kenya/Chuo Hatsujo) - 2:12:54 (Hofu 2020)

Daniel Muiva Kitonyi (Kenya/Track Tokyo) - 2:14:41 (Nagano 2019)

Debut

Nicholas Mboroto Kosimbei (Kenya/YKK) - 1:00:21 (Lisbon Half 2019).

(11/01/2021) Views: 1,439 ⚡AMP
by Brett Larner

The JAAF has stripped Moroccan Dazza of 2019 Fukuoka Title

The JAAF has announced that Moroccan El Mahjoub Dazza has been stripped of his victory at the 73rd Fukuoka International Marathon on Dec. 1, 2019. A short time later Dazza was found to have violated anti-doping regulations, and the Athletics Integrity Unit suspended him for four years.

Following a rejection of his appeal by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week, all of Dazza's results after May 4, 2019, including his Fukuoka win, were disqualified.

For that reason, all athletes who finished 2nd and lower in the race will be elevated one position, making runner-up Taku Fujimoto (Toyota) the winner and giving the Toyota corporate team and head coach Toshinobu Sato two-straight Fukuoka victories, following teammate Yuma Hattori's 2018 win.

The Fukuoka International Marathon is known worldwide as one of the most prestigious traditional races and last year was selected as the recipient of World Athletics' Heritage Plaque. Nevertheless, in March this year the JAAF announced that this year's 75th running on Dec. 5 will be its final edition.

(05/11/2021) Views: 1,215 ⚡AMP
by Brett Larner

2021 Fukuoka International Marathon will be Its final running

The prestigious Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship will be discontinued after the 75th edition in 2021 due in part to a lack of sponsors, a source close to the matter said Friday.

The international men's marathon held in the southwest Japan city is one of the longest-running footraces in Japan. First held in 1947 in Kumamoto Prefecture, it moved to Fukuoka permanently in 1959.

The marathon has served as a qualifier for Olympics and world championships.

The marathon is one of six events, each one of the world's oldest footraces, that received a World Athletics heritage award in October.

Some of Japan's greatest racing moments, including those involving Olympians Toshihiko Seko and twin athletes Shigeru So and Takeshi So in the 1970s and 1980s, have been witnessed at the Fukuoka marathon.

The Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, considered the oldest marathon in Japan, will be absorbed into the Osaka Marathon from 2022. It was run on the banks of the Shiga Prefecture lake for the 76th time in February.

(03/26/2021) Views: 1,169 ⚡AMP

Yuma Hattori Withdraws From Fukuoka Marathon

On Dec. 3, Tokyo Olympics marathon team member Yuma Hattori (27, Toyota) announced that he has withdrawn from Sunday's Fukuoka International Marathon due to pain in his right calf.

Hattori won Fukuoka in 2018, and in September last year he finished 2nd at Japan's MGC Race Olympic marathon trials to secure his place on the Olympic team. In Fukuoka this time he had planned to target the 2:05:29 Japanese national record.

Through Fukuoka organizers Hattori released the following statement: "I have been forced to withdraw from the Dec. 6 Fukuoka International Marathon.

To the race organizers, the media, and to the fans who had been looking forward to cheering me on in the race, I apologize from the heart. This setback has made me realize the difficulty of just making it to the start line of a marathon in peak condition.

I believe this experience will help me grow further and succeed in my future goals. One of those will be to return to the Fukuoka International Marathon as a more mature athlete."

(12/03/2020) Views: 1,353 ⚡AMP
by Brett Larner

Amateur Runner, 23, Kaito Iwasa Hoping for Breakthrough at Fukuoka International Marathon

Local Hiratsuka resident Kaito Iwasa, 23, will run the 74th Fukuoka International Marathon on Dec 6. With the number of entrants limited to a select few due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, Iwasa earned the right to stand on the starting line by meeting the strict qualifying standards. "Fast times will come later," he said. "Before anything else I just want to enjoy this one."

