The 17th edition of the Nagano Marathon will once again bring together elite athletes, retired stars and recreational runners at the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race on Sunday (19).The event began in 1999 to commemorate the Winter Olympics that was held one year prior in Nagano. 10,000 runners are expected to take part in this year&rsquo;s race.This year&rsquo;s special guest entries include 2000 Olympic champion Naoko Takahashi, double Olympic medallist and two-time Nagano winner Eric Wainaina, and 2009 world silver medallist Yoshimi Ozaki.The Nagano Marathon records are 2:09:05 for men, set in 2012 by Kenya&rsquo;s Francis Kibiwot, and 2:24:55 for women, recorded in 2000 by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Elfenesh Alemu.The biggest name among invited runners is Kenya&rsquo;s two-time world champion and former world record-holder Catherine Ndereba. Now 42, she may not be the favourite, as her most recent marathon was more than three years ago, the 2012 Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon, where she was only 22nd with 2:35:08.The second-fastest runner in the field &ndash; and the fastest among the Japanese entrants &ndash; is Kiyoko Shimahara who has a personal best of 2:25:10. She retired from elite competition after her fifth-place finish at the 2012 Osaka Marathon, but still enjoys participating in marathons but as a non-competitive runner.Based on recent form, perhaps the best Japanese runner in the field is Eri Okubo. She set her personal best of 2:26:08 when finishing fourth at the 2012 Tokyo Marathon. Although her last two marathons were more than 13 minutes slower than her PB, she recently finished second over 30km in Oume and won the Tanigawa Half Marathon.Kenya&rsquo;s Beatrice Jepkemoi Toroitich is the fourth athlete in the field with a personal best faster than 2:30. She ran 2:27:41 at the 2012 Hamburg Marathon and 2:29:22 at the 2013 Toronto Marathon. After finishing second in Nagano two years ago, Toroitich will be keen to become just the second Kenyan women&rsquo;s winner in the history of the race.Russian women have won this race on 10 occasions. Nadezhda Leontyeva, who represented Russia at the 2013 World Championships and 2014 European Championships, could achieve her country&rsquo;s 11th victory in Nagano.<h3>Debutant Fukatsu takes on trio of talented Africans</h3>His PB of 2:07:43 may make him the fastest in the field, but Kenya&rsquo;s Jairus Chanchima has not run faster than 2:10 since 2012. If he is unable to get near the 2:10 level on Sunday, the role of favourite may fall on compatriot Henry Chirchir.Like Chanchima, Chirchir&rsquo;s PB was set three years ago, but he has maintained his form better and last year won the Hannover Marathon in 2:11:30.In the history of the Nagano Marathon, Kenyans have won the men&rsquo;s race 11 times, but they have been kept off the top spot of the podium for the past two years.Kiflom Sium set his marathon PB in his first race over the classic distance, running 2:11:09 in Padua in 2012. The 27-year-old represented Eritrea at the 2013 World Championships, 2012 World Half Marathon Championships and six editions of the World Cross Country Championships.Having set national records on the track for all distances from 800m to 10,000m, Byron Piedra could now target the Ecuadorian marathon record in Nagano. The 32-year-old took six minutes off his PB last month, running 2:14:39 in Torreon.In the 16-year history of the Nagano Marathon, only one Japanese runner, Yuki Kawauchi, has won the men&rsquo;s race.Taiga Ito, the fastest domestic runner in the field, could add his name to the exclusive club of Japanese winners in Nagano.But the most intriguing runner in the field is Takuya Fukatsu, who has a 10,000m best of 27:56.29 and a half marathon best of 1:01:25. A former high school and college ekiden star, who twice competed at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Fukatsu is making his long-awaited marathon debut.Former college ekiden superstars of Fukatsu&rsquo;s generation, such as Yuki Sato and Tsuyoshi Ugachi, have so far struggled with the transition to the marathon, so it remains to be seen if Fukatsu can do better over the classic distance. Ken Nakamura for the IAAF<h3>Elite fields (with PBs)</h3>MEN Jairus Chanchima (KEN) 2:07:43 Henry Chirchir (KEN) 2:09:24 Kiflom Sium (ERI) 2:11:09 Taiga Ito (JPN) 2:11:15 Masanori Ishida (JPN) 2:13:07 Kohei Ogino (JPN) 2:13:12 Sho Matsumoto (JPN) 2:13:38 Byron Piedra (ECU) 2:14:39 Takuya Fukatsu (JPN) debutWOMEN Catherine Ndereba (KEN) 2:18:47 Kiyoko Shimahara (JPN) 2:25:10 Eri Okubo (JPN) 2:26:08 Beatrice Jepkemboi Toroitich (KEN) 2:27:41 Chihiro Tanaka (JPN) 2:29:30 Nadezhda Leonteva (RUS) 2:31:57 Shoko Mori (JPN) 2:34:28 Yumiko Kinoshita (JPN) 2:35:49 Akane Mutazaki (JPN) 2:37:14

