In training to be World Class

In training to be World Class

Lidia  Simon Preps in Boulder for Osaka International Ladies Marathon

Kansai TV crew in town to prepare feature for January 31st race

January 5, 2010

7th Place and New PB for Yurika Nakamura in IAAF 10,000m Championships!!!

Becomes Third-Fastest in Japanese History with 31:14.39

August 15, 2009

In this evening's 10,000m women's final on the opening day of the IAAF Berlin World Championships, Japan's Yurika Nakamura continued the hot streak of running she has displayed over the past 18 months. Jumping to the lead only 100m into the race, Yurika shared much of the opening pace setting with Russian  Mariya Konovalova, as the leaders came through 5,000m in a comfortable 15:45. The African contingent out of Ethiopia and Kenya took firm control of the race after 6,400m, with Kenya's Linet Masai dueling world-leader Ethiopian Meselech Melkamu to the wire, taking Melkamu by a mere tenth of a second at the line at 30:51.24, with Ethiopia's Wude Ayalew only another six-tenths back for the bronze. In the final two laps, Nakamura battled America's Amy Yoder Begley. Nakamura came home a stride behind Begley in 31:14.39 for 7th. The time makes Yurika Japan's third fastest 10,000m woman in history, trailing only legends Yoko Shibui and Kayoko Fukushi.

Coach Yutaka Taketomi will have Yurika take a few easy days now as she rests and preps for Wednesday, when she will double back in the opening round of the 5,000m in Berlin.

Nakamura and Kobayashi Advance to World Championships' 5000m Finals!

Another PB for Nakamura; Both Advance on Time

August 19, 2009

In this morning's preliminaries of the women's 5000m in Berlin, Yurika Nakamura and Yuriko Kobayashi showed again why they are the promise of Japan's middle- and long-distance future. Running in Heat 1, Yurika led the pack in the opening laps much as she did Saturday night in the 10,000m, taking the group through 3:06.28 and 6:12.64. Without the kicking ability yet of her more experienced rivals, the 23 year old Nakamura wanted to put herself in a good position for the final laps. With a 2:53 split for her final 1,000m, Yurika came home 6th in 15:21.01, taking a sliver off her 2006 PB of 15:23.75. Another PB in Saturday night's finals is looking well within her grasp.

In Heat 2, 21 year old Yuriko Kobayashi took the opposite tactic, content to stay at the back of the lead pack through the opening five laps and depend on her kicking ability. She holds Japan's two fastest times for 1500m. With the second heat group taking a more pedestrian pace than the opening heat and all-world Meseret Defar in the group, a blistering final lap was assured. Jen Rhines began pushing the pace with

three laps to go, brining the group through 4,000m in 12:28. In the final 400m sprint for home, Yuriko ran a 67-lap to get 8th in the heat, and a 15:23.96 qualifier for the final. Off the track a few minutes later, she flashed a big umpire's "Safe" sign to show she had dodged a bullet and had herself into Saturday's race.

Photo Credit: Boulder Wave, Inc.

Yuriko Kobayashi All Smiles After Today's Prelim!

Full details on the race are available at www.iaaf.org and other sites.

August 23, 2009

Japan's Yoshimi Ozaki took the silver medal today in the women's marathon at the 12th annual IAAF World Athletics Championships.

Yoshimi is a member of the Dai-ichi Life Insurance-sponsored women's team, and is coached by 1991 World Championships' women's marathon silver medalist Sachiko Yamashita.

This summer, Yoshimi made her third Boulder training camp, staying in town from June 1st until the second half of July, before returning to Japan for final training at sea level.  Her medal continues a pattern of Boulder-trained Japanese women winning marathon medals, such as Yuko Arimori with Olympic silver in 1992 and bronze in 1996; Hiromi Suzuki with world championships' gold in 1997; Naoko Takahashi with Olympic gold in 2000;  Reiko Tosa with World Championships' silver in 2001; and Masako Chiba with World Championships bronze in 2003.

It also comes as a follow-up to Constantina Dita's Olympic gold last summer, showing Boulder continues to be second to none in its long-term status as a training ground for the world's top marathon women.

It also marks the tenth time at the past 11 world championships and Olympic Games that a woman athlete represented by Boulder Wave or using our services as training coordinators has won a marathon medal. 10 of the past 33 medals awarded in the event.

Among other Japanese athletes who prepared for Berlin in Boulder, Japan's Yurika Nakamura also stood out this week. Yurika finished 3rd in Bolder Boulder this year, then stayed on for a month of training. Representing Japan in both the 5,000m and 10,000m this week, 23 year old Nakamura came through with three Personal Best records in her three races.. On the opening day of the championships on August 15th, she chopped ten seconds off off her best time to finish 7th in 31:14.39, making her the third-fastest Japanese woman of all time. Continuing on to Wednesday's opening round of the 5,00m, Yurika advanced to the final with a 15:21.01 PB; and then in the final came home with a big PB of 15:13.01 for a creditable 12th place finish.