Iwasa graduated from Kasugano J.H.S. and Oiso H.S. He attended Chuo University. where he was part of the ekiden team. After graduating from Chuo this year he started working at a local company in April, training all the while for next spring's Tokyo Marathon. When Tokyo was postponed until next October due to the coronavirus crisis, he started looking for another race he could run and heard that Fukuoka would be happening. 

In March this year Iwasa ran the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon as the final race of his college career, recording a respectable 2:19:51. "Fukuoka is an elite race," he said. "To be honest I didn't think I had a chance." But in a field of 94 his Lake Biwa time earned him bib # 83. He hopes to break 2:15.

Still in his first year of full-time work, it's a challenge for him to balance his job and training. "My life can't be completely focused on running like it was in university," Iwasa says. "but I've been able to work it so far so that I can still train six days a week." He gets up at 5:00 a.m. to run, generally following Route 1 along the coast or in the Hiratsuka municipal park, before heading to work. 

At Chuo Iwasa was selected as one of the entry members for the Hakone Ekiden but never made it to the starting lineup. That disappointment is what drives him now. "I want to stay involved with athletics and someday coach an athlete who will run the Hakone Ekiden's Fourth Stage through Hiratsuka," he says. "I want to show younger athletes that you can still have a career in athletics even if you're in the workplace."

(11/26/2020) Views: 1,386 ⚡AMP
by Brett Larner

Ryu Takaku Withdraws from Fukuoka International Marathon

On Nov. 20 the organizers of the Dec. 6 Fukuoka International Marathon announced that invited athlete Ryu Takaku (Yakult), the fastest man in the field with a PB of 2:06:45 from this year's Tokyo Marathon, has withdrawn.

The statement said Takaku is suffering fasciitis of the adductor longus muscle in his right thigh.

 

(11/21/2020) Views: 1,332 ⚡AMP
by Brett Larner

Michael Githae will spearhead Kenya's hopes for victory at the Fukuoka Marathon scheduled for December 6 in Japan

Githae has a personal best of 2:09:21 and will have Paul Kiura (2:11:38) and Silas Kingori, who is making his debut, for company.

Kenya has a superb record in the event with former world marathon record holder, Patrick Makau winning twice and Martin Mathathi, Joseph Ndambiri and Samuel Wanjiru winning once each.

Japan will be well represented by Ryu Takaku, who set a big PB of 2:06:45 in Tokyo earlier this year. He is the fastest in the field. The 27-year-old is the fourth-fastest Japanese runner ever and will be making his second appearance in Fukuoka, having raced there in 2018.

Yuma Hattori, winner of the 2018 Fukuoka Marathon, will be back in the Japanese city looking for his second victory. His last race over the distance was at last year’s Marathon Grand Championships, where he finished second to gain selection in Japan’s Olympic team.

Yuki Kawauchi, the 2018 Boston Marathon champion, will be making his 11th appearance in Fukuoka in what will be his 104th career marathon. A prolific racer, Kawauchi's last race over the distance was nine months ago— his longest break between marathons since 2010.

Taku Fujimoto finished second in Fukuoka last year and will be looking to go one better this time round. He set his PB of 2:07:57 when finishing eighth in Chicago in 2018 while earlier this year, he clocked 1:00:06 at the Marugame Half Marathon, moving to second on the Japanese all-time list. Six other men in the field have PBs faster than 2:09.

 

(10/29/2020) Views: 1,481 ⚡AMP
by William Njuguna

Ryu Takaku, Yuma Hattori and Taku Fujimoto Headline Fukuoka International Marathon

With strict limitations on immigration still a reality in Japan, the Dec. 6 Fukuoka International Marathon has announced an almost entirely domestic field of less than 100 that includes only five Japan-based foreign-born athletes plus an all-Japan-based Kenyan pacing crew led by Bedan Karoki (Toyota).

Not that the field is hurting for quality. Ryu Takaku (Yakult), 2:06:45 in Tokyo this year, 2018 Fukuoka winner and Tokyo Olympics marathon team member Yuma Hattori (Toyota), and Taku Fujimoto (Toyota), a bump up to the 2019 Fukuoka winner's position pending after the subsequent suspension of the Moroccan who crossed the line first for biological passport violations, make up the front end of a field that includes eleven current sub-2:10 men and seven of last year's top ten.

