Yoshimi Ozaki and Yuri Kano Go 1-2 in Tokyo! PB's for Both!

Ozaki Locks Down Spot on 2009 World Championships Team with Strong Finish

November 17, 2008

Yoshimi Ozaki, who signed with Boulder Wave in September, won the Tokyo International Ladies Marathon yesterday in a sterling new PB of 2:23:30, knocking 2:49 off the impressive debut mark she made in Nagoya in March. With Yoko Shibui setting a torrid pace from the start, it was only in the final stages over the notorious climb in Yotsuya that Ozaki was finally able to climb into the lead, passing Yuri Kano just before 38 kilometers, then a slowing Shibui 500 meters later.

 

Yoshimi had been far from satisfied with her second-place debut this Spring, telling reporters after yesterday's win, ³When I finished second in Nagoya earlier this year, I realized the difference between being first and second,² Ozaki said. ³Yurika Nakamura (who won in Nagoya ahead of Ozaki) was a celebrity, while I was a relative unknown.  That realization motivated me during my training leading up to this race.²

Yoshimi is a member of Japan's Daiichi Seimei team, coached by 1991 world championships marathon silver medalist Sachiko Yamashita. The club made a long altitude training camp in Boulder this past summer in preparation for the autumn race season. Yesterday's victory guarantees Yoshimi a place on the world championships team for Berlin next summer.

 

Yuri Kano, who has been having an outstanding year with 2:26:39 for 3rd in Nagoya; wins at the Sapporo and Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathons;

 and 3rd at the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by Nike, was 2nd in a

 new PB of 2:24:27. Still, it was not enough. She caught Shibui just past 39 kilometers, but could not bridge the gap to the quick-finishing Ozaki. "Nearing 10Km I realized it was a bit fast, so I held back thinking I can overtake [Shibui] after 30Km. But when the time to overtake Shibui came, Ozaki was there.²

 

Yuri is a member of the Second Wind AC club in Japan, coached by Manabu Kawagoe. She is a teammate of Kiyoko Shimahara, who was 3rd in Chicago last month, and Kaori Yoshida, who won the Casablanca Marathon last month.

Photos by Toshihiro Kitagawa of Norte, Inc.

 

Link to IAAF article:

"Click here for the IAAF report on the race."

http://www.iaaf.org/LRR08/news/newsid=48327.html

From today, the IAAF website is carrying an "Online Diary" of Olympic champion Constantina Dita.

Her plan is to add an entry about once each month.

 

Running Times Featured Article on Constantina Dita

Olympic champ appears on cover; Autograph Session at Running Times Booth at ING-NYC Marathon

November 3, 2008

Running Times editor-in-chief, Jonathan Beverly, has written a six page article on Constantina Dita in the magazine's current December 2008 issue.  He focuses on how Constantina came back from a rough year of Injury-hampered sub-par racing to reach her Olympic Gold Medal victory in Beijing.  Constantina her winning her winning race at the Games and with her coach, Valeriu Tomescu, breaks down the intense training behind winning an Olympic Gold. In conjunction with the issue, on Saturday Constantina signed post-card sized versions of the magazine's cover and met fans at Running Times' booth at the ING New York City Marathon Expo.

October 26, 2008

Over 15,000 runners from around the world packed the streets of Casablanca on Sunday in Morocco's premier marathon. The elite athletes had a  scare at the start when the mass field rushed the starter's gun, thereby causing some timing problems. On the women's side, Kaori Yoshida of the Second Wind AC took over the lead shortly past 20 miles and steadily built a lead that reached three minutes at the finish line, as she came home in 2:31:44. Kaori was the first elite Japanese athlete to ever compete in one of Morocco's top marathons. Following a bit of recovery, she will next compete in the inaugural Great Australian Run Melbourne 15K on November 30th alongside Constantina Dita and Megumi Oshima.

Public Appearances by Boulder Wave Athletes and Coaches at 2008 Bank of America Chicago  Marathon Thursday, October 9th 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Constantina Dita at 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon Kick-Off Press Conference, Chicago Hilton and Towers 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.   Daniel Njenga Muturiand Adriana Pirtea at Nettelhorst Elementary School 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.   Coach Valeriu Tomescu participates in Garmin "Running Summit" at Garmin's Michigan Avenue flagship store Friday, October 10th 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Constantina Dita, Adriana Pirtea, Kiyoko Shimahara,Daniel Njenga Muturi, Arata Fujiwara at Elite Athlete Press Conference, Chicago Hilton and Towers All events below will take place at the Bank of America Health and Fitness Expo, McCormack Place Convention Center 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.  Constantina Dita at Asics booth 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.   Coach Valeriu Tomescu at Running Times booth 2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.   Constantina Dita and Adriana Pirtea at "Meet the Women's Elite Field" Forum with Tim Hutchings at Main Stage 2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.   Daniel Njenga Muturi at "Meet the Men's Elite Field" Forum with Tim Hutchings at Main Stage, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.   Adriana Pirtea at Running Times booth Saturday, October 11th 1:00p.m.-2:00p.m.  Coach Valeriu Tomescu at Running Times booth Sunday, October 12th 7:55a.m.  Elite Start of 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon

