JANUARY 2016

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD

JANUARY

• Another year of racing started on the 10th as Bob Johnston, our most active runner, did the New Year Half Marathon in Oizumi Park, Osaka in a PB of 1:31:35.
• On the 11th, a Namban Rengo team participated in the Iikoto (Good Thing?) Six-Hour Enudrance Relay in Nissan Stadium, Yokohama. The team, consisting of Yuichi Kanamori, Yoshiro Morioka, Steve Karnas. Gareth Evans, Mika Tokairin, Mika Kume, Miyuki Nishida and Yukiko Kanazawa ran 82.8km, coming in 19th out of 357 teams — Wow!!
• Already on his second race on the 16th, Bob Johnston ran the Osaka Winter 30K in 2:27:18.
• Harrisson Uk traveled all the way down to Miyokojima (below Okinawa) to be met with typhoon conditions for the Waidoh 50K Ultramarathon on the 17th. Didn’t bother him, however, he splashed his way to victory! Time was 3:33 (went through the marathon in 2:59). Prize was an ASICS stopwatch and 12 liters of Coca Cola.
• A whole bunch of people ran the Chiba Marine Half Marathon on the 24th. Eric Lebresseur led the Namban contingent with a PB of 1:24:31. Also on hand were Chika Kanai 1:32:54 (33rd woman out of 1,955), Richard Bysouth 1:39:40 (first time under 1:40 in 10 years!), Yukiko Kanazawa 1:46:57 118th, Yuka Rayner 1:52, and David Sweet, Keren Miers, Kevin Nadolny, Meeks Kume, Yoshie Niitsuma, plus Laura Malory and Satoshi Hashimoto (39:50) in the 10K.
• The always popular Shibuya Ekiden on the 24th saw Namban’s Age 55 team come 4th, A team 7th, B team 11th and Women’s team 5th.
• Overseas on the 24th, Arnaud DeHerrypon ran the Khon Kaen Half Marathon in Singapore, finishing in a new PB of 1:23:45 – great! And down in Texas, Brent Millican ran to a new PB of 1:24:57 in the 3M Half Marathon, ending up 92nd out of 5,300 (top 2%).
• Two big races on the 31st: the Shinjuku Half Marathon, where Satohi Numasawa ran 1:32:50, and the Katsuta Marathon, in which Yosuke Kimura ran a PB of 3:19:36 (third marathon PB in a row!), Taro Oguchi ran 3:27:04, and Mika Tokairin ran 3:49:59.

FEBRUARY

Wednesday nights in Yoyogi Park. Meet at the kiosk 100m inside park entrance near Harajuku station at 7:15pm.

• 3 – 1000 x 6
• 10 – 2000, 1000 x 3, 500 x 2
• 17 – 1000 x 5, 500 x 2
• 24 – 5,000m time trial

Plus, 28 — Tokyo Marathon. Some will run, some will cheer and all will party!

HAIKU OF THE MONTH

Well, some like it hot
But for those who like it cold
They are happy now!