Boulder Wave Athletes Featured in Japan's "Gekkan Rikujyo" Magazine
Cover Shot for Tokyo Winner Yoshimi Ozaki; Five-Page Profile Article on Constantina Dita and Coach Valeriu Tomescu
December 30, 2008
The January 2009 issue of Japan's top track and field magazine, Gekkan Rikujyo Kyogi, is chock full of articles and photographs of Boulder Wave athletes. Recent Tokyo International Ladies Marathon champion Yoshimi Ozaki graces the cover breaking the tape in Tokyo, with the headline, "Ozaki is the New Queen at the Final Tokyo." Inside, a three-page article covers Ozaki's Tokyo race and her development as an athlete under the guidance of coach Sachiko Yamashita.
Olympic marathon gold medalist Constantina Dita is also featured in the issue, with a five page article entitled, "The 38 Year Old Super-Mom Who Ruled the Beijing Olympics." Writer Ayako Oikawa spent several days last autumn visiting Dita, and writes at length on the Olympic champ's training, home life, a and the keys to her long career. Coach Valeriu Tomescu also discusses Dita's development as an athlete and the key components of her training.
The issue also features photo stories on Yuriko Kobayashi Race MVP performance in sparking Japan to the team title at November's Chiba International Ekiden and Satoshi Irifune's 2nd-place finish at Fukuoka earlier this month.
"Spirit of the Marathon" Available on DVD Boulder Wave athlete Daniel Njenga Muturi featured in Jon Dunham's documentary December 24, 2008
Film Trailer
Director Jon Dunham's compelling marathon documentary, "Spirit of the Marathon," became available on DVD this autumn, with a release timed to the weekend of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. The film which had its world premier a year ago in Chicago, has been playing in theaters across the United States during the past year. Dunham's storyline focuses in on six marathon runners of all levels as they tell their inspirational stories of why training for and running a marathon can be truly life-changing. Daniel Njenga speaks of his compelling background as a Kenyan training in Japan in hopes to raise money for his family and community back home. For more information and to order the DVD please go to www.marathonmovie.com.
Clips of Daniel Njenga in "Spirit of the Marathon"
Photo: Daniel Njenga Muturi at film Premier
Photo: Brendan Reilly, director Jon Dunham, and Daniel Njenga at the 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon expo.
Kiyoko Shimahara Wins Honolulu! Kaori Yoshida gives Second Wind AC Teammates a 1-2 Finish
December 15, 2008
Kiyoko Shimahara scored the biggest win of her career yesterday, breaking Kenya's Alice Timbilili over the final eight miles to win the 36th Annual Honolulu Marathon. Elite athlete coordinator Jon Cross had assembled a solid, deep cast for this year's women's race, including three past champions: three-time winner Lyubov Morgunova, 2005 victor Olesya Nurgalieva, and defending champion Alevtina Biktimirova. Pacemakers Olga
Romanova and Kaori Yoshida brought Timbilili and Shimahara through the half in 76:29.
Timbilili began surging shortly after the half, and opened about 10-20 yards on Shimahara in the rainy conditions. The surges, however, were not long, and Shimahara was able to draw even again with her kenyan rival. From 22K throughabout 30K they ran together, then past 30K Shimahara began her own move, steadily drawing away. "I knew at 35K that I could win. On Friday morning we ran the final 7km of the course, and that helped me know what was coming and that I could win." Timbilili struggled over the final miles, losing nearly five minutes to Shimahara in the final 12km. Shortly after
Shimahara broke the tape in 2:32:36, the surprise of the day came as teammate Yoshida came through next, in 2:34:35.
When Romanova pulling out at the end of her pacing chores,Yoshida continued on,having planned to downshift and finish the race as a long run in her preparation for next month's Osaka International Ladies Marathon. Greg Meyer, who had been calling the women's race from the lead vehicle, reported, "Yoshida kept looking back and didn't see anybody. It seemed she figured $10,000 [third place prize money] was waiting to be taken." Yoshida passed Timbilili on the "Heartbreak Hill" climb up the far side of Diamondhead between 23 and 24 miles.