Hattori has said publicly that he'll be going for Suguru Osako's 2:05:29 national record, and with pacing support from teammates Karoki and Fujimoto, his former Toyo University teammate Takaku there with him, and no dirty athletes to effortlessly tear him in half at the end, if the weather is good his chances will be too.

Shizuoka-based Kenyan Michael Githae (Suzuki) is the top international in the field with a best of 2:09:21 from Lake Biwa in 2018, but sub-60 half marathoner Paul Kuira (JR Higashi Nihon) still has potential to improve on his 2:11:58 best, and likewise for former Takushoku University ekiden team captain Derese Workneh (Hiramatsu Byoin). Workneh's teammate Cyrus Kingori (Hiramatsu Byoin) looks promising in his debut with a 1:01:31 for 4th at last year's Gifu Seiryu Half. 

One promising name for a breakthrough in the Japanese field is Taiki Suzuki (Raffine), 9th last year in 2:12:09 in his marathon debut. It'll be interesting as well to see if Yuya Yoshida (GMO) can build on his inspiring at-the-time-career-ending 2:08:30 debut at Beppu-Oita this year, and it still feels like Olympic team alternate Shohei Otsuka (Kyudenko) has more waiting in him than his 2:10:12 best from Beppu-Oita two years ago.

Toyo fans will be hoping the same for Keita Shitara (Hitachi Butsuryu), twin brother of former NR holder Yuta Shitara.

(10/26/2020) Views: 1,597 ⚡AMP
by Brett Larner

The Fukuoka Marathon, one of the world’s oldest footraces, was awarded World Athletics Heritage status for its advancement of the track and field event

The marathon was one of six events that received the status from World Athletics on Oct. 3, and it is the fifth Japanese recipient of a Heritage Plaque under the recognition system that started in 2018.

The Asahi Shimbun is one of the organizers of the Fukuoka marathon, which was first held in 1947.

From the 1960s to the 1970s, the marathon course was praised as a high-speed track, and two world records were set in the race, including the first finish under 2 hours and 10 minutes, by Australian Derek Clayton in 1967.

The competition was called “the effective world’s top marathon championship” at the time, and the smooth management of the event received international accolades.

In a statement, British track legend Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, praised the Fukuoka race for the excellent reputation it earned in the global athletics community through its long history.

Past Heritage Plaque winners from Japan are: Chuhei Nanbu, who won gold in the triple jump at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics; the Hakone Ekiden relay marathon; Yoshio Koide, who coached Olympic marathon gold medalist Naoko Takahashi; and the Rikujo Kyogi Magazine (Track and field magazine).

(10/22/2020) Views: 1,404 ⚡AMP

Yuma Hattori is set to Run Fukuoka International Marathon and set a new japanese record on december 6

On Oct. 9 it was learned that Tokyo Olympics men's marathon team member Yuma Hattori (26, Toyota) will run the Dec. 6 Fukuoka International Marathon. It will be the first time a member of either the men's or women's Olympic marathon squads will have run a marathon since the teams were finalized.

For Hattori himself it will be his first marathon since taking 2nd at the Olympic marathon trials in September last year. His goal is to run 2:05.

According to an involved source, Hattori chose Fukuoka as his pre-Olympic marathon because he is familiar with the course from his victory there two years ago. He has already committed to running Fukuoka and has done multiple 40 km runs in preparation.

On Oct. 9 Hattori ran the 10000 m at the Chubu Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships. With a goal of running 28:30 he ran 28:16.28. Hattori was positive about his run saying, "My time was good. So was the way I ran."

In the summer he focused on improving his speed, breaking 28 minutes for 10000 m for the first time and then bettering that with a 27:47.55 in mid-September, the fastest time by a Japanese man this year. Looking toward a successful return to Fukuoka, Hattori said, "I want to focus all my training on being ready to break the Japanese national record (2:05:29)."

