Beppu Marathon--calling zatopek or runmad (John)

The Moroccan came back at 4th place in 2:05:07 (he was 8th at 35k) followed by two Japanese and Riri is 7th place in 2:05:16, 9 seconds behind two Japanese.

Fujita winner in 2:10:23.

Sato came back and finished 2nd in 2:11:15 followed by Kemboi in 2:11:26.

Which means that a well rested Fujita still has a sub 2:07 on him...

Hara of Mitsubishi (never heard of him...) finished 4th in 2:12:44 (33 seconds shy of PR) followed by the Moroccan (came back strong) 1 second behind. What a race!

This was Fujita's first win in 5 years.

Sorry I didn't see your thread. I was out running during most of the race. I got stuck on a single track trail behind 1000 children so my run took longer than usual

Ah, welcome back! So I guess it was quite a dramatic run by Fujita. I'm checking the weather condition. Do you know anything about how the weather was in Oita? If it was not a favorable condition, Fujita might be considered.

It looked sunny. I will be in the US from 2?10-3/12. Are there any big races coming soon?

Nobby, who do you think would be stronger in the Osaka's weather.. Sato or Fujita?

Do you have top ten results?

That is a good question... I don't think I could answer that one. Sato, I always thought, is a bit awkward--not a smooth runner. He seems to struggle a bit. Fujita is more smooth. Osaka course is basically fairly flat; but it's going to be very hot and humid (unless it pours!). Fujita would be better suited for a fast pace (particularly if he's at his best). I heard he developed some weird nerve problem in his hip and, from what I've seen of Fujita in the last couple of Fukuoka (last year and the year before), he didn't seem to have the same smooth strides that he showed when he ran 2:06. But, as you pointed out, he showed that he could still run well particularly if he's well-rested.

Now, for men's selection, there still are Tokyo which is in two weeks; and Lake Biwa in March. I can't remember who's running for these races; Aburaya, the teammate of Sato and Ogata, is running Tokyo I believe. This is the one they changed the course and now without that infamous hill at 32k so it could be fast. With today result, Suwa who finished a few seconds behind Okutani at Fukuoka, will most probably be picked. So we now have 3 more spots. If no one runs a fast time at Tokyo and Lake Biwa, which I doubt, Fujita's chance of getting picked is high but, oh, well... I know Takaoka already dropped out of the race so, besides Aburaya, I'm not sure who else can be a big theat... Jason, what do you think?

1) Fujita: 2:10:23

2) Sato: 2:11:15

3) Kemboi: 2:11:26

4) Hara (no relation to the winner of Osaka Ladies): 2:12:44

5) Kisri: 2:12:45

6) Watanabe (Asahi-kasei): 2:13:11

7) Riri: 2:13:37

8) Losktov (Estonia): 2:14:49

9) Kirtright (spelling??? Australia, non-invited runner): 2:15:17

10) Iwahara (also non-invited runner): 2:15:22

Zatopek:

I'll be in Boulder for national XC. Austin marathon would be the following weeked (2/18). So without you, I'll have to carry on alone for Tokyo marathon?

Hey, guys... I just came across a very interesting picture. I was trying to share the image of Fujita winning the race but it's not up yet. But I found this one from Beppu 1978 where Shigeru Soh (#10) became the first Japanese sub-2:10 runner with 2:09:05. #4 is Takeshi Soh, 4th at LA Olympic marathon. #1 is Yasunori Hamada who went to China to spend a month with Ma's Army and observed their training. Details are posted at "Japanese marathon training" thread (yeah, it's different from Chinese but we all look alike ;o)).

http://www.mainichi.co.jp/event/sports/betsudai3.jpg

Okay, here we go; Fujita crossing the finish line:

http://www.sanspo.com/sokuho/image/0702040204sokuho0181_KYD00299G070204T.jpg

Thanks!

You're welcome. Short and sweet; no swearing, no yelling and bad-mouthing... Man, this could be one of the cleanest threads at letsrun.com message board!

Nobby wrote:

You're welcome. Short and sweet; no swearing, no yelling and bad-mouthing... Man, this could be one of the cleanest threads at letsrun.com message board!

Fvck, yeah!