Second Wind AC's Yuri Kano scored her second big half-marathon win of the year yesterday, pulling away from Ethiopia's Azalech Masresha after eleven miles to win the 3rd annual Rock 'n' Roll San Jose Half-Marathon. Coming down from altitude training in Albuquerque, Yuri commented that she came to San Jose looking more for the win than a fast time. "I didn't really know the other women in the race and did not know how they would compete. I was mainly aiming to win here. I thought if the others are strong, then I'll see how to deal with it during the race. I didn't back off my marathon training too much for this." A lead pack of four women broke down to just Kano and Masresha after 10K, and the two ran together for the nextfive miles. "Each time I tried to surge a bit, Masresha would also pick up the pace and not let me get away." With a deliberate move after the 11 mile mark, Yuri opened 33 seconds on her 20-year old opponent in the final two miles, to take the win in 70:03. The winning time made Elite Athlete Coordinator Matthew Turnbull look particularly prescient, as he had commented on Saturday evening, " If Yuri run's 70:00 tomorrow, she should win the race." Yuri's win comes after two other strong half-marathon results this summer, including a 68:57 PB win at the Sapporo Half-Marathon on June 15th, and a 70:31 third-place finish at the New York City Half-Marathon Presented by Nike on July 27th. Her major target this autumn is the November 16th Tokyo International Women's Marathon, which will also be a Japanese qualifying race for next summer's Berlin IAAF World Championships. “Click here to read the IAAF story on the race.” at the end of our article, the link being: http://www.iaaf.org/WHM08/news/kind=100/newsid=47940.html Photos by: Victor Sailor of Photo Run, Inc.

Boulder Wave Sending Five Top Athletes to 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Olympic Gold Medalist Constantina Tomescu-Dita Heads Up Women's Field; Njenga seeking elusive first Chicago win
October 3, 2008

Boulder Wave has worked with Bank of America Chicago Marathon director Carey Pinkowski to once again send a world-class group of athletes to the event: Constantina Dita (Asics/Romania); Daniel Njenga Muturi (Asics/Yakult/Kenya); Adriana Pirtea (Asics/Romania); Arata Fujiwara (JR Higashi Nihon/Japan); Kiyoko Shimahara (Mizuno/Second Wind AC/Japan). All five athletes should contend for wins and spots on Chicago’s podium on October 12th, with the deep field assembled by Pinkowski assuring there will be the usual brutal competition as Chicago enters a new era under bank of America sponsorship.

Photos by: Victor Sailor of Photo Run, Inc.





Constantina Dita:                  2008 Beijing Olympic Marathon Gold Medalist; Chicago History: 2nd in 2003; 1st in 2004;                                                                                       2nd in 2005; 5th in 2006; PB 2:21:30 

Adriana Pirtea:                     2nd in 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon; PB 2:28:52 

Kiyoko Shimahara:               6th in 2007 IAAF World Championships Marathon; Silver Medalist 2006 Asian Games 
                                             Marathon; PB 2:26:14

Daniel Njenga Muturi:          Chicago History 2nd in 2002; 3rd in 2003; 2nd in 2004; 3rd in 2005; 2nd in 2006; 3rd in 
                                             2007; 2-time Tokyo Marathon Champion; PB 2:06:16

Arata Fujiwara:                    2nd in 2008 Tokyo Marathon; PB 2:08:40

Click on athlete's name above to to open 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon Official Profile

In the past six runnings of Chicago from 2002-2007, Boulder Wave athletes have taken 15 of the 36 top three podium spots for men and women, with one first-place finish, seven second-place finishes, and seven third-place finishes.

 

Click on links below for official press releases from the 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon:

Press Release - Daniel Njenga Reutrn to Bank of America Chicago Marathon, Marianne Caponi, 10/02/2008

Press Release - Chicago Marathon Announces Elite Field, Marinanne Caponi, 9/9/2008

Boulder Wave's Adriana Pirtea Featured on Running Times' November 2008 Cover, Article

First Cover for Asics’ Romanian Athlete; 2007 Runner-Up Returning to Chicago next week

October 2, 2008

 

 

Asics-sponsored athlete Adriana Pirtea has scored the first magazine cover of her career, featured in the November 2008 issue of Running Times, which began arriving in subscribers mailboxes this week. Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Beverly timed the cover partially to coincide with next week’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon, where Adriana will be one of the featured women athletes. The cover shot is Adriana training in Horsetooth State Park in her adopted hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado, where she lives with her husband, Jeremy Nelson.

