Yukiko Akaba of Japan brings home the victory in Chiba (© Kazutaka Eguchi/Agence SHOT)
23 January 2009The Osaka Ladies Marathon is often the venue where future marathon super-stars ventured into the magical distance of 42.195Km.
In 1997, Naoko Takahashi a future Olympic marathon champion made her marathon debut in Osaka. She only finished seventh but has learned a lot from her experience in Osaka, for she set a national record in her next marathon in March of 1998. Takahashi went on to win the 2000 Olympics and recorded the first sub-2:20 marathon in the 2001 Berlin Marathon.
In 2001, Yoko Shibui set a world marathon debut record of 2:23:11. Last year, national 3000m and 5000m record holder Kayoko Fukushi made her marathon debut; the distance humbled her for she was a dismal 19th in 2:40:54.
Akaba trains on Naoko road for Marathon debut
The most anticipated debutante this year is Yukiko Akaba, a 1:08:11 half marathon runner who ran the 10,000m at the Beijing Olympics. Akaba, who has a 10,000m best of 31:15.34 and was tenth at the 2008 World Half Marathon Championships, is a rare breed in Japan, for she is not only a world class runner, but also a mother of two years old.
For 34 days, Akaba trained in Tokunoshima, where she ran over “Naoko road,” the course Naoko Takahashi used to train. Her main goal is to win, not a fast time.
Two other marathon debutantes should not be forgotten. Akane Wakita, a protégée of famed coach Yoshio Koide, who was 11th at the 2005 World Cross Country Championships Junior race, ran the 10,000m in the 2007 World Championships and has the half marathon best of 1:09:57. Since Koide always thinks about a long range goal for his athletes, he may be thinking this race as a learning experience for Wakita.
Peninah Arusei (KEN), fifth at 2008 World Half Marathon Championships and 18th at 10,000m in the Beijing Olympics, has a 10,000m best of 30:57.3 and a half marathon best of 1:08:20. Arusei obviously is in shape, for she was second in the Kenyan Armed force Cross Country Championships on January 17.
Shibui - another attempt at making World champs team
Yoko Shibui and Yumiko Hara are back to the venue of their glory. After Shibui, 10,000m national record holder, finished fourth in the November’s Tokyo Ladies Marathon and thus failed to make the World Championships team, she said, “I will continue to run the marathon until I win one.”
She is making another attempt to make themarathon team in Osaka, where she won her debut marathon in 2001.
Hara set her personal best, 2:23:48, in the 2007 Osaka Ladies Marathon. While Hara made the last two World Championships team, Shibui has failed to make the marathon team for the last two Olympics as well as the last two World Championships. Shibui trained for three weeks in the high altitude of Kunming China. It is reported that in Kunming, Shibui watched the video of her debut marathon run in Osaka, which she considered to be her best marathon race of her career so far, to psyche herself up for the upcoming race.
Simon leads list of foreign elite runners
Other notable invited runners are 2001 World Champion Lidia Simon, who has the fifth (2:22:54) and ninth (2:23:24) fastest times and Mari Ozaki, who has the tenth (2:23:30) fastest time, respectively on the Osaka’s course.
Although Simon is 35 years old, she has not slowed down much, for she was eighth in the Beijing Olympics. Simon ran Osaka Ladies Marathon eight times and won thrice. Ozaki is also familiar with the course. In her three Osaka Ladies Marathons, Ozaki always finished under 2:25.
Worknesh Tola (ETH) and Hiromi Ominami also have sub 2:26 marathon time to their credit. Tola recorded her personal best of 2:25:37 in the 2008 Paris Marathon, while Ominami recorded the best of 2:23:26 in the 2004 Berlin Marathon.
Since Miki Ohira, Madoka Ogi and Mika Okunaga have combined marathon experience of six (Ogi run marathon once, Ohira twice and Okunaga thrice) races, they may be ready for a breakthrough on Sunday. Ohira ran 2:26:09, Ogi 2:26:55 and Okunaga 2:27:52 in the last year’s Osaka Ladies Marathon.
The course for the Osaka Ladies Marathon, same as the one used in the 2007 World Championships, is a fast one. Of the top ten fastest times in Japan, seven of them led by 2:21:18 by Mizuki Noguchi were recorded in Osaka. However, three times in the last four years, the front runners were caught and passed by the eventual winners who came from behind late in the race.
Note: Updated 24 Jan - Organisers have announced that Mari Ozaki has withdrawn from the field.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
List of Invited Runners
Lidia Simon (ROU) 2:22:54 2000 Osaka
Worknesh Tola (ETH) 2:25:37 2008 Paris
Gulnara Vygovskaya (RUS) 2:28:22 2007 Paris
Dulce Maria Rodriguez (MEX) 2:28:54 2006 Chicago
Peninah Arusei (KEN) Debut 1:08:20 half marathon
Japanese
Yoko Shibui 2:19:41 2004 Berlin
Hiromi Omnami 2:23:26 2004 Berlin
Mari Ozaki 2:23:30 2003 Osaka
Yumiko Hara 2:23:48 2007 Osaka
Miki Ohira 2:26:09 2008 Osaka
Madoka Ogi 2:26:55 2008 Osaka
Aki Fujikawa 2:27:06 2004 Nagoya
Mika Okunaga 2:27:52 2008 Osaka
Akemi Ozaki 2:28:39 2007 Tokyo
Kaori Yoshida 2:30:58 2008 Nagoya
Yukiko Akaba Debut 1:08:11 half marathon 2008
Akane Wakita Debut 1:09:57 half marathon 2008