The 17th edition of the Nagano Marathon will once again bring together elite athletes, retired stars and recreational runners at the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race on Sunday (19).

Fukatsu makes long-awaited debut in Nagano

A quartet of Kenyans will take on a handful of talented Japanese marathon runners on 19 April at the Nagano Marathon, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race.Jairus Chanchima and Henry Chirchir lead the men&rsquo;s entries, while former world record-holder Catherine Ndereba will be joined by compatriot Beatrice Jepkemoi in the women&rsquo;s race.Most of Chanchima&rsquo;s marathons &ndash; including his three fastest ones &ndash; have been in Asia. His 2:07:43 PB from the 2012 Seoul Marathon makes him the fastest in the field.Chirchir won the Hannover Marathon last year in 2:11:30, but his personal best was set on his debut at the distance, clocking 2:09:24 in Cologne three years ago.Like Chirchir, Kiflom Sium set his marathon PB in his first race over the classic distance, running 2:11:09 in Padua in 2012. The 27-year-old represented Eritrea at the 2013 World Championships, 2012 World Half Marathon Championships and six editions of the World Cross Country Championships.Having set national records on the track for all distances from 800m to 10,000m, Byron Piedra could now target the Ecuadorian marathon record in Nagano. The 32-year-old took six minutes off his PB last month, running 2:14:39 in Torreon.Taiga Ito leads the Japanese entries. The 28-year-old won in Shizuoka last year and then went on to place third in Nagano, making him the top Japanese finisher. He has a PB of 2:11:15.Takuya Fukatsu will be making his marathon debut. With personal bests of 13:33.34 for 5000m, 27:56.29 for 10,000m and 1:01:25 for the half marathon, he has all the tools for producing a fast time.<h3>Ndereba's marathon comeback</h3>One athlete&rsquo;s CV on the women&rsquo;s entry list stands out above all the rest.Catherine Ndereba is the former world record-holder, two-time world champion and winner of six big city marathons. But, now 42, this will be her first marathon for more than three years. In her last race over the distance, she clocked 2:35:08 to finish 22nd in Nagoya.Fellow Kenyan Beatrice Jepkemoi will also be in Nagano. Her best of 2:27:41 dates back to the 2012 Hamburg Marathon, while her fastest time last year was 2:33:16.Of the 15 past editions of the Nagano Marathon, 10 of them have been won by Russian women. Nadezhda Leonteva could be the latest Russian name on the list of winners. The 30-year-old has a PB of 2:31:57 and competed at the 2013 World Championships and 2014 European Championships.Kiyoko Shimihara is the fastest Japanese runner in the field, but her PB of 2:25:10 was set in 2009. The 38-year-old, who finished sixth at the 2007 World Championships, finished seventh in Nagano last year.Now 45, Chihiro Tanaka will be making her 10th appearance in Nagano. Her best results was a second-place finish in 2001, but she finished fifth as recently as 2013.Held to commemorate the 1998 Winter Olympics that where held in the same city, what makes the Nagano Marathon unique compared to other races in Japan is that a group of retired athletes take part as guests in the mass field every year.This year&rsquo;s race will welcome back the same four guest athletes who ran in Nagano last year: 2000 Olympic champion Naoko Takahashi, double Olympic medallist Eric Wainaina of Kenya, 2009 world silver medallist Yoshimi Ozaki and 100km world record-holder Takahiro Sunada.Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF<h3>Elite field (with PBs)</h3>Men Jairus Chanchima (KEN) 2:07:43 Henry Chirchir (KEN) 2:09:24 Kiflom Sium (ERI) 2:11:09 Taiga Ito (JPN) 2:11:15 Masanori Ishida (JPN) 2:13:07 Kouhei Ogino (JPN) 2:13:12 Sho Matsumoto (JPN) 2:13:38 Byron Piedra (ECU) 2:14:39 Takuya Fukatsu (JPN) debutWomen Catherine Ndereba (KEN) 2:18:47 Kiyoko Shimahara (JPN) 2:25:10 Eri Okubo (JPN) 2:26:08 Beatrice Jepkemboi (KEN) 2:27:41 Chihiro Tanaka (JPN) 2:29:30 Nadezhda Leonteyeva (RUS) 2:31:57 Syoko Mori (JPN) 2:34:28 Yumiko Kinoshita (JPN) 2:35:49 Akane Mutazaki (JPN) 2:37:14

