Australia’s Gold Coast Airport Marathon will welcome one of the fastest elite marathon fields ever assembled in Australia, including a stellar Japanese contingent headlined by last year’s winner and equal race record holder Yuki Kawauchi and sub-2:08 marathon runner Arata Fujiwara on Sunday 6 July 2014.

Kawauchi’s title defence and course record are set to come under fire by the eighth all-time fastest Japanese marathoner Fujiwara who boasts three Tokyo Marathon podium finishes and a 2:07:48 personal best – 26 seconds quicker than his rival.

Fellow countryman Hirokatsu Kurosaki, who was the third Japanese finisher at this year’s Tokyo Marathon clocking 2:09:07, will be looking to upset the two favourites as he rounds out the top three elites from Japan.

It will be the third consecutive year Kawauchi has raced on the Gold Coast and will arrive with at least six marathons under his belt for the year. Four of these saw him snatch course records and an impressive seventh sub-2:10 career marathon.

The 27-year-old admits it will be a challenge racing against the Japanese and African elite field that have been drawn to the race this year after the recent IAAF Road Race Gold Label designation, a first for any Australian race.

“This year’s race will go down in Australian running history and I’m honoured to be a part of it. As the event has obtained the IAAF Road Race Gold Label we will see quite a few leading runners from around the world which will result in a fierce race and hopefully an Australian record,” Kawauchi said.

“With my confidence as a two-time Gold Coast Airport Marathon runner and course-record holder I’m really looking forward to competing against runners from Africa, and of course my own Japanese rivals.”

London Olympian Fujiwara also boasts impressive finishing stats. He is the only Japanese man in the last 27 years to have won an overseas marathon sub-2:10, with his 2:09:34 course record at the 2010 Ottawa Marathon. With three second place finishes over the past six years at the Tokyo Marathon, Fujiwara says he’s fit enough to take on Kawauchi and break his Gold Coast course record of 2:10:01.

“Kawauchi is a great, determined marathoner. I have raced him many times and he has never beaten me in a marathon when I’ve been fit,” Fujiwara said.

“I’m not going to let this be the first time. I’m coming to the Gold Coast Airport Marathon to beat him and gain the course record.”

Gold Coast Airport Marathon CEO Cameron Hart says the event stakeholders are thrilled with the new interest from Japan’s current elite runners in addition to the expected 600 plus recreational runners.

“Since 1990, Japan has been the event’s single biggest international field emphasised by the fact that Japan has recorded the most wins by any other country outside of Australia. Japan has previously fielded 11 female and six male victories at the Gold Coast Airport Marathon,” Mr Hart said.

In 2001, the female marathon race was won by dual Olympic medallist Yuko Arimori, who then went on to become the face of the event for several years. The current event ambassador is the 1992 women’s winner Mari Tanigawa.  It is this long history with successful Japanese runners that reinforces the Gold Coast Airport Marathon as one of the best and now most prestigious on the running calendar.

“Historically female Japanese runners have found great success on the Gold Coast course. Last year, Japan made it a double with Yukiko Akaba winning the women’s race in a course record time, smashing the old record by more than two minutes. Prior to 2013, the female race record, held by  Japanese elite Erico Asai stood for 20 years,” Mr Hart said.

“2014 is shaping up to be a repeat with a strong female elite field led by no less than six elite female Japanese runners headed by 23-year-old up-and-comer Asami Kato.”

Kato made her marathon debut only this year achieving an impressive 2:29:08 at the Nagoya Women’s Marathon. This elite field will also face stiff competition against Rika Shintaku (2:31:15), Hiroko Yoshitomi (2:31:28) and Chihiro Tanaka (2:29:30) who are all in the hunt to take home the glory of a podium finish. Tanaka is the most familiar with the flat, fast Gold Coast course, having raced on the Gold Coast on three occasions including securing a third place podium finish in 2011.

“In addition to the Japanese elites confirmed, we are working hard to secure further elite men from Kenya, Morocco and Ethiopia with marathon times better than the 2:10:01 course record, and women with sub-2:30 pbs,” Mr Hart said.

“While there will be huge interest from Japan on the Kawauchi and Fujiwara duel, they won’t have the race attention all to themselves.”

The Gold Coast Airport Marathon became the first marathon in Australia to be awarded an IAAF Road Race Gold Label at the beginning of 2014 and will be held on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July in one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world in Queensland, Australia.

This year’s event is on track to attract 30,000 participants of all ages and abilities across a number of events including the Gold Coast Airport Marathon, Wheelchair Marathon, ASICS Half Marathon, Wheelchair 15km, Southern Cross University 10km Run, Suncorp Bank 5.7km Challenge and Junior Dash 4km & 2km races.

For more information visit www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au.

Japanese Elite Men

Name                                    Arata Fujiwara
DOB                                      12 September 1981
Marathon PB                       2:07:48 (Tokyo, 2012)

Name                                    Yuki Kawauchi
DOB                                      5 March 1987
Marathon PB                       2:08:14 (Seoul, 2013)

Name                                    Hirokatsu Kurosaki
DOB                                      8 August 1985
Marathon PB                       2:09:07 (Tokyo, 2014)

Name                                    Chiharu Takada
DOB                                      9 July 1981
Marathon PB                       2:10:39 (Fukuoka, 2013)

Name                                    Hironori Arai
DOB                                      19 September 1979
Marathon PB                       2:12:27 (Otsu, 2011)

Name                                    Atsushi Hasegawa
DOB                                      8 October 1984
Marathon PB                       2:14:20 (Ibaraki, 2014)

Name                                    Takemaru Yamasaki
DOB                                      13 August 1974
Marathon PB                       2:23:21 (Fukuoka, 2013)

Name                                    Taku Harada
DOB                                      16 January 1984
Marathon PB                       2:25:23 (Honolulu, 2012)

Japanese Elite Women

Name                                    Asami Kato
DOB                                      12 October 1990
Marathon PB                       2:29:08 (Nagoya, 2014)

Name                                    Rika Shintaku
DOB                                      19 October 1985
Marathon PB                       2:31:15 (Tokyo, 2014)

Name                                    Hiroko Yoshitomi
DOB                                      26 December 1983
Marathon PB                       2:31:28 (Tokyo, 2013)

Name                                    Chihiro Tanaka
DOB                                      13 November 1969
Marathon PB                       2:29:30 (Nagoya, 2002)

Name                                    Keiko Ikarashi
DOB                                      10 February 1975
Marathon PB                       2:56:02 (Osaka, 2012)

Name                                    Yukiko Kasano
DOB                                      13 March 1972
Marathon PB                       2:56:17 (Kasumigaura, 2014)

Name                                    Nami Iwahara
DOB                                      17 June 1981
Marathon PB                       2:56:10 (Osaka, 2014)