Skip to main content

An Appeal From Japan Running News (updated)

Update 6/22: Thank you to everyone who donated within the first 24 hours. If you're a regular on JRN or associated with one of the for-profit websites which frequently link to the translations and articles I put up here please consider a donation to help me bring you video coverage of this week's National Track and Field Championships in Hiroshima. Thank you.

-----

I started Japan Running News a little over a year and a half ago. Up until now I've kept it ad-free and having been doing all my translation, writing and video work from an interest in supporting Japanese distance running and without really looking to make money from it. I don't plan to change this, but at this point I wanted to ask your help.

Looking at NHK's broadcast schedule for next week's National Track and Field Championships today I was disappointed to see that they are only showing two segments of one and a half hours apiece. The only distance event which will be broadcast is the women's 5000 m despite the fact that it looks as though it will be the least interesting of the four main long-distance events. I'd like to go down to Hiroshima to cover the meet and in particular the distance events, and this is where I'd like to ask your help.

If you're a regular JRN reader, if you enjoyed my video coverage of last year's Olympic Trials edition of Nationals when they were held in Kawasaki, or if you are interested in seeing more of this year's meet than will otherwise be available, please consider making a donation through the PayPal link below. Any amount would be appreciated. I know it is short notice as the meet begins on Thurs., June 25, but hopefully it will be possible to cover the costs involved. If it doesn't look feasible then I will be happy to refund any donations. Thank you for your support.

Brett Larner






Comments

dennis said…
I want to go to Japan and see how it's like and videotape the race.It sucks that I lived in Irvine california.
Brett Larner said…
My thanks for your generosity, Anonymous.

Most-Read This Week

Morii Surprises With Second-Ever Japanese Sub-2:10 at Boston

With three sub-2:09 Japanese men in the race and good weather conditions by Boston standards the chances were decent that somebody was going to follow 1981 winner Toshihiko Seko 's 2:09:26 and score a sub-2:10 at the Boston Marathon . But nobody thought it was going to be by a 2:14 amateur. Paris Olympic team member Suguru Osako had taken 3rd in Boston in 2:10:28 in his debut seven years ago, and both he and 2:08 runners Kento Otsu and Ryoma Takeuchi were aiming for spots in the top 10, Otsu after having run a 1:01:43 half marathon PB in February and Takeuchi of a 2:08:40 marathon PB at Hofu last December. A high-level amateur with a 2:14:15 PB who scored a trip to Boston after winning a local race in Japan, Yuma Morii told JRN minutes before the start of the race, "I'm not thinking about time at all. I'm going to make top 10, whatever time it takes." Running Boston for the first time Morii took off with a 4:32 on the downhill opening mile, but after that  Sis

Saturday at Kanaguri and Nittai

Two big meets happened Saturday, one in Kumamoto and the other in Yokohama. At Kumamoto's Kanaguri Memorial Meet , Benard Koech (Kyudenko) turned in the performance of the day with a 13:13.52 meet record to win the men's 5000 m A-heat by just 0.11 seconds over Emmanuel Kipchirchir (SGH). The top four were all under 13:20, with 10000 m national record holder Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) bouncing back from a DNF at last month's The TEN to take the top Japanese spot at 7th overall in 13:24.57. The B-heat was also decently quick, Shadrack Rono (Subaru) winning in 13:21.55 and Shoya Yonei (JR Higashi Nihon) running a 10-second PB to get under 13:30 for the first time in 13:29.29 for 6th. Paris Olympics marathoner Akira Akasaki (Kyudenko) was 9th in 13:30.62. South Sudan's Abraham Guem (Ami AC) also set a meet record in the men's 1500 m A-heat in 3:38.94. 3000 mSC national record holder Ryuji Miura made his debut with the Subaru corporate team, running 3:39.78 for 2n

93-Year-Old Masters Track and Field WR Holder Hiroo Tanaka: "Everyone has Unexplored Intrinsic Abilities"

  In the midst of a lot of talk about how to keep the aging population young, there are people with long lives who are showing extraordinary physical abilities. One of them is Hiroo Tanaka , 93, a multiple world champion in masters track and field. Tanaka began running when he was 60, before which he'd never competed in his adult life. "He's so fast he's world-class." "His running form is so beautiful. It's like he's flying." Tanaka trains at an indoor track in Aomori five days a week. Asked about him, that's the kind of thing the people there say. Tanaka holds multiple masters track and field world records, where age is divided into five-year groups. Last year at the World Masters Track and Field Championships in Poland he set a new world record of 38.79 for 200 m in the M90 class (men's 90-94 age group). People around the world were amazed at the time, which was almost unbelievable for a 92-year-old. After retiring from his job as an el