A quartet of Kenyans will take on a handful of talented Japanese marathon runners on 19 April at the Nagano Marathon, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race.

Chirchir and Ndereba among top names for Nagano Marathon

The Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon men’s course record of 1:01:10 could be under attack as Sunday’s IAAF Gold Label Road Race features two men who have broken the hour mark in their careersOne of them is Kenya’s Silas Kipruto, who already knows the race well having finished second last year in 61:47.Kipruto, now 28 and who placed fourth at the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, looks back to his best form after clocking a fast 60:12 in Berlin two weeks ago. He ran under 60 minutes twice in 2010 with the personal best 59:39 coming in Milan in March of that year. The Berlin result from this season is his third fastest ever, so he receives the mantle of being the race favourite in the absence of last year’s winner, Ethiopia’s Ayele Abshero, who is running the Virgin London Marathon on Sunday.In 2012, Abshero clocked 1:01:11, just one second shy of the course record set by his compatriot Deriba Merga in 2011.Kenya’s Kiprop Limo is the other athlete to have &nbsp;gone under 60 minutes for the distance. This performance came in in the Rome-Ostia race in 2012, where he finished in third place in 59:55. Limo hasn’t shown quite the same speed this year returning to the Rome-Ostia race and running 60:42 for fifth place but then went on to win the prestigious Stramilano race in Milan in 61:49 last month.Another man to look out for is &nbsp;Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkemboi, the 26-year-old runner has already has recorded a fast marathon this season when he ran a personal best of 2:06:33 personal best in Dubai back in January. Kipkemboi’s Half Marathon best is 60:15, when he won the 2012 Berlin Half Marathon.This trio of Kenyans will be joined on the start line by the Ethiopian former steeplechaser Yakob Jarso, who placed fourth in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games 3000m Steeplechase but who has eschewed racing over the barriers since the start of 2010. Jarso, 25, has a Half Marathon best of 60:07 and, as a point of comparison with Kiprop Limo, won the 2012 Stramilano race in 61:07.In total, there are 14 overseas elite runners in the race with Half Marathon bests below 62 minutes, including Morocco’s 2010 winner Ahmed Baday who returns to the race for the first time since his victory.Degefa the women's dangerOn the women’s side, the third women home last year, Kenya’s Alice Mogire is the top placed runner from 2012 to return to Yangzhou. The 31-year-old Mogire recorded a personal best 1:09:57 in Valencia last October but has to concede the status of being the most well-known runner in the field to her fellow Kenyan, 40-year-old Catherine Ndereba.Ndereba, has won two World Championships Marathon gold medals and two Olympic Games Marathon silver medals and has a Half Marathon personal best of 67:54, but that was achieved back in 2001. There are also three top Ethiopians in the race lead by 23-year-old Worknesh Degefa. Degefa has only three Half Marathons under her belt, but the last two in 2013 have been impressive with a 1:07:49 personal best in the Rome-Ostia race and then a 1:08:12 clocking in Prague earlier this month.She is accompanied by 22-year-old Tadelech Bekele, who recently lowered her best to 1:09:31 when winning the Verbania Half Marathon in March. The third member of the Ethiopian trio is Yebrqual Melese, who ran a 1:09:45 personal best last year.The women’s course record is 1:08:59 by China’s Zhou Chunxiu, which she set in 2008 before going on to take the Olympic Games Marathon bronze medal on home soil in Beijing later that year. The race also serves as the Chinese National Half Marathon Championships and so there will be considerable local interest but no information was available about which domestic runners will be taking part.Mirko Jalava for the IAAF

Kenyans to attack men's course record in Yangzhou Half Marathon 

The Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon men’s course record of 1:01:10 could be under attack as Sunday’s IAAF Gold Label Road Race features two men who have broken the hour mark in their careers