Photo Credit: Boulder Wave, Inc.

Yoshimi Ozaki with her agent, Brendan Reilly, after today's World Championships marathon in Berlin.

Yoshimi’s coach, Sachiko Yamashita, with Brendan Reilly after today's World Championships marathon in Berlin.

August 26, 2009

At a press conference this morning at Romanian Athletics Federation (F.R.A.) headquarters in Bucharest, Boulder Wave and the Romanian federation announced the launch of a new “adidas Next-Generation Development Project” for Romanian athletes. The new project will support and outfit a select group of up-and-coming Romanian junior athletes, and scout and develop new distance running talent in Romania. Sorin Matei, the president of the F.R.A., commented: “It is very good for the Romanian federation and for our young people to start a new way for long-distance and for special development. We are very happy to be together with adidas and Brendan Reilly in this project. It might not be easy to start in this new direction, but I am confident we will have a success with it.” The program will focus on athletes with potential in events from 3,000m to the marathon, with a target of developing Romania’s next generation of world-class athletes.

Despite the country’s small size, Romania has long produced a solid core of world-class athletes in the half-marathon and marathon. Since the mid-1990’s, Anuta Catuna, Lidia Simon, and Constantina Dita have helped raise the Romanian flag at awards ceremonies in stadiums around the world. The current generation of road racing athletes, including Dita, Simon, Nuta Olaru, Adriana Pirtea, and Luminita Talpos have been wonderful ambassadors for their country, not only competing at the highest levels, but bringing plenty of “personality” when they race in the world’s top events.

 

    Brendan Reilly, president of Boulder Wave (l), and Sorin Matei President of the Romanian

Athletics Federation (r), respond to questions at today’s press conference.

The basic members of the program when fully gathered will include 10 athletes, a head coach, and a project manager. All athletes and staff will be outfitted in adidas gear and shoes. Athletes will have their housing meals, massage and all training expenses covered by the program. In recognition of the need for athletes to be able to communicate with the world’s media, English-language lessons will be an integral part of the program for all athletes, even for the youngest juniors.

At today’s press conference Brendan Reilly explained elements of the project development. “We have been discussing this project with adidas for a couple of years, stemming from a chat I had with Spencer Nel at the ‘real Berlin Marathon. I am very happy we are now launching the program. As with all athlete development, it will take time to bring these new athletes up to the highest levels, but everybody involved has the experience and knowledge to make this long-term approach a success. The project is based somewhat on what other agents have done in Kenya and Ethiopia, but it is also based on my own 16 years’ experience with Japan’s corporate-sponsored teams.”

Photo Credit: Boulder Wave, Inc.

Boulder Wave and adidas Launch Next-Generation Development Project in Romania

Njenga and Shimahara Sweep Wins at Hokkaido Marathon

August 31, 2009

Daniel Njenga and Kiyoko Shimahara both ran to victory yesterday with a new course record of 2:25:10 and PB for Shimahara, and Njenga crossing the line in 2:12:03.  Akemi Ozaki also ran a strong race, grabbing 2nd place.

Please click here for the full iaaf article.

Photos: (L) - Daniel Njenga, (R) - Kiyoko Shimahara

Photos by Photo Run, Inc.

Japan Takes 2nd in International Team Challenge at 9th Annual Rock n Roll Half-Marathon

Miyauchi 4th, Hirata 5th for Women; Fujiyama 5th, Matusimiya 7th for Men

September 7, 2009

      Photo by Boulder Wave, Inc.

Freya Murray Takes 1st Place in Great Yorkshire Run

September 6, 2009

Please click here for full article on Freya’s PB Finish.

Training yet again in Boulder’s winter climate for  the Osaka International Ladies Marathon, Lidia Simon is aiming to mark her tenth running of the event in strong fashion. A three-time winner in Osaka, Lidia has only once failed to make the Top 8 awards ceremony at Osaka, a 2006 injury-hampered 9th-place finish the only mar on an otherwise perfect record.  “My training has been very good so far, and I have been doing more hills than usual. The last few years, the Japanese have gotten away from me just after we come out from the hills of Osaka Castle, so I know this will be the key point again.”

To mark Lidia’s tenth running of the event, the race organizers are planning special ceremonies for her during race week and also at the post-race awards ceremony, with Romania’s Ambassador to Japan among those invited.

