Kayoko Fukushi of Japan in the women's 10,000m final (© Getty Images)
Kayoko Fukushi, Asian record holder (1:07:26) at the half marathon, will be making her Marathon debut in the 2008 Osaka Ladies Marathon on Sunday 28 January. It is the most awaited marathon debut since the 2001 Fukuoka marathon when triple national record holder Toshinari Takaoka made his marathon debut.
Fukushi, national record holder at 5000m and 3000m and six-time national 10,000m champion as well as five-time national 5000m champion, is the greatest women’s track runner in the Japanese track history.
From track star to road success?
Fukushi’s training was based not on the long run but on the runs around 20km. That may not be a concern, for before she made her half marathon debut in 2006, Fukushi never ran 20km. On the other hand, transition to the marathon is quite different from transition to the half marathon for track runners.
Historically, many top track runners enjoyed success at the half marathon, whereas many track superstars had struggled for a while before they were successful at the marathon. Fukushi, declined to be an invited runner, for she hopes to prepare quietly for the race, and not to be bothered with attending event functions, such as pre-race interview session, before her important race.
Hara and Kano also in contest for Olympic team spot
The race doubles as an Olympic marathon team qualifying race for Japanese women. With Reiko Tosa pre-selected after winning the bronze medal in the 2007 World Championships and Mizuki Noguchi almost assured of a team spot after her 2:21:37 run in the 2007 Tokyo Women’s marathon, it is generally thought that only one spot is left on the Olympic marathon team.
Two runners, besides Fukushi stand out. They are Yumiko Hara and Yuri Kano. Hara, the defending champion, who won last year’s race with a personal best of 2:23:48, also won the 2005 Nagoya Women’s Marathon, and finished sixth in the 2005 World Championships but was only 18th in Osaka. She has a 10,000m best of 31:24.33, has run three sub 2:25 marathons in four starts and has lost only once, and that was at the Osaka World Championships.
Kano, whose marathon debut performance was 2:24:43 in the 2007 Osaka Ladies Marathon, won the 2007 Hokkaido Marathon in 2:30:43 last September.
Other contenders for the Olympic marathon team spot are Tomo Morimoto, Haruko Okamoto, Mika Okunaga and Miki Ohira.
Morimoto, who was fifth with the 2:27:46 in her marathon debut in the 2006 Osaka Ladies Marathon, won the 2006 Wien marathon in 2:24:33, but only finished 12th in the 2007 Osaka Ladies Marathon with 2:38:24.
Okamoto, who ran both 5000m and 10,000m at the 2001 World Championships, was third at the 2002 Osaka Ladies Marathon. After a five-year absence from elite ranks, Okamoto was sixth at the 2007 Nagoya Women’s Marathon with 2:30:09.
Okunaga recorded 2:29:56 in the 2006 Osaka Ladies Marathon, but failed to improve her personal best at the 2007 Nagoya Women’s Marathon.
Ohira, a teammate of Reiko Tosa, was fourth at her debut marathon, the 2007 Nagoya Women’s Marathon, with 2:29:34. Her second marathon is awaited with much anticipation.
Several awaited marathon debuts
Three runners, besides Fukushi, are making highly anticipated marathon debut. Yoshiko Fujinaga, who ran the 5000m in the 1999 World Championships, is finally making her marathon debut. Fujinaga has a 5000m best of 15:22.68, 10,000m best of 31:47.82 and half marathon best of 1:09:29, but they are all more than six years old.
Madoka Ogi, who was fourth in the 2008 Miyazaki Half marathon three weeks ago and has a half marathon best of 1:10:11, is also making her marathon debut.
Finally, Kei Terada, who has a half marathon best of 1:10:53 from 2004 Kyoto Half Marathon, was second at the half marathon in the 2007 World University Games.
International runners
Two old-timers Constantina Dita-Tomescu, who has a personal best of 2:21:30 from the 2005 Chicago marathon and Lidia Simon, who recorded her personal best in the 2000 Osaka Ladies Marathon, are still running well.
Although 34 years of age, Simon, 2001 World champion and 2000 Olympic silver medallist, was fifth in the 2007 World Championships and won the 2007 Shanghai marathon with 2:29:28. Dita, who won a bronze medal in the 2005 World Championships, is 38 years old, but she too is far from over the hill. Dita set a personal best 31:49.47 at 10,000m in the 2006 European Championships, and was third at 2007 London marathon with 2:23:55.
We must not forget Mara Yamauchi, who recorded 2:25:13 in the 2006 London Marathon. Since her marathon debut at the 2004 London Marathon, Yamauchi recorded five straight personal bests at the marathon. She recorded a half marathon personal best in the 2007 Sapporo Half marathon, when she finished second to Mizuki Noguchi in 1:08:45. More recently she was second in the Sanyo half marathon with 1:09:28.
Other contenders are: Christelle Daunay, who has marathon best of 2:28:54 from 2007 Paris Marathon, Olesya Nurgalieve, who has the marathon best of 2:29:35 from 2005 New York Marathon and Nina Rillstone, who recorded 2:29:46 in the 2006 Nagano marathon.
Last but not least, Julia Mombi, who is coached by legendary Yoshio Koide, is expected to make a breakthrough at the marathon very soon. According to Koide, a former coach of Olympic marathon champion Naoko Takahashi, Mombi is one of the great upcoming marathon talents. She has a marathon best of 2:29:38 from 2007 Nagoya Women’s marathon and more recently won the 2008 Miyazaki Ladies Half Marathon with 1:09:34.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
Invited Runners:
Constantina Dita 2:21:30 2005 Chicago
Lidia Simon 2:22:54 2000 Osaka
Mara Yamauchi 2:25:13 2006 London
Christelle Daunay 2:28:54 2007 Paris
Olesya Nurgalieva 2:29:35 2005 New York
Nina Rillstone 2:29:46 2006 Nagano
Julia Mombi 2:29:38 2007 Nagoya
Japanese
Yumiko Hara 2:23:48 2007 Osaka
Tomo Morimoto 2:24:33 2006 Wien
Yuri Kano 2:24:43 2007 Osaka
Kayoko Obata 2:25:14 2000 Osaka
Haruko Okamoto 2:27:01 2002 Osaka
Mika Okunaga 2:29:56 2006 Osaka
Kazue Ogoshi 2:31:04 2007 Osaka
Yuka Ezaki 2:31:35 2007 Osaka
Other Top Runners
Kayoko Fukushi 1:07:26 (Debut) 2006 Marugame half
Aki Fujikawa 2:27:06 2004 Nagoya
Miki Ohira 2:29:34 2007 Nagoya
Ayumi Nakayama 2:33:57 2007 Nagoya
Miyuki Ando 2:34:03 2007 Osaka
Yoshiko Fujinaga 1:09:29 Debut 2001 Kobe Half
Madoka Ogi 1:10:11 (Debut) 2006 Miyazaki half
Kei Terada 1:10:53 (Debut) 2004 Kyoto City half
Juri Umeda 1:12:45 (Debut) 2006 Sanyo Half
Yukiko Matsubara 1:13:45 (Debut) 2007 Kobe half