(10/10/2020) Views: 1,345 ⚡AMP
by Brett Larner

2020 Fukuoka Marathon will go ahead, but with limited field size

On Sept. 12 the Fukuoka International Marathon announced that this year's race will go ahead as scheduled on Dec. 6. Usually a two-tier elite/sub-elite men's race with a field of around 400, this year's race will be cut back dramatically.

Along with an elite invited field of probably 10 men, the field this year will be limited to the 80 fastest applicants with marathon qualifying marks under 2:25:00 and the 10 fastest with half marathon bests under 1:04:00.

This eliminates the B-group start in Ohori Park, with the entire field starting on the track at Heiwadai Field.Most notably for the event's "international" self-designation, applications will be "limited to runners who are able to enter and stay in Japan as of September 14 (Mon.), the day on which applications open."

That pretty well eliminates anyone who is not a Japanese citizen or already a resident, even in the event of liberalization of Japan's restrictive anti-COVID immigration policies between now and race day.

How that's going to apply to the invited athlete field remains to be seen, but Fukuoka is definitely capable of putting together a field that meets World Athletics gold label requirements using only Japanese and Japan-based African athletes.

(09/12/2020) Views: 1,347 ⚡AMP
by Brett Larner

Last year's Fukuoka International Marathon winner El Mahjoub Dazza of Morocco has been handed a four-year doping ban

2019 Fukuoka Int'l Marathon winner Dazza handed 4-year doping ban,  the Athletics Integrity Unit said Friday.

"The World Athletes Disciplinary Tribunal has banned long-distance runner El Mahjoub Dazza of Morocco for four years with effect from 10 January 2020 for an Athlete Biological Passport violation under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules," AIU said on its Twitter account.

The 29-year-old Dazza, who has been under provisional suspension since January for an "atypical passport result," will lose all results from May 4, 2019, to Jan. 10, 2020. The decision is subject to appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Pending any appeals, it means he will lose his 2019 Prague Marathon and 2019 Fukuoka International Marathon titles, in the latter case elevating runner-up Taku Fujimoto to winner. Fujimoto failed to earn a place on the Olympic team through the December race.

The AIU is a watchdog founded by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 2017 to combat doping in the sport of athletics.

(08/01/2020) Views: 1,414 ⚡AMP

The 2020 Fukuoka Marathon has been Cancelled

In the midst of the novel coronavirus crisis both in Japan and abroad and in light of the disease's constantly changing impact and the difficulty of assessing the future situation, the organizers of the 2020 Fukuoka Marathon, scheduled for Nov. 8, have made the decision to cancel this year's race.

We apologize to everyone who had looked forward to the Fukuoka Marathon and to everyone involved with it, but we ask for your understanding.

We hope that the coronavirus crisis comes to an end quickly and that everyone can return to their daily lives, and we ask you all to take care of both your physical and mental health until that day comes.

The Fukuoka Marathon Organizing Committee.

(04/28/2020) Views: 1,556 ⚡AMP
by Brett Larner

El Mahjoub Dazza wins the Fukuoka Marathon

It came down to a race between #1-ranked El Mahjoub Dazza (Morocco) and top Japanese man Taku Fujimoto (Toyota) after 30 km, but the Moroccan proved the stronger as he pulled away to win the Fukuoka International Marathon in 2:07:10.

Japanese men had to run under the national record of 2:05:50 to score the last spot on the 2020 Olympic marathon team. Fujimoto, 2:08 man Yuki Sato (Nissin Shokuhin) and ambitious 2:12 guy Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) were the only ones to really give it a go, staying up front in the lead pack with most of the internationals, with Bedan Karoki (Kenya/DeNA) laying down the law at the head of the pacer group.

A secondary lead group quickly separated off the back of the lead group, with Japan-based Kenyan Daniel Muiva Kitonyi (Track Tokyo), 2:09:52 man Jo Fukuda (Nishitetsu), Keita Shitara (Hitachi Butsuryu) and others cutting back to 2:07 pace. European marathon champ Koen Naert (Belgium) and Pan-Am Games gold medalist Christian Pacheco (Peru) were more conservative, going out with the sub-2:10 pace B-group.

