Yuki Kawauchi's 6th surge gives him victory and new PR (2:08:15) after epic battle with Japan's Olympic 6th placer who also PRs

Course Record = Winner

PR = Maybe not the winner

Congrats to Kawauchi, the fulltime working person's marathoner.

crazy raisin wrote:

Why the hell does everyone keep mentioning this (no-name) course record

Don't know your history, huh?

Kawauchi's earnings the last 12 months have topped over $100k USD

That was one mano-a-mano battle for the last 14K or so. And Kawauchi was wearing his trademark grimace the whole time. He looked like he was in labor. Yet he managed to surge ahead at all the fluid stops and up all the hills.

Even with about 6 or 7K left, I'd have bet anything that Nakamoto would run away from him at any moment, but somehow . . .

And this time he even stayed on his feet after finishing.

Bob Dobbs wrote:

this time he even stayed on his feet after finishing.

Maybe he's been practicing this.

I've changed the name of this thread to make it sound a bit more interesting. The key to running is marketing it.

The time is irrelevant. The key things are Japan's biggest name and their best guy went mano v. mano and both PRd and yet only one obviously could win. It was a GREAT race and the original thread misses that.

Brett Larner's recap of this race is very good. He just needS me to write his headlines:

http://japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2013/02/kawauchi-over-nakamoto-in-20815-beppu.html

He described it as "It was as if Americans Meb Keflezighi and Dathan Ritzenhein lineup to go head-to-head at Grandma's Marathon. "

Given the lack of major wins or Olympic medals and given the fact both runners were born in Japan, I'd say it was more like Hall vs. Ritz at Grandma's but add in the fact that both talked a little **** before the race or at least were willing to say what they planned on doing - and then went out and did it.

Both guys PRd. It took six surges to break the other.

Competition is key to selling running.

Amazing last kilometers, sets new course record.

Rojo,

The finals kms are epic. Anyone have a vid posted of the race's end?

Brett's headline is much better.

Kawauchi Over Nakamoto in 2:08:15 Beppu-Oita Course Record

Here's a vid of the last four kilometers or so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd4Hm4lSZN8

Thanks for the video.

I think Nakamoto can run 2:06-2:07 very soon.

someone had to do it wrote:

Dementia is a serious loss of global cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging.

Is this a cry for help?

[quote]rojo wrote:

I've changed the name of this thread to make it sound a bit more interesting. . . The time is irrelevant. . .

These sorts of deus ex machina pronouncements from the creator is why I don't come around here much any more.

J.R. wrote:

Thanks for the video.

I think Nakamoto can run 2:06-2:07 very soon.

Could be. He failed to get his bottle at three straight fluid stops, and that may have caught up with him at the end. Kawauchi hit every one.

"It took six surges..."

six surges? wtf? I wasted my time on that clip and all I saw was one guy sitting on the other until blasting by him with 2k to go. There's a difference between marketing and hyping.

Some of the prior surges are in the other clips. The race report at the Japanese blog adds further color. It was epic.

Great race.

I think Kawauchi has developed enough of a fan base in the US among people who know something about marathons, that I would like to see NY or Boston or Chicago get him to run in the US. It would get my interest anyhow.

sun-dried tomato wrote:

Course Record = Winner

PR = Maybe not the winner

Congrats to Kawauchi, the fulltime working person's marathoner.

Or alternatively, he being a civil servant and all, we could call him the Prototypical White-Collar Runner.

That video is an amazing document, very revealing of the self-discipline that Kawauchi respects and embodies. Beyond the 40km surge that he throws to corner his place as marathon winner, it speaks to his amazing depth of willpower that he actually puts in a sprint toward the finish, ostensibly to get his best time in and secure his place at the upcoming world championships. I say kudos to Kawauchi, the running samuraï. Also, Kentaro Nakamoto is kind of cute. I mean, I'm not gay or anything, but I think it might be fun, if hypothetically speaking I was in prison, to share a cell with him. Of course, nothing could be more daunting to a marathon runner than to wind up in prison and far be it for me to wish such a blighted plight on anyone let alone a runner, but if it were to happen, I dunno, I guess I could help him with his core exercices and throw the medicine ball at him, and we could discuss the amazing manga genius of author Jiro Taniguchi and how "Big in Japan" is really typically 80s and at the time no one ever thought Japan would soon be mired in a long-term recession.

Anyways, thanks for the youtube link.