In 2016, a half marathon in Japan shocked the domestic running community. A total of 361 runners finished within 70 minutes, including 197 who finished within 66 minutes. The time difference between the champion and the 200th place was only 4 minutes and 12 seconds!

This year, the same event, the Ageo City Half Marathon in Japan, once again stunned the Chinese running community.In this race,108 runners finished within 1 hour and 5 minutes, 172 runners finished within 1 hour and 6 minutes, and 238 runners finished within 1 hour and 7 minutes.

Without comparison, there is no harm.This year, the best half marathon time in China was achieved by Wu Xiangdong at the Hefei Marathon, with a time of 1 hour, 5 minutes, and 58 seconds, ranking 173rd in the Ageo Half Marathon. Faced with such a significant gap in marathon performance, how should Chinese marathons respond?

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Former Asian record holder only placed 4th, top civil servant placed 14th

On November 18, the 31st Ageo City Half Marathon was held as scheduled in Ageo, Japan. After intense competition,Levi Veen from Kokushikan University won with a time of 1 hour, 1 minute, and 19 seconds. Akira Nakayama from Chuo University took second place with a time of 1 hour, 1 minute, and 32 seconds. The third place was also a university student, with a time of 1 hour, 1 minute, and 50 seconds. The top four all finished within 1 hour and 2 minutes.

Former Asian marathon record holder Yuta Shitara finished fourth with a time of 1 hour, 1 minute, and 59 seconds. Famous marathon runner Yuki Kawauchi finished 14th with a time of 1 hour, 2 minutes, and 49 seconds.

In the women's group, Kaori Yoshida won with a time of 1 hour, 11 minutes, and 54 seconds. Chunyu Cao took second place with a time of 1 hour, 13 minutes, and 35 seconds. Kaoru Nagao finished third with a time of 1 hour, 15 minutes, and 50 seconds.

This year, the best half marathon time in China was achieved by Wu Xiangdong at the Hefei Marathon, with a time of 1 hour, 5 minutes, and 58 seconds, ranking 173rd in the Ageo Half Marathon. The best half marathon time for Chinese women this season was achieved by Zhang Deshun in Valencia, Spain, with a time of 1 hour, 11 minutes, and 28 seconds.

As of now, 33 men have finished a half marathon within 1 hour this season. The best half marathon time in Asia this season was achieved by Hassan El-Basri of Bahrain, with a time of 59 minutes and 27 seconds. This season, 12 Asian men have finished a half marathon within 1 hour and 2 minutes, including 8 Japanese runners.

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Japan's 10,000-meter performance is also impressive, with 18 runners finishing within 28 minutes and 115 runners finishing within 29 minutes.

Last weekend, multiple track and field events were held across Japan. According to Japanese media reports, due to the favorable weather for running last weekend, 18 runners finished the men's 10,000 meters within 28 minutes, and 115 runners finished within 29 minutes.

Suguru Osako, who set the Japanese national record at the Chicago Marathon, ran a time of 28 minutes and 33.92 seconds in the 10,000 meters in Hachioji City last Saturday. In the 6th group of the 10,000 meters in Hachioji City, four runners finished within 28 minutes: Tetsuya Yoroizaka ran 27 minutes and 55.85 seconds, Hiroto Inoue ran 27 minutes and 56.27 seconds, Hiroki Abe ran 27 minutes and 56.45 seconds, and Takuya Fujikawa ran 27 minutes and 58.87 seconds.

At the Kanto Region University 10,000-meter record meet last weekend, Keita Yoshida from Aoyama Gakuin University won with a time of 28 minutes and 27.40 seconds. His schoolmate, Dai Saito, took second place with a time of 28 minutes and 28.08 seconds. This race saw 25 runners finish within 29 minutes, with 25 runners achieving personal bests.

Kazuya Shiojiri, the bronze medalist in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase at this year's Jakarta Asian Games, also completed the men's 10,000 meters in 28 minutes and 58.16 seconds at the Juntendo University record meet last weekend, with an impressive final lap time of 58 seconds.

The best 10,000-meter time in Asia this season was achieved by 30-year-old Hassan Chani of Bahrain in June, with a time of 27 minutes and 38.16 seconds. The best officially recognized time by a Japanese runner this season was achieved by 23-year-old Kazuki Tamura, who ran 27 minutes and 58.35 seconds in Japan on July 11.

The current national record for the men's 10,000 meters in China is 28 minutes and 8.67 seconds, set by Yunlong Ren.The best 10,000-meter time by a Chinese runner this season was achieved by Jianhua Peng, with a time of 29 minutes and 17.98 seconds, ranking 137th in Asia this season. Most of the top 137 times were achieved by Japanese runners.

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The gap in the 10,000 meters and half marathon is significant, and the full marathon is even more incomparable.

Not only is the gap in the half marathon between China and Japan huge, but the full marathon is even more incomparable. At the Chicago Marathon in October, Suguru Osako ran 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 50 seconds, breaking the Asian record again and becoming the first Asian to run under 2 hours and 6 minutes.

Currently, China's best marathon time is 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 15 seconds, which still seems unlikely to be broken. As of 2018, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rankings show that 15 Japanese runners have finished a marathon within 2 hours and 10 minutes. This year, China's best marathon time was achieved by Guojian Dong at the Xuzhou Marathon, with a time of 2 hours, 14 minutes, and 16 seconds.

In recent years, domestic marathon events have developed rapidly, with dozens of marathons held every week during peak periods. However, the performance of domestic runners has rarely improved, with champions almost always being African runners. In contrast, although Japan still struggles to surpass African runners, they have won 19 Olympic and World Championship medals since 1991.

It is well known that Japan has a deeply rooted running culture. There are running enthusiasts everywhere in Japan, and the running craze has lasted for nearly 40 years.

In Japan, elementary school students participate in winter endurance marathon training every year. Even when the outdoor temperature is just a few degrees, teachers lead students to run around the playground. The 'Winter Endurance Walk' is part of the winter physical training in Japanese schools, with distances varying by grade: 2,000 meters for grades 1-2, 3,000 meters for grades 3-4, and 4,000 meters for grades 5-6.

In Chinese schools, long-distance running has become a hurdle for students. Although track conditions have improved, students' enthusiasm has decreased, and they get tired after running just two laps (800 meters). In recent years, there have been incidents of toxic tracks in schools, raising concerns about the running environment for students. Additionally, incidents of sudden death during physical education classes have further worried people about children's physical fitness.

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Conclusion

The running craze has gradually permeated various parts of China in recent years. As the health awareness and knowledge of the Chinese people grow, marathons are bound to become one of the popular sports in China. However, we still need to catch up with Japan in marathons step by step.

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