CHICAGO - Three Japanese runners will solidify the elite field for The 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, including Toshinari Takaoka and Kazutoshi Takatsuka for the men and Yasuko Hashimoto for the women, who was in town two weeks ago for training and a course ride.

Takaoka, who placed third at Chicago in 2002, and Takatsuka will challenge the elite men. Similarly, elite women will be tested by Hashimoto who won the Berlin Marathon last year. The Japanese depth in long-distance running was evident at the recent Summer Olympics in Athens. Mizuki Noguchi brought home a gold medal for Japan in the Women's Marathon, while teammates placed 5th and 7th (women) and 5th and 6th (men). In addition, there has been at least one Japanese runner in the top 10 in seven of the past 10 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathons, and Toshihiko Seko won the men's race in 1986.

"Every year we attract the best runners in the world who come to Chicago to showcase their talents and the Japanese athletes are always part of the field," stated Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski. "The Marathon has truly become an international event, especially in the past few years. We have runners from all 50 states and 96 countries, including Japan. There is always a Japanese runner challenging for first place."

Toshinari Takaoka, 34, a two-time Olympian, is the Japanese national record holder at 3000m (7:41.87), 5000m (13:13.40) and 10,000m (27:35.09). He is also the Asian record holder in the marathon and has the eleventh fastest marathon time in the world.

His marathon debut was in December of 2001 in Fukuoka, Japan. In 2002's LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, Takaoka competed in an impressive field including Paul Tergat, Khalid Khannouchi and Ben Kimondiu. But it was Takaoka who proved to be a challenge as he broke out from the pack at mile 19 to take a 21-second lead at mile 23. He maintained a fast speed to finish in third place with an Asian record time of 2:06:16. Takaoka was twice selected as Japanese Athlete of the Year in 1994 and 2002.

Kazutoshi Takatsuka, 28, is an up-and-coming runner for the Japanese. He runs for Komari Corp. and resides in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. He finished in the top 20 of the Yamaguchi half-marathon with a 1:02:19 and in 2002 he ran his best 10,000m with a finishing time of 28:41.47. He has also competed in several marathons and set a personal record at the Lake Biwa Marathon this past March with a top 5 finish of 2:08:56.

"We have great races in Japan that test our athletes, but the U.S., especially Chicago, challenges us the most," stated Brendan Reilly who works with all three athletes. "Long-distance running is contagious in Japan right now and these elites enjoy every chance they can get to show the world they can run. We've worked together with The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon for years and our athletes love this course, but more importantly, they love the City of Chicago."

Yasuko Hashimoto, 29, has quickly made a name for herself in the running world. In 2003, she placed fifth in her second marathon in Nagoya with a time of 2:29:37. In September of that same year, she was back in prime form at the Berlin Marathon. Hashimoto took over from long-time leader Alina Ivanova of Russia at the 35K mark and was never challenged again. Hashimoto improved her personal record to 2:26:32.

2004 has also proved to be an excellent year for Hashimoto. Competing in an impressive field, Hashimoto won the Steamboat Classic 4 Mile in Peoria, Ill. in June with a time of 20:39. On Monday, September 6, Hashimoto won the Park Forest Scenic 10 Mile with a time of 55:40.

The 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon takes place Sunday, October 10 starting and finishing in Chicago's Grant Park. The race will be broadcast live on CBS 2 CHICAGO and ESPN 1000 beginning at 8am. Elite athletes will compete for a portion of the $650,000 prize purse, the highest in the sport. This year's race has sold-out with 40,000 entrants.

Visit chicagomarathon.com for more information.

source Running USA