 

Beverly comments, "I met Adriana at Chicago last year and she impressed me

both as an athlete and as a person: personable and confident, yet humble and

low-key. After her amazing race, it was clear she is going to be a major

player in the marathon soon. I wanted a cover that captured both her beauty

and athleticism in a great setting (Fort Collins), and inspired readers both

as fans and runners themselves."

 

Inside the magazine, Adriana is the subject of the issue's "Leading Edge" profile, focusing on her second place Chicago result and her development as a distance runner.  She also appears in a photo used in the "Trails" section of the magazine. Beverly reports that Boulder Wave's Olympic gold medalist Constantina Dita will be on the December 2008 cover of the magazine www.runningtimes.com.

 

 

 

Boulder Altitude Training Camps Wrap Up for Japanese Teams

All-Japan Corporate Track Championships on Tap for September 26-28

September 22, 2008

With the annual track and field championships for Japan’s corporate-sponsored teams around the corner, the last of the Japanese clubs training in Boulder, Colorado, have wrapped up their altitude training camps.

This year, the 16^th year Boulder Wave has worked with Japanese clubs on their training camps, about 150 athletes and coaches came to Boulder for training camps in the Spring and Summer, staying anywhere from two weeks to three months. As is usual, the spring training was mainly to prepare athletes for the national track and field championships, as well as Sapporo Half-Marathon preparation for many long-distance athletes. Beginning in late July, a flood of teams came into Boulder to get ready for both the autumn track championships, as well as to do their base work for the regional ekiden championships, which will take place across Japan in early November. This year’s teams included Noritz, Toyota Kyushu, Mitsui Sumitomo, Yachiyo Kogyo, ACOM, Fujitsu, Daiichi Life Insurance, Shiseido, Yutaka Giken, Sekisui, and JR…a range of sponsorship reflecting the widespread popularity and support of distance running in Japan.

Labor Day Wrap-Up: Rock ‘n’ Roll Half-Marathon Virginia Beach, US 10K Classic, US 20K Championships

September 2, 2008

In a packed schedule of racing over the three-day Labor Day weekend in the US, Boulder Wave sent athletes to the three top US events at Virginia Beach, Atlanta, and New Haven. At the 8^th annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, four women we sent to the race hit the top ten, led by Megumi Seike in 3^rd, outkicked for 2^nd in the final 50m by Katie McGregor. Ageless Edith Masai took the women’s title in 72:54, 10 and 11 seconds up on McGregor and Seike, respectively. Aya Manome (7^th), Nuta Olaru (8^th), and Miho Notagashira (9^th) rounded out our athletes in the women’s top ten. On the men’s side, Kazuyuki Maeda of the Konica-Minolta team took 4^th, the best-ever result for a Japanese man in the history of the race, while Takaaki Koda came in a solid 9^th.

In New Haven at the US 20K Championships, Justin Young, coming off the win at san Diego’s AFC Half-Marathon two weeks earlier, ran a good 61:12 for 9^th place. In the midst of 130-mile weeks as he prepares for the US men’s Marathon Championship in Twin Cities on October 5^th, Justin felt the 3:04/km pace was plenty, given the recent training load.

Further down the east coast yesterday, Glenn Latimer assembled his usual competitive crowd for the US 10K Classic in Atlanta. A large contingent of Japanese athletes training in Boulder traveled out to Atlanta for the race. On the men’s side, six men from the Honda Motors-sponsored club took part, and the race results had the look of a dual meet between Japan and Kenya, as 18 or the top 19 spots were taken by athletes from one country or the other. Kenyans swept the top six spots on the nasty 10K course, led by Daniel Kipkoech’s 29:47 win. Masakazu Fujiwara led the Honda gang in 7^th with 30:14, followed by Yosuke Kanetsuka (8^th in 30:23), Seigo Ikegami (9^th in 30:25), and Yoichiro Akiyama (10^th in 30:32). On the women’s race, ACOM’s Shoko Mori showed her breakthrough run at Beach to Beacon was no fluke (see archived articles), finishing just one second off Everlyne Lagat’s 34:34 winning time, as the top three finishers were only one second apart. Jane Wanjiku took 2^nd, same time as Mori. 2007 Fortis Rotterdam Marathon winner Hiromi Ominami took 5^th in 34:47, followed in 6^th by her twin sister Takami in 35:30.