Tomoe Abe (安部 友恵, Abe Tomoe; born 13 August 1971 in Kitsuki, Ōita) is a retired Japanese ultramarathon and marathon…Tomoe Abe (安部 友恵, Abe Tomoe; born 13 August 1971 in Kitsuki, Ōita) is a retired Japanese ultramarathon and marathon runner who won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 1993 World Championships with a time of 2:31:01. Her personal best time is 2:26:09, achieved when she won the 1994 Osaka Ladies' Marathon. She is the female world record holder in the ultramarathon of 100 kilometres with a time of 6:33:11, which was set on June 25, 2000, at the Lake Saroma Ultramarathon, an official IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) race held annually in Hokkaido, Japan.
Shigeru So (宗 茂, Sō Shigeru) (born 9 January 1953 in Usuki, Ōita) is a Japanese retired long-distance runner who…Shigeru So (宗 茂, Sō Shigeru) (born 9 January 1953 in Usuki, Ōita) is a Japanese retired long-distance runner who represented his native country at two Summer Olympics: 1976 and 1984. He won the 1985 edition of the Tokyo Marathon. His twin brother Takeshi So is also a retired Olympic marathoner, and finished fourth in Los Angeles, California (1984). Both Shigeru So and his twin brother Takeshi So were known for attending training camps in New Zealand, including at Mount Taranaki. Some road racing authorities consider his winning run at the Beppu-Ōita Marathon in 1978 (2:09:05.6) to have been a marathon world best.
Yasuo Ikenaka (池中 康雄, Ikenaka Yasuo; March 1914 – March 14, 1992) was a Japanese long-distance runner who is credited…Yasuo Ikenaka (池中 康雄, Ikenaka Yasuo; March 1914 – March 14, 1992) was a Japanese long-distance runner who is credited by the International Association of Athletics Federations for setting a world's best in the marathon on April 3, 1935. According to the IAAF, Ikenaka's time of 2:26:44 was over a minute faster than the previous record set by Fusashige Suzuki three days earlier.