The Kawauchi Appreciation Thread

Sub 2:10 like clockwork.

kawauchi the great wrote:

He's not the best runner in the world but I can't help admire that he gives everything to the race.

I thought he was gone. He's a true fighter.

Much love for Kawauchi!!!!1!

He is incredible. If you look as the sheer numbers of races he runs then I would argue that he is the best in the world right now. Head to head I do not see someone beating him if they were to line up against him in every race that he runs.

Would love to know more about his training.

A quick wiki check shows that he has run 64 (!) marathons since his first one in 2009. He's broken 2:10 eleven times. Unbelievable!

2:10 sucks when you have not made the effort to run 2:07.

Like quitting your job, taking the money, running 120 miles a week, training at 7,000 to 10,,000 feet.

And realizing your full potential rather than clinging to some social personality.

He would rather answer a telephone than grind out 140-150 miles a week.

A waste of genetic potential.

If you add Ryan Hall's (8: 2:04:58, 2:06:17, 2:08:04, 2:08:40, 2:09 various) and Dathan Ritzenhein's (2:09:55, 2:07:47) sub 2:10 marathons, I think you get just 10, vs. Kawauchi's 11 sub 2:10s.

Kawauchi training full-time would have been close to Hall's best non-wind aided effort and would have a string of 2:07s, I would guess.

Runner's World:

"Can you tell me a bit about your training back then?

T. Seko: I ran seven days a week, and averaged a marathon a day in distance. There were no days off.

What was the furthest you ever covered in a day if 26-miles was normal?

TS: One morning I warmed up with 10-kilometers, then after I went for a long run, and I did 88km (55-miles). I can run forever once I start.

What speed work did you do?

T.Seko: Obviously for the long runs it was slow pace, you can't do 55-miles fast! I did speed work on the track and on the road. An example of something on the track? 30 x 1km in 2:55 per kilometer with 200m rest. 6 x 5km in 14:30 with 1km rest jog."

You can understand that Yuki is screwing around. He could be the real deal, but he will never know.

I know some of you guys are too young to know. If a guy did something like he has done 20 years ago nobody would believe it.

I can remember Juma Ikaanga running many sub 2:10's but nothing like this

I guess what I meant by that is the amount of quality Marathon racing he has done in such a short period of time. I agree that it seems foolish but I'm amazed by his durability.

Sorry Don't Agree wrote:

2:10 sucks when you have not made the effort to run 2:07.

Like quitting your job, taking the money, running 120 miles a week, training at 7,000 to 10,,000 feet.

And realizing your full potential rather than clinging to some social personality.

You're speaking from experience about making the effort to run 2:07? He'd probably agree with you that quitting your job, taking the money, running 120 miles a week and training at 7,000 to 10,000 feet sucks.

Don't Agree wrote:

He would rather answer a telephone than grind out 140-150 miles a week.

A waste of genetic potential.

It's a mistake to assume that what works for one runner, or even most runners, is going to work for every runner. Kawauchi's best time is 18 seconds faster than Seko's. You could argue as easily that if Seko had trained only as much but and raced as frequently as Kawauchi he'd have been even faster.

At any rate, Kawauchi shows every indication of having a blast with his running and his life. I think he's great example for every runner who comes out of college wanting to keep running but needing to get a real job.

otter wrote:

I know some of you guys are too young to know. If a guy did something like he has done 20 years ago nobody would believe it.

I can remember Juma Ikaanga running many sub 2:10's but nothing like this

Juma ran 200 mile weeks.

What Kawauchi is doing is a lot like what Kjell Erik Stahl did in the 70s and 80s but he's younger and usually faster.

842 2:08:15 Yuki Kawauchi JPN 05.03.87 1 Beppu-Oita 03.02.2013

842 fastest marathon time

Japan is a marathon crazy country. There's money to be made. Once you hit the same times, it is necessary to change the stimulus.

What about a 2:07 four times a year? Is there money in that? What about 4 months in Flagstaff?

Age 29, time is running out.

He likes racing

He ran 19 seconds faster than Kawauchi ran at Fukuoka and I believe has a slower pr.

Looks like both ways worked pretty well.

Sorry Don't Agree wrote:

2:10 sucks when you have not made the effort to run 2:07.

Like quitting your job, taking the money, running 120 miles a week, training at 7,000 to 10,,000 feet.

And realizing your full potential rather than clinging to some social personality.

Kawauchi has ran 2h 8min 14 secs for the marathon.

This is faster than Mo Farah who as never worked a job in his life and as such is so poor that he cannot afford to repair his doorbell and he can only afford to employ Jama Aden to hold a stopwatch rather than coach him professionally ....

Kawasuchi fan wrote:

Sorry Don't Agree wrote:

2:10 sucks when you have not made the effort to run 2:07.

Like quitting your job, taking the money, running 120 miles a week, training at 7,000 to 10,,000 feet.

And realizing your full potential rather than clinging to some social personality.

Kawauchi has ran 2h 8min 14 secs for the marathon.

This is faster than Mo Farah who as never worked a job in his life and as such is so poor that he cannot afford to repair his doorbell and he can only afford to employ Jama Aden to hold a stopwatch rather than coach him professionally ....

One thing you could probably say is that Kawauchi's 2:08 is clean based on the nature of his personality.