Long-time Boulder Wave athlete Kayoko Obata of Japan will also be running her 10th Osaka, but unlike Lidia, Kayoko will be using Osaka as her “Last Run,” retiring from competition after this year’s race.

Kansai TV has had a film crew in Boulder the past two days to do a bit of “up close and personal” on Lidia to use for this year’s pre-race show and race broadcast. The crew spent most of Sunday at Lidia’s north Boulder home filming her with her husband/coach, Liviu, and her son, Cristy, as they prepared dinner, helped Cristy with his homework, and enjoyed a quiet evening at home. On Monday, the crew followed her on a hill workout done on the dirt roads just north of the Boulder Reservoir as she clicked off one interval after the other with no more than a one-second variation in her times.

Lidia is an iconic figure among Japan’s enthusiastic marathon fans, well-known not only for her years of success at Osaka, but also for her silver medal just behind Naoko Takahashi at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Marathon and for defeating Reiko Tosa for the gold medal the following summer at the IAAF World Championships in Edmonton.

The event’s Japanese-language website is http://www.osaka-marathon.jp/

Lidia’s history at Osaka

19973rd place in 2:27:04

19981st place in 2:28:31

19991st place in 2:23:24

20001st place in 2:22:54

20055th place in 2:27:01

20069th place in 2:33:53

20076th place in 2:32:09

20086th place in 2:27:17

20095th place in 2:27:14

2010??

Lidia also had an excellent 5th-place result at the 2007 IAAF Osaka World Championships marathon held on the same course in the steambath conditions of summer in Japan.

(L to R) Yurika Nakamura, Kayoko Fukushi, and Yukari Sahaku Celebrate their World Championships Run (Photo Credit: Boulder Wave, Inc.)

(Photos Courtesy of Peter Wayne Photography)

3rd-4th-5th For Three Boulder Wave Women at Osaka!

Mari Ozaki, Lidia Simon, Kayoko Obata come through on cold, wet day

February 1, 2010

In steadily worsening race conditions that saw temperatures never rise above the low 40s (5-6 degrees Celsius) and rain fall steadily over the final 10 kilometers, a trio of women represented by Boulder Wave came through in stellar fashion in yesterday’s Osaka International ladies Marathon. Mari Ozaki, whose Noritz club re-signed with Boulder Wave shortly before the race, came home in 3rd place overall and top Japanese in 2:26:27. Osaka legend Lidia Simon, in her 10th running of the Osaka race, finished 4th in 2:27:11. Only once in Lidia’s ten times in the event has she not made the Top Eight awards ceremony, and she is also a three-time champion of the race. Throughout the week Lidia was feted with various events to mark her tenth running, such as a special addition of “Simon Udon” noodles at the host hotel’s menu. Despite prepping for Osaka in the winter conditions of Boulder, Colorado, including one interval session in near-zero Fahrenheit temperatures, Lidia’s first words upon crossing the line in Nagai Stadium were simply, “I am SO cold!” Just behind Lidia, long-time Boulder Wave athlete Kayoko Obata marked the final race of her competitive career with a strong 2:27:19 for 5th.  Not bad for age 38! Kayoko was also running Osaka for her 10th time, and both she and Lidia were feted with special gifts and ceremonies at the evening’s awards ceremony. Among other accomplishments, including an 8th-place finish in the 1999 Seville world championships, Kayoko says she is most proud of having finished all 26 of the marathons she started in her elite career.

Tokyo Marathon Set For Sunday

Four Boulder Wave Athletes in Japan’s Biggest Event

February 22, 2010

Led by women’s defending champion Mizuho Nasukawa, four athletes represented by Boulder Wave are in the elite invited field for this Sunday’s 4th running of the revamped Tokyo Marathon. The city-wide event, which was opened to the masses in 2007, immediately became Japan’s #1 Must-Do event when it was revamped in 2007 to include a mass field with an elite field of men and women, which had previously only been done in Hokkaido’s much smaller summer marathon. Boulder Wave athlete Daniel Njenga won the inaugural race in 2007. Last summer, over 300,000 runners applied for the 2010 race, the largest applicant field in the history of big-city marathoning. Mizuho won last year’s wind-swept race in a 2:25:38 PB. Akemi Ozaki Ishige of Japan’s Second Wind AC will look to challenge, seeking to improve on the 2:27:23 PB she posted in finishing second in last summer’s Hokkaido Marathon. Nuta Olaru of Romania/ASICS has spent the past week staying with Japan’s Sakura AC team, and is the fastest woman in the field with her 2:24:33 PB from Chicago in 2004. Last year Nuta had yet another solid season on the roads, including 2nd place in Houston in 2:27:24, 3rd place in Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego in 2:30:40, and 2nd in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Half-Marathon in 71:43. On the men’s side, Japan-based James Mwangi Macharia will look to race up front and make a strong improvement on his 2:10:27 marathon debut from 2007 Vienna. James’ training has gone well, with a 27:49.27 PB last autumn, and steady work at altitude in Kenya. Boulder Wave also represents Morocco’s Rachid Kisri in his Japanese racing, and Rachid enters Tokyo as the fastest man in the filed, with a 2:06:48 PB from last year’s Paris Marathon.