The high pace took its toll up front, with most of the invited internationals falling off and then dropping out to leave just Dazza, Fujimoto, Sato, Ichida and former Takushoku University ekiden captain Workneh Derese (Ethiopia/Hiramatsu Byoin).

Ichida, Sato and Derese all fell back on the trip out to the 31.6 km turnaround point, leaving just Dazza and Fujimoto when the pacers stepped off at 30 km. Dazza immediately surged, breaking Fujimoto and running unchallenged for the win in 2:07:10. Fujimoto slowed progressively, almost shuffling down the home straight of the track for 2nd in 2:09:36 after a 1:03:02 first half. Derese dropped Sato, but in the last km he was run down by second group runner Fukuda who took 3rd in 2:10:33 to Derese's 2:10:52 for 4th.

Early caution paid off, as runners from the sub-2:10 third pack took the next four spots led by Natsuki Terada (JR Higashi Nihon), who closed with the fastest split in the field, 6:44, for a 5-minute PB of 2:10:55 and a 5th-place finish. 

Raymond Kipchumba Choge (Kenya) was the only other athlete from the original front pack to make the top 10, taking 9th in 2:11:38. Taiki Suzuki (Raffine) followed up a solid 3rd-place finish two weeks ago at China's Yiwu International Half Marathon with a 2:12:09 debut for 10th.Amateur runner Yusuke Tobimatsu (Hioki City Hall), a regular front runner in Fukuoka, survived going with the sub-2:10 this time to take 11th in a major PB of 2:12:44, while Sato faded to 2:14:56 after going through halfway in 1:03:02.

Still on sub-2:10 pace at 35 km, Ichida paid heavily for his own 1:03:02 first half as he fell to 29th in 2:19:05. Fan favorite Shitara, twin brother of former national record holder Yuta Shitara (Honda), fell short of his sub-2:10 goal at 14th in 2:14:31 just ahead of Sato.

Apart from Dazza and Choge, the only other invited internationals to finish were Naert and Pacheco, Naert finishing 18th in 2:15:51 and Pacheco 40th in 2:21:15.The Final Challenge series, the three-race chance for men to replace Osako on the 2020 Olympic team, continues in March with the Tokyo Marathon and Lake Biwa Marathon.

The dire crash and burn results today showed just how high a bar it will be to pull off, and that whatever else happens there's really only one person who could do it. But with the Valencia Marathon having quickly surpassed Fukuoka's place on the world calendar and the Osaka Marathon putting on heavy domestic pressure, more than ever before today's race seemed like a relic of times gone by.

Dazza's winning time was only just over 30 second faster than Osaka winner Asefa Tefera's, and Osaka had a quality women's race and field of over 30,000 on top of that. What is Fukuoka's route forward to stay relevant in a rapidly changing landscape?

(12/01/2019) Views: 2,209 ⚡AMP

El Mahjoub Dazza, Koen Naert, Ayana Tsedat, and Yuki Kawauchi are set to compete for the title at Fukuoka Marathon

When the Fukuoka International Marathon became a non-domestic race in 1966, the intent of the organizer was to invite the winners from all the international championship marathons which took place over the previous 12 months. In keeping with the spirit of the event, this year’s edition of the World Athletics Gold Label road race, set to take place on Sunday, December 1st, , features European champion Koen Naert and Pan American Games gold medalist Christian Pachoco.

Naert recorded his marathon personal best, 2:07:39, at this year’s Rotterdam Marathon. But Morocco’s El Mahjoub Dazza is the fastest in the field as he recorded 2:05:26 at the 2018 Valencia Marathon and 2:05:58 in Prague earlier this year. Those two performances are faster than the PBs of all the other runners in the field.

“I am ready,” he said. “If the weather is good, I can run fast.”

