Japan Running News

Osaka Marathon Preview The Osaka Marathon is Sunday, one of Japan's biggest mass-participation races and the next stop on the calendar for its elite marathoners...

Osaka Marathon preview and streaming japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2026/02/osak...

YouTube video by Kazue Sawai - Topic Sanka［Song of Praise］ (1978)

R.I.P. to the great Kazue Sawai. She was the one who first invited me to Japan to come study with her. I hadn't seen her for years, but no other person had a bigger impact on the direction my life went and I'll always miss her. youtu.be/qxCLYxH8AKY?...

ユナイテッドエアラインズNYCハーフ（3月15日）男子招待選手。日本から2025年上尾シティハーフ1位と2位の青木瑠郁（國學院大学）と桑田駿介（駒澤大学）は出場する予定。

Asian XC Championships and National XC Championships Entry Lists The 2026 Asian Cross Country Championships happen Saturday in Fukuoka in conjunction with Japan's National Cross Country Championships. Co...

Entry lists for Saturday's Asian Cross-Country Championships and National Cross-Country Championships in Fukuoka japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2026/02/asia...

Josai University Wins National University Mixed-Gender Ekiden Josai University followed up its women's domination of the college ekiden circuit this season and its men's 7th-place finish at the Hakone ...

Josai University wins National University Mixed-Gender Ekiden japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2026/02/josa...

Marathon Weekend Roundup Alongside the weekend's 2 big 30 km races and college ekiden action, 4 of Japan's big mass-participation races with quality sub-elite field...

Results and video from Sunday's Kitakyushu Marathon, Kumamoto Castle Marathon, Kyoto Marathon and Kochi Ryoma Marathon japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2026/02/mara...

Chepkirui, Aynalem and Maeda lead Nagoya Women's Marathon elite field japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2026/02/nago...

Arao Becomes 1st Man in 40 Years to Score Back-to-Back Ome Road Race Wins 30 km is an under-appreciated distance, and both of Japan's big races at that distance happened Sunday. At the Ome Road Race in western Tok...

Sydney Marathon 6th-placer Masato Arao becomes 1st man in 40 years to score back-to-back Ome 30km wins japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2026/02/arao...

Ome 30k top 3 Masato Arao, 1:30:54, Yudai Shimazu, 1:31:58, and Yuta Nakayama, 1:32:06.

Masato Arao wins 2nd-straight Ome 30km in 1:30:54.

Retirement Season Paris Olympics marathon team alternate Ai Hosoda  and Tokyo Olympics marathon trials winner Shogo Nakamura  both announced their retirements...

Retirement season: japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2026/02/reti...

R.I.P. Rich. You must have been a very good boy.

Los Angeles Olympics Marathon Trials to be Held Oct. 3, 2027 in Nagoya At a press conference on Feb. 9 the JAAF announced that the Marathon Grand Championship (MGC) race, Japan's marathon trials event for the 2...

L.A. Olympics marathon trials to be held Oct. 3, 2027 in Nagoya
japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2026/02/los-...

This wasn’t the loudest I’ve ever been to, but it was up there for an indoor show. All-time champ of loud was The Verve.

First concert i’ve ever been to that handed out earplugs at the door.

Los Angeles Olympics marathon trials scheduled for Oct. 3, 2027 in Nagoya.

Kiyono and Saito Win Karatsu Road Race The 66th Karatsu Road Race took place Feb. 8 in Karatsu, Saga. In his first time running the men's 10 mile, Taisei Kiyono (Chugoku Denryok...

Taisei Kiyono and Miu Saito win Karatsu Road Race, 13 boys sub-30 in 10 km japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2026/02/kiyo...

Hirayama Strikes Again, Kabasawa Over Fuwa in Whiteout Conditions at National Corporate Half With heavy snow hitting most of the country the National Corporate Half Marathon and 10 km in Yamaguchi almost dodged a bullet. Almost. I...

Hirayama strikes again, Kabasawa over Fuwa in white conditions at National Corporate Half
japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2026/02/hira...

Kawabata and Hayashida Win Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon Today's Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon was in one of the few places in the country not hit by heavy snow, but even though it was windier t...

Kazuto Kawabata and Reina Hayashida win Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon with PBs in windy conditions, Kenta Murayama retires
japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2026/02/kawa...

Taiga Hirayama and Wakana Kabasawa win National Corporate Half in 1:00:44 and 1:09:20.

Kazuto Kawabata wins Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon in 2:10:27.

Kosuke Ishida and Yuma Yamamoto win National Corporate 10 km in 29: 21 and 32:01.

Leaderboards for today's big races:
Nobeoka Marathon men: tinyurl.com/9c5ahx8c
Nobeoka Marathon women: tinyurl.com/4mppsw4z
National Corporate Half and 10km: runnet.jp/record/race....

さいたまマラソン【公式】 多くの人が行き交い集う東日本の玄関口、さいたま市 国内最大級の多目的アリーナ「さいたまスーパーアリーナ」を発着点に4年ぶりにさいたまにフルマラソンが帰ってくる

Today's 14,000-runner Saitama Marathon canceled after overnight snow
saitama-marathon.jp/2026/02/08/c...

Same.

Prisencolinensinainciusol in the Olympics. 2026 has already peaked.

2024 Hakone Ekiden 1st leg winner Kotaro Shinohara of 2023 overall champ Komazawa University back where it all started.

Mongolian women’s half marathon NR holder and top-ranked marathoner Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh training in Chiba for Daegu Marathon later this month.

Brett Larner, Japan Running News

Amby Burfoot and George Hirsch had me on their podcast Running: State of the Sport to talk Japanese running: www.runningstateofthesport.com/2026/02/bret...

Osaka Marathon Elite Field With 3 weeks to go the elite fields for the Feb. 22 Osaka Marathon are out. Given Osaka's history as the elite men-only Lake Biwa Mainichi ...

Osaka Marathon elite field
japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2026/02/osak...