Yumiko Hara wins the Osaka Marathon. © www.photorun.net
Three Japanese women marathoners ran under 2:20 in the last six years, and two of them became Olympic champions. It’s now quite possible that none of them will be on the start line for the World Championships in Osaka in August and September. Naoko Takahashi won Olympic gold in Sydney in 2000, and a year later in Berlin became the first woman to run under 2:20 (2:19.46). In November in the Tokyo Marathon, she failed to qualify for the World Championships. Mizuki Noguchi became Takahashi’s successor at the Athens Olympics in 2004, and then ran in Berlin in 2005 an Asian record of 2:19.12. She will run London in April, and in so doing passed up the chance of a place at the World Championships. Yoko Shibui ran 2:19.41, also in Berlin, in 2004. Now her disappointing tenth place in the Osaka marathon on Sunday means she has failed to claim a place in the starting line-up for the World Championships.
While Shibui crossed the finish line in Osaka in 2:34:15, the winner was more than ten minutes faster. The 25-year-old Yumiko Hara won this well-established elite marathon for women in 2:23.48. Two other Japanese followed with times under 2:25: Mari Ozaki (2:24:39) and Yuri Kano, in her marathon debut with 2:24:43, should also have good chances of being nominated for places in the World Championship team in this very city. While Shibui no longer possesses any realistic chance of qualifying, Takahashi still has a small chance in that she is due to run the Nagano marathon at the beginning of March.
Right from the start, Shibui stayed close to the pacemaker, Adriana Pirtea from Romania. The only one to follow the strong pace was Hara. But the pacemaker turned out to be a flop. Shortly after the 5K point she fell back and dropped out. Shibui, with Hara in tow, reached halfway in 70:24, suggesting an impressive finishing time. But at 29K, Shibui suddenly fell apart. Hara went away and at the 30K point (1:40.54) was already ten seconds clear of Shibui. The best non-Japanese was Lidia Simon (Romania), who finished sixth in 2:32:09.
For Hara, it was her second victory in three marathons. After a successful debut in Nagoya in 2005, where she won 2:24:19, she was sixth in the Helsinki World Championships in 2:24:20. After injury problems, she has come back in impressive style. She has not run over 2:25 in any of her three marathons and has a chance of a World Championship medal in Osaka.
Deena Kastor to Run Boston Marathon in April
In its 22nd year as the major sponsor of the Boston Marathon, John Hancock Financial Services announced the entry of the world’s top three ranked women marathoners for the 111th running of the race on April 16. Olympic bronze medalist and American record holder Deena Kastor is set to compete against returning Boston Champion Rita Jeptoo and World Marathon Majors Leader Jelena Prokopcuka.
Kastor comes into the race having run the fastest marathon in the world last year. She earned the #1 ranking by Track & Field News for her 2:19:36 win in London, where she also improved her existing American record.
Best known for herl bronze medal in the 2004 Athens Olympic Marathon, Kastor is a former world record holder in the road 5K, a two-time silver medalist at the World Cross Country Championships, and the 2005 Chicago Marathon champion. She is also a multiple American record holder on the roads and track, has won 18 national titles and was an eight-time NCAA All-American.
“Five and a half years after my first marathon, I am finally running Boston,” said Kastor. “Tradition, sponsors and fans make this the greatest and most well-respected marathon in the world. It is an honor to be a part of Boston this year. and it is my greatest desire to win this prestigious event.” Kastor, who lives in California but has roots in the Boston area, added, “I am hoping the crowds will be especially loud as I pass the Newton-Wellesley Hospital, as that is where I was born 34 years ago.”
Along with signing Kastor, John Hancock announced that Jeptoo will attempt to defend her title. Only 25 years old, Jeptoo is a rising star in the sport and brings strong credentials to the race. Winning the first two marathons she entered in Milan and Stockholm, Jeptoo then placed seventh at the 2005 World Championships. After her Boston Marathon win last year, she ran the fourth fastest 20K of all time, and then went on to finish a strong fourth in the New York City Marathon.
Track & Field News ranked Kastor the #1 runner in the world last year and gave Prokopcuka the #2 rank and Jeptoo the #3 rank. These three top athletes will join the complete John Hancock elite team, which will be announced in March.
“Deena could become Boston’s first American champion in more than 20 years, but she’ll have to defeat one of the strongest fields ever,” said Guy Morse, executive director of the Boston Athletic Association, which organizes the marathon.
Ryan Hall Will Run Marathon Debut in London
The U.S.’s latest distance running star, Ryan Hall, has chosen London as the venue for his first marathon. Shortly after smashing the North American half marathon record at the U.S. championships, the 24-year-old Californian is the latest big name to sign up for the 2007 men’s Flora London Marathon on April 22, when he will line up alongside the legendary Haile Gebrselassie, the world record holder Paul Tergat, the world champion Jaouad Gharib and the Olympic champion Stefano Baldini.
Hall became the first North American to run the half marathon in under an hour when he won the Houston Half Marathon on Jan. 14 in 59:43, beating the 21-year-old record by 72 seconds. He also defeated the Olympic marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi. Afterward, Hall announced that he was looking to make his marathon debut in the spring to gain experience ahead of the U.S. Olympic marathon trials to be held in New York City in November.
“We are delighted that Ryan has chosen the Flora London Marathon to make his debut at the distance,” said race director David Bedford. “Ryan has shown that he is a very exciting talent in superb form, and he will be a valuable addition to the illustrious elite field we announced last week.”
“It’s going to be really hard, and I’m expecting it to be more challenging than anything I’ve ever done,” said Hall of his first marathon experience. “I’m just going to go out there and stick my nose in it.”