Other invited runners include Tsedat Abeje Ayana, who set a PB of 2:06:36 in Seville earlier this year, as well as sub-2:09 performers Raymond Choge, Amanuel Mesel, Abdi Ibrahim Abdo, and Shadrack Kiplagat. Mesel has competed in the past four editions of Fukuoka Marathon and has broken 2:10 in 2017 and 2018.

Kenyans running for a corporate sponsored team won the race on three occasions between 2011 and 2013. This year Michael Githae, who runs for Suzuki Hamamatsu Athletics Club, will try to become fourth Kenyan with a Japanese connection to win the Fukuoka Marathon. He was eighth at the 2017 Fukuoka Marathon and recorded a personal best of 2:09:21 at the 2018 Lake Biwa Marathon.

For Japanese runners, the significance of the race is that anybody who improves the national marathon record, 2:05:50, will clinch the third spot on the Japanese Olympic Marathon team – unless someone else improves the record further at the 2020 Tokyo or the Lake Biwa Marathon. Given the Japanese entrants for Sunday’s race, however, a national record appears unlikely in Fukuoka.

Taku Fujimoto, who ran 2:07:57 at the 2018 Chicago Marathon, is the fastest Japanese runner in the field, while Yuki Sato, who has a 10,000m best of 27:38.25, may have the best marathon potential.

Yuki Kawauchi will run the Fukuoka Marathon for the fifth straight year. His personal best is 2:08:14, while his best time in Fukuoka is 2:09:05 from 2013. Now that Kawauchi no longer works for Saitama prefecture government, he may be ready for a quicker time.

 

(11/30/2019) Views: 1,959 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Yuma Hattori wins the Fukuoka Marathon the first Japanese runner to win in 14 years

25-year-old Yuma Hattori from Japan PR for the marathon before today was 2:09:46.  On the other hand the favorite,Yemane Tsegay from Ethiopia had run much faster.  But it was Yuma’s race today has he won by over a minute clocking 2:07:27 at the 72nd annual Fukuoka Marathon held today Dec 2 in Japan.  Yemane finished second clocking 2:08:54. Yuma is the fifth Japanese runner to break 2:08 this year.  2018 Boston Marathon winner Yuki Kawauchi finished tenth clocking 2:12:03 adding another sub 2:20 performance to his list of many.  Breaking away from Yemane Tsegay and Amanuel Mesel at 36 kilometers, Yuma Hattori cruised to victory. “It is close to the time I had hoped for,” said Hattori, whose performance elevated him to eighth on the Japanese all-time list. Mesel finished third with 2:09:45. The race progressed on an even pace with 15:00 five-kilometer segments through 25 kilometers.  The first casualty of the relatively fast even pace, considering the unseasonably warm weather was Vincent Kipruto, former World Championships silver medallist who fell behind before 5km. Yuki Kawauchi began to drift back after 11km and Kentaro Nakamoto after 15km and Ghebreslassie at 17. Both Kipruto and Ghebrselassie dropped out before reaching the midway point. Bedan Karoki finished his pacing duties at 25km; the two remaining pacesetters forged on but the tempo slowed to 15:36 over the next five kilometers, by far the slowest of the day. The leading pack of nine was reduced to three by 35 kilometers, with Hattori, Mesel and Tsegay reaching the mark in 1:46:12. But at the water station one kilometer later, Hattori broke away. “I did not feel like I made a move,” Hattori said. “It was more like my competitions dropped off, so I decided to go.”                   (12/01/2018) Views: 2,254 ⚡AMP

Yemane Tsegay of Ethiopia returns to regain the title he won in 2016 at the 72nd Fukuoka Marathon

