Marathon: Visitor continues long tradition

Japan's Masataka Uchino wins the 50th anniversary Rotorua Marathon last year. Naoko Tsuchiya will represent the country tomorrow. Photo / Stephen Parker

While reigning champion Masataka Uchino is not returning to defend his Rotorua Marathon title tomorrow, another Japanese runner will take his place.

Uchino became only the second overseas runner to win the marathon when he took out the men's race last year.

Countrywoman Naoko Tsuchiya will fly the flag for Japan tomorrow and will also compete as the only overseas runner in the elite field.

A long-standing relationship between the Rotorua Marathon and Japan's Mt Fuji Marathon (formerly known as the Lake Kawaguchi Marathon) has seen Japanese runners attend the local race each year since 1988.

"They choose someone each year to send to Rotorua and last year the runner that they sent won the marathon," Athletics New Zealand communications manager Brett Addison said.

Tsuchiya has been sent to Rotorua after her second-placed effort at the Mt Fuji Marathon in November.

Tsuchiya, 39, has a good record running marathons in Australasia and has visited Rotorua before, finishing third in 2008.

"She has won the Sydney Marathon three times in 2006, 2007 and 2009, and she has been here before so she will know the course," Addison said.

"She is from Tokyo and her personal best is 2.35.12 for a marathon which she set at the Yokohama Marathon in 2009."

She will be up against the likes of Jess Ruthe from Tauranga, a former winner of the Auckland Marathon, and 2013 Rotorua Marathon winner Erin Furness.

The men's field will feature runners of the calibre of three-time champion Phil Costley from Nelson and Ben Ruthe from Tauranga.

Tomorrow's race is the 51st anniversary of the event which started in 1965.

It is also the 50th running of the event, after the race was called off in 1999 because of terrible weather.

Addison said organisers were expecting over 4000 runners and walkers tomorrow across all the distances, with more than 1500 entered for the marathon alone.

"We had 9000 last year and that was a really special one [being the 50th anniversary] but looking back to the previous year there was 1461 in the marathon so we are up on that."

Former Rotorua Marathon director Dennis Kenny said it was great having the partnership with the Mt Fuji Marathon.

He said when the initial partnership was signed between the two marathons in 1988, Rotorua sent their champions to the event in Japan as well.

He said there was a long list of winners from the Rotorua Marathon who also went on to win in Japan. Unfortunately, a champion from Rotorua had not been sent to Japan in more than a decade.

- The Rotorua Marathon starts next to the Energy Events Centre at 8.20am tomorrow for runners. The finish line is also next to the centre.

Rotorua's best hope pulls out
Rotorua's best hope of winning the Rotorua Marathon this year has had to pull out because of a knee injury.

Steven O'Callaghan has finished on the podium on three occasions since 2009 at the Rotorua Marathon.

Organisers said he waited as long as he could before making the tough decision to pull out due to a knee injury.