‘Citizen runner’targets Cape Town Marathon win

A STELLAR line-up of some of Africa’s leading marathon runners was announced at the 30-day launch of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon during the week.

But it was the announcement of the participation of Yuki Kawauchi which upped the excitement level.

The 28-year-old Tokyo-born runner is one of Japan’s best loved and most controversial sportsman. And with a 2 hr 08 min 14 sec marathon best time, he will undoubtedly be one of the favourites to take the Cape Town Marathon title.

He’s known as the “citizen runner” in Japan, given that he works full-time as a clerk for a Saitama Prefecture local government adult education project and trains in his time off, covering his own expenses without any sponsorship.

“It’s fantastic to re-establish this link with Japanese road running,” Cape Town Marathon ambassador Elana Meyer said. “I enjoyed a close relationship with races in Japan, competing there on no fewer than 19 occasions.

“The Japanese are passionate about the sport. A million spectators came out to watch one of the all-women events I took part in! And Kawauchi is a local hero in his country, seen as bringing back traditional Japanese values of authenticity, honour, honesty, sincerity, humility.

“Race organisers acknowledge that vast increases in spectators at certain races in Japan have been largely due to Kawauchi’s popularity with the Japanese public.”

Kawauchi first came to prominence after running 2: 08: 37 in the 2011 Tokyo Marathon, finishing as the first Japanese and third overall and has clocked faster than 2:09:00 for the marathon on three occasions, his best of 2:08:14 coming in the Asian Marathon Championships in Seoul in 2013 – just four seconds off gold.

The Japanese star is known to be very non-conformist in a conformist culture, he is despised by many in the formal athletics community but adored by the Japanese public.

His racing schedule (he has raced over 40 marathons in the past four years, in addition to countless others varying from 1 500m to 50km), training methods and approach to athletics in general, have bucked the establishment and have undoubtedly limited his appearances for Japan at world events.

He missed out on selection for the London Olympics in 2012, but has since convincingly beaten each of the Japanese Olympic marathon athletes.

And in an environment where virtually all of his serious competitors at home and abroad are full-time, heavily sponsored athletes, Kawauchi keeps his 40-hour-a-week job, enjoys his “amateur” status and has been strongly outspoken against the shortcomings of the corporate system.

“There's no reason to quit my job,” he explained after competing in the New York Marathon last year.

“Every year since I started running, I’ve set personal bests. This environment works for me. If I had more free time, it might not work!”

But despite his personal best of 2:08:14 and his enviable racing record, Kawauchi will only be fifth fastest at the Cape Town Marathon on Sunday, September 10.

His mark trails those of Kenyan David Kemboi Kiyeng (2:06:26), Ethiopian Abraham Girma Bekele (2:06:48), Kenyan Peter Lotogor Kamais (2:07:37 and a half marathon of 59:57) and Ethiopian Dereje Debele Tulu (2:07:48).

With a significantly faster marathon route, which still provides close-up encounters with Cape Town’s iconic places and includes a custom- built ramped bridge over Buitengragt Street, there is every chance of last year’s winning time of 2: 10: 45 by Kenyan Willy Kibor Koitile being eclipsed by some margin.

While the elite women’s field is still to be revealed, two South African distance running celebrities will turn heads.

Diana- Lebo Phalula, winner of the recent women’s 10km Challenge at Stellenbosch, makes her long-awaited marathon debut with a view to possible qualification for the Rio Olympics, while Two Oceans and Comrades Marathon winner Caroline Wostmann will race the 10km Peace Run as a special guest of honour.

South African champions Thabang Madiba and Meg McKenzie lead a powerful field in the Peace Trail 22km Race, which takes place the day before the marathon.

Entries for both trail races over 11km and 22km have sold out, while entries for the marathon and 10km races remain open.

EPA BUCKING THE TREND: Yuki Kawauchi has a full-time job and runs without a sponsor.