Skip to main content

TV Personality Hiroshi Neko Runs 2:49 at Niagara Falls Int'l Marathon

http://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/p-et-tp0-20101026-694422.html

translated by Brett Larner

TV personality Hiroshi Neko, 33, ran a PB of 2:49:28 at the Oct. 24 Niagara Falls International Marathon, finishing 10th overall and breaking his PB by more than 6 minutes. The marathon, which featured a field of just 960, began in Buffalo, NY, ran along the shores of Lake Erie, crossed the Peace Bridge into Canada and finished in front of Niagara Falls, one of the world's three great waterfalls. Neko commented afterwards, "I was feeling pretty jetlagged, but since it had rained the day before it was pretty comfortable to run. I was shooting for a 2:48 but forgot to figure the last 195 m into my pace calculation and missed it by 30 seconds. I'll work on my math and next time I'll definitely get it."

Neko began running in 2005 for his appearance in the Akasaka Mini Marathon segment of broadcaster TBS' annual "All-Star Kanshasai" program. After a strong run there he began getting coaching from women's marathon great Mari Tanigawa. Neko made his marathon debut at the 2008 Tokyo Marathon, running 3:48:57. The following year he ran several domestic and foreign races. At this year's Tokyo Marathon Neko ran an excellent 2:55:45, following up with an 8th place finish at June's Ulan Batur International Marathon in Mongolia in 3:08:22. In December he plans to run the Ankor Wat Half Marathon before returning to the Tokyo Marathon in February.

Translator's note: I was in a TV commercial with Neko last year. I didn't think he was capable of a 2:49. My respect.

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Morii Surprises With Second-Ever Japanese Sub-2:10 at Boston

With three sub-2:09 Japanese men in the race and good weather conditions by Boston standards the chances were decent that somebody was going to follow 1981 winner Toshihiko Seko 's 2:09:26 and score a sub-2:10 at the Boston Marathon . But nobody thought it was going to be by a 2:14 amateur. Paris Olympic team member Suguru Osako had taken 3rd in Boston in 2:10:28 in his debut seven years ago, and both he and 2:08 runners Kento Otsu and Ryoma Takeuchi were aiming for spots in the top 10, Otsu after having run a 1:01:43 half marathon PB in February and Takeuchi of a 2:08:40 marathon PB at Hofu last December. A high-level amateur with a 2:14:15 PB who scored a trip to Boston after winning a local race in Japan, Yuma Morii told JRN minutes before the start of the race, "I'm not thinking about time at all. I'm going to make top 10, whatever time it takes." Running Boston for the first time Morii took off with a 4:32 on the downhill opening mile, but after that  Sis

Saturday at Kanaguri and Nittai

Two big meets happened Saturday, one in Kumamoto and the other in Yokohama. At Kumamoto's Kanaguri Memorial Meet , Benard Koech (Kyudenko) turned in the performance of the day with a 13:13.52 meet record to win the men's 5000 m A-heat by just 0.11 seconds over Emmanuel Kipchirchir (SGH). The top four were all under 13:20, with 10000 m national record holder Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) bouncing back from a DNF at last month's The TEN to take the top Japanese spot at 7th overall in 13:24.57. The B-heat was also decently quick, Shadrack Rono (Subaru) winning in 13:21.55 and Shoya Yonei (JR Higashi Nihon) running a 10-second PB to get under 13:30 for the first time in 13:29.29 for 6th. Paris Olympics marathoner Akira Akasaki (Kyudenko) was 9th in 13:30.62. South Sudan's Abraham Guem (Ami AC) also set a meet record in the men's 1500 m A-heat in 3:38.94. 3000 mSC national record holder Ryuji Miura made his debut with the Subaru corporate team, running 3:39.78 for 2n

93-Year-Old Masters Track and Field WR Holder Hiroo Tanaka: "Everyone has Unexplored Intrinsic Abilities"

  In the midst of a lot of talk about how to keep the aging population young, there are people with long lives who are showing extraordinary physical abilities. One of them is Hiroo Tanaka , 93, a multiple world champion in masters track and field. Tanaka began running when he was 60, before which he'd never competed in his adult life. "He's so fast he's world-class." "His running form is so beautiful. It's like he's flying." Tanaka trains at an indoor track in Aomori five days a week. Asked about him, that's the kind of thing the people there say. Tanaka holds multiple masters track and field world records, where age is divided into five-year groups. Last year at the World Masters Track and Field Championships in Poland he set a new world record of 38.79 for 200 m in the M90 class (men's 90-94 age group). People around the world were amazed at the time, which was almost unbelievable for a 92-year-old. After retiring from his job as an el