Could Yuki Kawauchi win the WS 100?

It looks like he’s racing another ultra on June 17th, two weeks after Stockholm. I wonder if he’ll make a go for the world best?? (2:43)

http://japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-kawauchi-counter.html?m=1

Better chance than Sage Canaday

Are you kidding me? Of course he'd win. Forget needing a year to train; he'd win it right damn now.

Can we get Yuki a sponsor exemption into WS??!!

I'll put up $10 for him to run

gakj wrote:

WS100 won't let him race. All these races have been exposed for discriminatory practices in regards to registration, it's why they created the Golden Ticket (against the RD wishes) to solve for up and coming elites and not keep it white-old centric.

They need to bring in new blood to these races like the Walmsley's of the world.

evidence??

This would absolutely be the most entertaining ultra. Now that sports gambling is legal nationwide we gotta get Yuki in!

I am a big fan of Yuki's and was ecstatic when he won Boston but there is nothing in his 4:41:55 for 71 kilos which suggests that he would win, or even be a contender, at WS.

My marathon PR is 2:27, way behind Yuki, and yet I split 4:16 for 40 miles which is comparable to Yuki's 4:41 for 71 kilos, but in my three finishes at WS I was hours behind the winners. A good marathon PR does not mean that you will be competitive at WS.

How is Yuki at running up mountains? How is Yuki at eating on the run? How is Yuki at running on rocky trails? How is Yuki at running on rocky trails in the dark?

I would love to see Yuki at WS but if he is there I don't plan on betting on him for the win.

Im a big ultra fan but this is an amazing idea!!

Walmsley vs Yuki

2018

I’ll put down $20 to get him there

Maybe, but he will not run it.

There is this event called the Men's Olympic Marathon coming up in 2 years in his home country which will be a priority for him.

After he goes pro, there will be events all over the world willing to pay him appearance fees just to run. And he will have the chance to win prize money if he runs well. Although he does not seem motivated by $, it will be considered.

Also it is not likely that any companies that sponsor him will care about WS 100.

No prize money at WS. No appearance money. WS is not a well known event in Japan.

Why would a good marathoner branch out into trail ultra 100 mile runs? Yuki has a marathon PB of 2:08. He wins marathons.

71 k is not even 50 miles and far different than 100 miles.

Yeah if he's still in one piece after his marathon career he can give western states a shot. He may be one of those that can run lots of marathons close together, but can't run one long continuous run as well. But then again some of the greatest 100 mile runners can't run day to day well like the appalachian trail where they get beat by women. So it goes both ways.

Polar Pop wrote:

Yeah if he's still in one piece after his marathon career he can give western states a shot. He may be one of those that can run lots of marathons close together, but can't run one long continuous run as well. But then again some of the greatest 100 mile runners can't run day to day well like the appalachian trail where they get beat by women. So it goes both ways.

what makes you say he isn't good at longer races? He's nearly broken the 50k world record a couple times on a hilly road course, overall a much better effort than the actual world record.

not sure what the AT has to do with Yuki running WS.

but realistically, Yuki could do reasonably well at western states. He'd be better off doing the World 100k road champs that Max King won a few years ago. It takes being able to run low 6:00s for 62 miles to win that race, something Yuki absolutely should be capable of. He has done 100k training runs. He'd probably do a 200k training run before his 100k race, just to be sure he has the strength.

For those wondering about the amount of vert, a rough and probably low estimate is 5300' based on a very bad elevation profile I saw. It's tough to find strava files for japanese races but I'd guess it's closer to 6000' with more accurate data.

For the roadies out there, 6000' over 42 miles isn't very hilly, and it's on paved roads mostly with some gravel so it really doesn't compare to a trail race. 6000/42mi is about 140' per mile of climbing (and about the same descent) which for a 50k would be 4400' climbing which isn't much.

Anyway, looks like Yuki was just out for a long training run and wasn't really looking for a fast time other than the CR.

oakland runner wrote:

How is Yuki at eating on the run?

This is the crucial point. Running 100 miles isn't anything like even running a 50 miler. This race he did was 40~ miles. Learning how to eat and keep food down, and carry on running is the big thing. He is of course tough enough. But even if he got his fueling down perfectly, he's still contending with other TOUGH people. They're a different breed to normal marathoners. These people love to suffer. Kawauchi is somewhat of an ultramarathoner already.

As someone else mentioned, he's done 100km training runs before. What he taught the world in Boston, is that an ultra runner is tough as fack. However, it's feasable that some of the top women at WS100 could beat Yuki. This is not taking a stab at Yuki because I absolutely love the guy. I re-watch his Boston highlights STILL. But 100miles is a totally different ball game. But it would be damn fascinating to see him run it.

He just went pro to focus on the homefront Tokyo Olympics 2020.

This discussion is interresting (yes, I think he could win WS100) but pointless right now.

Probably, but not likely in the first 2-3 years of just focusing on ultras... Still, he's my guy!!!

in japan wrote:

This is the crucial point. Running 100 miles isn't anything like even running a 50 miler. This race he did was 40~ miles. Learning how to eat and keep food down, and carry on running is the big thing. He is of course tough enough. But even if he got his fueling down perfectly, he's still contending with other TOUGH people. They're a different breed to normal marathoners. These people love to suffer. Kawauchi is somewhat of an ultramarathoner already.

"Hobby jogger" marathoners are less tough than "hobby walker" ultra runners, but I don't think running 8-14 hours is somehow inherently tougher than going all out for 2-3 hours. Keeping food down may turn out to be the most important "talent" for ultra running success, and I only mean that half jokingly.

Five is the magic number wrote:

He just went pro to focus on the homefront Tokyo Olympics 2020.

He isn't going pro until April next year, and he has zero plans to run the Tokyo Olympics.

Sorry but ultras are something that nobody with decent athletic capability can take serious and are absolutely obsolete and pointless. Almost any decent marathon runner would win the majority of ultra races. Ultras are for failed athletes that never made the cut in any Olympic distance and are now searching for their athletic relevance. A few weeks back a 39-year old German dude with a 2:18 marathon PB won the wings for life running 77km (about 48mi) in under 5hrs, beating all the favorites that call themselves ultra marathon runners. Among them another German dude who is claiming to contend for the WS100 title this year. What a joke.