Yumiko Hara
Encyclopedia
Yumiko Hara is a Japan
ese marathon runner. She has represented Japan at two World Championships in Athletics and had won marathons in Nagoya
, Osaka and Hokkaido
.
She started out as a 10,000 metres track runner but she changed to road running
at a relatively young age. She set a half marathon
best at the 2002 Miyazaki Women's Road Race, where her time of 1:09:28 brought her third place behind Mizuki Noguchi
and Mikie Takanaka. Running at the Sapporo Half Marathon
in 2003 she finished with a time not far from her personal best (1:09:37) to take second place behind Catherine Ndereba
, who set a course record. Over this period she competed at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
and although she failed to finish at the 2002 edition, she managed 19th place the following year.
Hara made her debut over the classic distance at the 2005 Nagoya Marathon
, which she won in a time of 2:24:19, and she went on to finish sixth at the 2005 World Championships
.
She achieved a personal best time of 2:23:48 hours when she won the 2007 Osaka Ladies Marathon. Having won in a sub-2:26 time, she received automatic selection for the World Championship marathon, also in Osaka, later that year. She was eighteenth at the 2007 World Championships
. She returned to the Nagoya course in 2008 but could not repeat her previous success as she fell behind the leading pack at 31 km and finished in fourth place.
Hara took third at the 2009 Osaka Ladies Marathon, but did not compete for over a year after the run. Having left her coaching team (Kyocera track), she began training alone. She approached Japanese coach Yoshio Koide (who trained 2000 Olympic champion Naoko Takahashi
among others) and Hara joined his stable in 2010. She quickly responded and won the Hokkaido Marathon
in August, running 2:34:12 in hot and humid weather.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese marathon runner. She has represented Japan at two World Championships in Athletics and had won marathons in Nagoya
Nagoya Marathon
The is an annual marathon race for female runners over the classic distance of 42 km and 195 metres, held in Nagoya, Japan in early March every year. It holds IAAF Silver Label road race status....
, Osaka and Hokkaido
Hokkaido Marathon
The Hokkaido Marathon held in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan, is one of the prominent marathon races of the year.The starting point for the race is on the east side of Nakajima Park and the race finishes at Nishi 8-chome of Odori Park...
.
She started out as a 10,000 metres track runner but she changed to road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
at a relatively young age. She set a half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
best at the 2002 Miyazaki Women's Road Race, where her time of 1:09:28 brought her third place behind Mizuki Noguchi
Mizuki Noguchi
is a Japanese professional long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon event. She is an Olympic champion over the distance and set two world records in 2005....
and Mikie Takanaka. Running at the Sapporo Half Marathon
Sapporo Half Marathon
The ' is an annual road running competition over the half marathon distance which takes place in July in Sapporo, Japan.First held in 1958, the race began as a full marathon competition for men under the moniker of the Hokkai Times Marathon. This lasted until 1973, as it was replaced with a...
in 2003 she finished with a time not far from her personal best (1:09:37) to take second place behind Catherine Ndereba
Catherine Ndereba
Wincatherine Nyambura Ndereba is a Kenyan marathon runner. She has twice won the marathon at the World Championships in Athletics and won silver medals in the Olympics in 2004 and 2008. She is also a four-time winner of the Boston Marathon...
, who set a course record. Over this period she competed at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The IAAF World Half Marathon Championships is an annual half marathon competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was contested from 1992 to 2005, and replaced by the IAAF World Road Running Championships, a 20 kilometres race which had its inaugural...
and although she failed to finish at the 2002 edition, she managed 19th place the following year.
Hara made her debut over the classic distance at the 2005 Nagoya Marathon
Nagoya Marathon
The is an annual marathon race for female runners over the classic distance of 42 km and 195 metres, held in Nagoya, Japan in early March every year. It holds IAAF Silver Label road race status....
, which she won in a time of 2:24:19, and she went on to finish sixth at the 2005 World Championships
2005 World Championships in Athletics - Women's Marathon
The Women's Marathon race at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics was held on 14 August in the streets of Helsinki with the goal line situated in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. Paula Radcliffe set the pace of the race, leading all the way from start to finish...
.
She achieved a personal best time of 2:23:48 hours when she won the 2007 Osaka Ladies Marathon. Having won in a sub-2:26 time, she received automatic selection for the World Championship marathon, also in Osaka, later that year. She was eighteenth at the 2007 World Championships
2007 World Championships in Athletics - Women's marathon
The Women's Marathon event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics took place on 2 September 2007 in the streets of Osaka, Japan.-Medallists:-Abbreviations:*All times shown are in hours:minutes:seconds-Records:-Results:-References:...
. She returned to the Nagoya course in 2008 but could not repeat her previous success as she fell behind the leading pack at 31 km and finished in fourth place.
Hara took third at the 2009 Osaka Ladies Marathon, but did not compete for over a year after the run. Having left her coaching team (Kyocera track), she began training alone. She approached Japanese coach Yoshio Koide (who trained 2000 Olympic champion Naoko Takahashi
Naoko Takahashi
is a Japanese long-distance runner competing mainly in the marathon. She is widely known for her victory in the women's marathon at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, a performance that stands as the current Olympic record. At the 2001 Berlin Marathon, Takahashi became the first woman to break the 2...
among others) and Hara joined his stable in 2010. She quickly responded and won the Hokkaido Marathon
Hokkaido Marathon
The Hokkaido Marathon held in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan, is one of the prominent marathon races of the year.The starting point for the race is on the east side of Nakajima Park and the race finishes at Nishi 8-chome of Odori Park...
in August, running 2:34:12 in hot and humid weather.
Achievements
| Representing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | World Championships 2005 World Championships in Athletics The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of... |
Helsinki, Finland | 6th | 2:24:20 |
| Nagoya Marathon Nagoya Marathon The is an annual marathon race for female runners over the classic distance of 42 km and 195 metres, held in Nagoya, Japan in early March every year. It holds IAAF Silver Label road race status.... |
Nagoya, Japan | 1st | 2:24:19 | |
| 2007 | Osaka Ladies Marathon | Osaka, Japan | 1st | 2:23:48 |
| World Championships 2007 World Championships in Athletics The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007... |
Osaka Osaka is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe... , Japan |
18th | 2:24:20 | |
| 2010 | Hokkaido Marathon Hokkaido Marathon The Hokkaido Marathon held in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan, is one of the prominent marathon races of the year.The starting point for the race is on the east side of Nakajima Park and the race finishes at Nishi 8-chome of Odori Park... |
Sapporo, Japan | 1st | 2:34:12 |