Post-race, the two Second Wind teammates and coach Manabu Kawagoe were beaming. Shimahara has now leapfrogged up in her results in the US marathons the past two and a half years, climbing from 5th in 2006 Boston to 3rd in 2008 Chicago to 1st in Honolulu.
Yoshida likewise has had a stellar autumn, becoming the first Japanese
champion at the Casablanca marathon in October, then tuning up for Honolulu with a 4th place finish at the Great Australian Run Melbourne 15K.
See photos and other race details at the race website,
Photos: The Victor's Laurels, Hawaiian Style; Coach Manabu Kawagoe and Kiyoko Shimahara at the Finish Line; Top Three Women at the Awards Ceremony
Fourth W in a Row for Nuta Olaru with Victory at Dallas White Rock Half-Marathon Win also makes her three-for-three in Texas the past two years December 14, 2008 Nuta Olaru continues to make age 38 a winning year, taking today's Dallas White Rock Half-Marathon in 71:32, 11 seconds up on Kenya's Rose Kosgei. Similar to Romanian countrywoman Constantina Dita, who won the Beijing gold medal this summer at age 38, Olaru has been on a tear this autumn after her 38th birthday in August. Wins since mid-October at the ING Denver Marathon (in a course record), the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon, and the Fort Collins (Colorado) Turkey Trot 4-Mile preceded today's title. Nuta has also gone three-for-three in Texas since last Spring, with a win and course record at the Texas Round-Up 10K in Austin last May to go along with the San Antonio and Dallas titles.
Olga Cristea Named Moldovan T&F Athlete of the Year Fifth Such Award for 21-Year Old Asics Athlete
December 10, 2008
In recognition of her pair of PB's to advance to the semifinals of the women's 800m at this past summer's Beijing Olympic Games, Olga Cristea has been selected by the Moldovan athletics federation as their female athlete of the year for the fifth time in her young career. Mihael Cravtov, coach of Olga as well as Ion Luchianov, who set the Moldovan men's 3000m SC national record, took coach of the year honors.
2nd and 3rd for Satoshi Irifune and Arata Fujiwara in Fukuoka
Runner-Up Result Locks in 2009 World Championships Spot for Irifune
December 8, 2008
Beijing Olympic bronze medalist scorched the Fukuoka marathon course record yesterday in 2:06:10, dusting the field with a 62:08 second half. Behind him, the Japanese men battled for the automatic selection to next year's IAAF World Championships in Berlin, which would go to the top Japanese finisher. In this battle a pair of athletes represented by Boulder Wave were to fight it out. Kanebo's Satoshi Irifune and JR's Arata Fujiwara. Although the pair had impressive PB runs at Tokyo Marathon in February (Fujiwara 2nd in 2:08:40 and Irifune 5th 2:09:40), Fujiwara was coming off a disastrous 2:23 Chicago outing in October.
Securing 2nd overall and the top Japanese finish over the closing kilometers, Irifune locked up his second world championships berth with a 2:09:23 PB, but admitted in the IAAF report, "my time is not a world class time. I like to improve it further." Irifune also represented Japan in the 2005 Helsinki World Championships, when he finished 20th.
24 seconds behind in 3rd, Fujiwara could only take solace in having erased the sting of Chicago, and will look to a Spring 2009 outing to take another shot at a world championships berth.
Olympic Champ Dita Heads Up Five Boulder Wave Athletes in Sunday's HBA Great Australia Run November 28, 2008
Boulder Wave is sending five athletes to this coming Sunday's (November 30, 2008) new Great Australian Run 15K race in Melbourne, headed up by Beijing gold medalist Constantina Dita. Nova International's Andy Caine and renowned Australian coach Nic Bideau have put together crackerjack fields for the new event, the first expansion of Nova's race series into the southern hemisphere, and Melbourne is going to.