Two years ago, Tsegay stopped Patrick Makau from winning a third straight title at this race. Last year he finished a distant 26th in 2:18:05, slowed by a sudden back problem that hit him after five kilometres. In May he won the Ottawa Marathon with 2:08:52, has a personal best of 2:04:48 set in Rotterdam in 2012 and took silver at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. He trains with this year’s Chicago Marathon runner-up Mosinet Geremew and Shanghai winner Seifu Tura, boding well. The man who beat Tsegay in Beijing, Ghirmay Ghebreslassie, is also in the race. Ghebreslassie was fourth at the 2016 Olympic Games and won the New York City Marathon later that year. He set his personal best of 2:07:46 earlier that year, at the London Marathon. However, he’s failed to finish the last three marathons he started: New York, Dubai and London. He said he was hampered by injury in 2017 and early 2018, but is back on track now. “My training after London is going well,” he said. Vincent Kipruto, the runner-up at the 2011 World Championships, is also in the field. His best of 2:05:13 dates back to the 2010 Rotterdam Marathon, but more recently clocked 2:06:14 at the 2017 Berlin Marathon. Amanuel Mesel of Eritrea has run well here in the past, finishing fifth at both the 2016 and 2017 editions of the race. Although not an invited runner, Brett Robinson of Australia, a pace maker last year, is said to be in strong shape and ready for a fast performance in his debut over the distance.  2018 Boston Marathon winner Yuki Kawauchi is also running and posted this on FB.  "I will run Fukuoka international open marathon Sunday. I ran this race 8 times( include 3 times of sub 2:10). I love this race and this city and people of Fukuoka. I believe I can end my bad flow of marathon since this summer," Yuki posted a few hours ago.  (11/30/2018) Views: 1,579 ⚡AMP

Callum Hawkins has unfortunately withdrawn from the Fukuoka Marathon due to a hamstring situation

The Scottish 2:10 marathoner was set to race for the first time over 26.2 miles following April’s Commonwealth Games marathon on the Gold Coast, Australia. “I’ve had a strong build up to Fukuoka Marathon and was really looking forward to toeing the line with some of the world’s best marathoners once again,” said Hawkins in a statement. “I witnessed the amazing running scene when I won the Marugame Half Marathon in 2017 so was excited to be returning for the second time to a country I love to compete in. “Unfortunately, a slight niggle in my right hamstring has occurred this past week preventing me from running at race pace. “I’m therefore gutted to have to make the tough call to withdraw from the race. Thanks to the race organisers for the invitation and everything they have done for me up to now and I wish everyone competing an excellent race weekend.” (11/26/2018) Views: 1,660 ⚡AMP

Callum Hawkins will make his return to marathon racing at the Fukuoka Marathon

Hawkins has been named in the elite men’s field that includes Ethiopia’s Yemane Tsegay, who has a 2:04:48 personal best, Kenya’s Vincent Kipruto (2:05:13 PB), and Eritrean duo Ghirmay Ghebreslassie (2:07:46 PB) and Amanuel Mesel (2:08:17 PB). In April, the Scottish athlete was on course for victory at the Commonwealth Games marathon on the Gold Coast, Australia, when, overcome by the heat, he lost control of his body and fell over in the closing stages. The 26 year-old has bounced back as expected and most recently clocked a 61:00 half marathon in Valencia, where he finished first European. “Things are on the up. 61:00 today in the Valencia half,” said Hawkins post-race on Instagram. “Not exactly what I wanted from the race but the legs are almost back.” At the 2017 edition of the Fukuoka Marathon, Norway’s Sondre Nordstad Moen took victory in a European record time of 2:05:48. (10/30/2018) Views: 1,711 ⚡AMP

National record holder Yuta Shitara and Yuki Kawauchi are running the Fukuoka Marathon