Rene Kalmer Wraps Up European Indoor Tour

Three PB’s in Four Races Highlighted by South African 1500m and 3000m Indoor Records!

February 15, 2010

Running for adidas since last summer, Rene Kalmer continues to impress with her wide range, having swept last summer’s Spar women’s 10K series of races in South Africa; posted a very impressive 70:37 half-marathon PB at the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships in Birmingham, England; and even set a new course record in winning the Nedbank Soweto Marathon in November. In total, Rene posted new PB’s for six distances last year (5K, 4 Miles, 10K, 10 Miles, Half-Marathon, Marathon), and has now added to that with  as Hat Trick of PB’s over the indoor 1500m, 3000m, and 5000m. Her 2010 European indoor tour began with a 9:12.72 for 4th place at the BW-Bank Meeting in Karlsruhe, Germany, on January 31st. A week later at the Sparkassen meet in Stuttgart, she brought South Africa’s indoor 3000m record down to 9:02.92. Four nights later on Stockholm’s fast indoor track, she posted another indoor PB with 15:45.40 for 5000m at the GE Galan. Yesterday she capped off the tour with her third consecutive PB and second NR with a 4:16.96 mark for 1500m at the Toyota Indoor in Gent, Belgium.

Heading back home for the warmth of South Africa’s summer, Rene plans to continue her track running with the Yellow Pages Series through early April, and then the national championships on March 19-20. A return to the roads will begin with the Two Oceans Half-Marathon on April 3rd.

Daniel Njenga Continues Resurgence with 2nd in Beppu-Oita

2:10:55 on Oceanside Course His Fastest Time since 2008 Chicago

February 8, 2010

Returning to the seaside Beppu-Oita Mainichi Maratghon for the first time since his breakthrough year of 2002, Daniel Njenga threw his all into winning the title. As the lead pack steadily dwindled despite a relatively sluggish pace (the official pacemakers brought the pack through halfway in only 65:24, despite the event’s best weather in years), Daniel steadily stuck with the leaders. Striking at 40K, he made a strong move, catching the other three leaders off guard and quickly gaining a 15m advantage. Only Kenya’s Jonathan Kipkorir was able to respond, drawing even with Daniel shortly before the turn into the stadium finish line. With 500m to go, Kipkorir opened a 10, then 20 meter gap, holding it to the finish to win in 2:10:50 to Daniel’s 2:10:55. Disappointed over losing in such painful fashion, Daniel was able to put the race in perspective. After a year and a half in the wilderness in 2008 and the first half of 2009 when he did not break 2:14 in three consecutive marathons following his sixth straight Top Three finish in the Chicago Marathon, Daniel has now won last summer’s Hokkaido Marathon in 2:12:03 and finished 2nd in Oita yesterday. “Yes, of course I wanted to win, and I thought I had it with 1 kilometer remaining. But Jonathan just had too strong of a kick for me at the end. But I am happy to have another good race. Next week I will return home to Nyahururu [Daniel has been based in Japan for much of the past 18 years, running professionally for Japan’s Yakult-sponsored corporate team] and spend about two month’s with Monica and our daughter.”

Freya Murray on Her Way to Fukuoka International Cross-Country

First Japan Race for Rising Scotland Star

February 21, 2010

Scotland’s Freya Murray will return to Japan next Saturday for the third time, with an invitation to participate in the Fukuoka International Cross-Country Meet. The women’s 6 kilometer race will be held on the same Umino-Nakamichikaihin Park course that hosted the 2006 IAAF World Cross-Country Championships, in which Freya finished 64th in the short-course 4.0 race. She also represented the UK in the 2008 Chiba International Ekiden, finishing 4th in her 5K leg in 16:08. Under the guidance of reserved Welshman Steve Jones, Freya has been rocketing up the charts since last Summer, with the UK 5000m Championship win and a pair of victories over 5K and 10K at the Great Run series of races among her accomplishments. This winter she has been faring well on the Cross-Country circuit, with 2nd in Liverpool, 9th in the European Championships in Dublin,  6th in Brussels, and 8th in Great Edinburgh. Escaping the Scottish blizzards for a three-week training camp in South Africa, Freya also posted a nice win there in the South African Cross-Country Championships.