Fresh off running the 7.195 anchor leg for Romania's team in Monday's International Chiba Ekiden in Japan, Dita will wrap up her 2008 season with the 15 kilometer event. In addition to Dita, Boulder Wave is sending a quartet of Japanese athletes, two men and two women. On the men's side, Honda Motors teammates Suehiro Ishikawa and Seigo Ikegami will face a challenging men's field headed up by all-world Haile Gebrselassie and Australian superstar Craig Mottram. Ishikawa and Ikegami are in fine form right now, having run 28:25.39 and 28:27.93, respectively, on the track last week, Earlier this month they led Honda to the title of the East Japan Corporate Ekiden Championships, the qualifying event for the national championships on New Year's Day, with Ikegami winning the 5th leg ku-kan-sho prize for the fastest performance in his leg of the relay.
On the women's side, recent Casablanca marathon champion Kaori Yoshida of the Second Wind AC and 2:24 marathoner Megumi Oshima, who is returning to action for the first time since her 2:29 in Nagoya this spring, will face not only Dita but Beijing silver medalist Catherine N’Dereba and Ozzie ace Benita Johnson.
The elite women start at 8:37 a.m., with the men and mass start at 8:52 a.m.
Photo: "Left to Right: Benita Johnson, Constantina Dita, Haile Gebrselassie, Craig Mottram at Opening Press Conference in Melbourne"
Nuta Olaru Wins Inaugural Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon in 2:28:53
Fastest time for Competitor Group's Four Musical Marathons in 2008;
Selection Likely for 2009 World Championships
November 17, 2008
Nuta Olaru won yesterday’s inaugural Rock n Roll San Antonio Marathon in 2:28:53 in cold start conditions below 40 degrees. Olaru took control of the race from Boston Marathon and London Marathon course recordholder Margaret Okayo and Russia’s Svetlana Ponomarenko shortly after 10K. She steadily increased her lead each mile, with a gap of as much as 1:45 at 21 miles. With the race well in hand, she held on comfortably to win by some 40 seconds.
Coach Dumitru Pop commented, “The Denver race three weeks ago was a good sign. She did 2:42 at altitude in what was only supposed to be her final long run before San Antonio. The cold weather also helped, as Nuta likes this very much. As for the pace, two years ago in Chicago she did the same thing to go with them when the start was aggressive, and it paid off with a 2:26. This should also qualify her for the Romanian team for next summer’s world championships in Berlin, as we heard that the qualifying mark for the team might be set at 2:30:00.”
Olaru’s only two other marathon wins in more than 30 starts came in Colorado races she had been using as training runs. She has had several heartbreaking losses, including runner-up results at Los Angeles in 2000 and 2001, the latter when she led to the final mile only to be passed when she became sick to her stomach on the final hill, and also in 2004 Chicago. She also was part of the amazing 2005 Las Vegas Marathon that had four women sprinting for the finish over the final 400m, finishing 4th and just 2 seconds off the win there. Olaru commented, “When Margaret went out so fast [34:16 for the opening 10K], I decided to go with her. I felt good most of the way, but became sick to my stomach just after 17 miles, and this threw me off my rhythm a little bit; otherwise, I thought I could go under 2:27:00. But I am very happy to get this win.”
After many years of competing in the Rock 'n' Roll marathons, Nuta's win is a great finish to the series this year. Elite athlete coordinator Matthew Turnbull commented, “It was a great way to wrap up the year. Nuta is very popular, and she has been a regular participant in all of our events. Her time was also the fastest of the four marathons put on by Competitor Group this year. The course here is very challenging over the second half, so she did well to run solo and run a good time even without somebody pushing her.”
Fresh off running the 7.195 anchor leg for Romania's team in Monday's International Chiba Ekiden in Japan, Dita will wrap up her 2008 season with the 15 kilometer event. In addition to Dita, Boulder Wave is sending a quartet of Japanese athletes, two men and two women. On the men's side, Honda Motors teammates Suehiro Ishikawa and Seigo Ikegami will face a challenging men's field headed up by all-world Haile Gebrselassie and Australian superstar Craig Mottram. Ishikawa and Ikegami are in fine form right now, having run 28:25.39 and 28:27.93, respectively, on the track last week, Earlier this month they led Honda to the title of the East Japan Corporate Ekiden Championships, the qualifying event for the national championships on New Year's Day, with Ikegami winning the 5th leg ku-kan-sho prize for the fastest performance in his leg of the relay.