The best year in Japanese men’s marathon history is drawing to a close, and with it the chances for them to qualify for the new MGC Race 2020 Olympic trials are running out. The Dec. 2nd Fukuoka International Marathon features one of the best Japanese fields ever assembled, with ten Japanese men under 2:10 since 2016. Half marathon national record holder Yuta Shitara, 2018 Boston Marathon winner Yuki Kawauchi, 2017 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon winner Kentaro Nakamoto, Hayato Sonoda and Yoshiki Takenouchi, make up the list of those already qualified for the MGC Race, Shitara running a marathon for the first time since his now-former national record 2:06:11 in Tokyo in February and Kawauchi hoping to turn things back around after a string of bad races since Boston. Those with a realistic chance of qualifying off the two-race average include 2017 Gold Coast Marathon winner Takuya Noguchi, who missed it by seconds at this year’s Gold Coast, recent sub-2:10 men Kohei Ogino, Yuma Hattori and Jo Fukuda, and a trio who finished together just over the 2:10 mark in Tokyo this year, Asuka Tanaka, Hiroki Yamagishi and Daichi Kamino. There’s a good number of others on the list who ran well in 2015 and 2016 and will be hoping to get back on board in Fukuoka, including sub-2:10 teammates Takuya Fukatsu, Fumihiro Maruyama and Satoru Sasaki , and given the depth of Japanese men’s marathoning and the tendency for dark horses to post seemingly out-of-nowhere breakthroughs like Taku Fujimoto, earlier this month in Chicago there’s almost no limit to who else could have their day. Twins Hiroshi and Takashi Ichida would make a lot of people happy if they finally broke through in Fukuoka. Both 100 km world record holder Nao Kazami, and 100 km silver medalist Takehiko Gyoba, are also in the race. It being a nominally international marathon, Fukuoka also has its usual small contingent of overseas runners perfectly positioned to pace the Japanese men to times in the 2:07 to 2:08 range and to lend a little shine to the race with their medals. 2011 world championships silver medalist Vincent Kipruto tops the list with a 2:06:14 in Berlin last year, with 2015 world champion Ghirmay Ghebreslassie and past Fukuoka champ Yemane Tsegay. (10/30/2018) Views: 1,900 ⚡AMP

Japan's Yuki Kawauchi Ran Four Marathons in 40 Days

The major marathon season has been over for more than a month but that doesn’t mean that Japanese marathoning sensation Yuki Kawauchi will stop. He’s run four marathons in the past 40 days (he did 12 in 2017) and clocked his third-fastest of the year this past weekend with a 2:10:03 at a marathon in Hofu. That comes just two weeks after he ran 2:10:53 at the Fukuoka Marathon. From some photos from the race, you can see just how much he wanted to crack 2:10 in the last few kilometers. (12/19/2017) Views: 1,756 ⚡AMP

Moen's Time is Fastest non-African Marathon time

Moen ran 2:05:48 to win the Fukuoka Marathon on Sunday. The quickest time, previously achieved by a non-African male on a record-eligible course was 2:06:05 by Ronaldo da Costa in 1998 — then a world record. Ryan Hall ran 2:04:58 at the Boston Marathon in 2011, but the course was deemed ineligible for record-keeping. Runners live for the day where everything clicks. PR's are set on those days. Norway's Moen had one of those days on Sunday. He beat his PR by four minutes and 19 seconds. (12/04/2017) Views: 1,907 ⚡AMP

Norway's Moen Sets European Marathon Record

After breaking away from pre-race favorite Bedan Karoki at 36 kilometres, Norway’s Sondre Nordstad Moen went on to win the Fukuoka Marathon on Sunday (3), clocking a European record of 2:05:48. “I was confident that I could run 2:07, and on a good day perhaps even 2:06, but I did not expect 2:05,” said Moen. Previous record (2:06:10) was set 3/20/2016 by Ozbilen of Turkey. The 26-year-old entered the race with a personal best of 2:10:07, set earlier this year at the Hannover Marathon. (12/03/2017) Views: 1,797 ⚡AMP

Tsegaye ready to defend his title

Yemane Tsegaye of Ethiopia returns to defend his title at the 71st Fukuoka International Marathon on Sunday. Tsegaye recorded his personal best of 2:04:48 at the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon, and has a silver medal from the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 to his credit. Last December, the 32-year-old prevented Patrick Makau from winning a third successive Fukuoka title. (12/01/2017) Views: 1,743 ⚡AMP

Fast Field Set For 71st Fukuoka Marathon

Ugandan Stephen Kiprotich, the 2012 Olympic and 2013 world champion, will take on Bidan Karoki and defending champion Yemane Tsegaye at the 71st annual Fukuoka Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on December 3 in Fukuoka, Japan. (11/28/2017) Views: 1,831 ⚡AMP