by Larry Eder
With a personal best of 2:13:54 for the marathon, and 2009 races over the half marathon in 63:35 and a fast ten miler in 47:49, Justin Young is in the fight for a berth on the World Championship team for Berlin in August 2009. His chance will be coming up at the Tokyo Marathon, where a strong field, flat course and cheering crowds could push him to a vastly improved time!
(Photo courtesy of Photorun.net)
Justin Young to chase berth on U.S. World Marathon Team at Tokyo Marathon
For Immediate Release: February 25, 2009
Justin Young of Superior, Colorado, will compete in Japan’s prestigious Tokyo Marathon on March 22nd in an effort to secure a spot on the U.S. marathon team that will compete at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics this summer in Berlin, Germany.
Justin Young smiling for PhotoRun.net.
Young, the third-fastest American marathoner of 2008, made a series of breakthroughs in 2008, beginning with a personal best 63:58 at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in January, followed by a 6th-place finish in 47:49 in Japan’s highly competitive Himeji Castle 10-Mile, sticking with Japanese national recordholder and eventual winner Toshinari Takaoka until the final 400m.
In the Rotterdam Marathon last April, the main focus of his 2008 Spring season, Young demolished his marathon best with a 2:13:54 effort, placing him behind only Olympians Ryan Hall and Dathan Ritzenhein on the final 2008 U.S. performance list.
Kicking off his 2009 season strongly with another personal best for the half-marathon distance, running 63:35 at the USA Half-Marathon Championships in Houston last month, Young looks primed to step up another level in Japan. “Opportunities like racing at the Tokyo Marathon do not come often – some runners never have an opportunity like this. So the fact that this is something special is what I have focused on during the months of training leading up to the race. My preparations have been exceptional, and I have built upon my fitness each and every year of my marathon career. I sincerely believe that with my training, such a quality race organization, and a talented field — everything is set up to have a major breakthrough. It’s just a matter of believing that anything is possible.”
Justin is very much in contention for one of the three remaining spots on the US team for Berlin. Jim Estes, the USATF Associate Director of Marketing and Long Distance Running Programs, notes, “It’s great to hear about Justin’s invitation to compete in Tokyo. Given the field that the organizers have assembled, Justin has a great opportunity to secure a spot on the Team USA marathon squad for the World Championships.”
Over this past winter, Justin signed with Team Strands, a new club sponsored by Corvallis, Oregon, based company Strands (www.strands.com ). Team members are outfitted by Puma (www.puma.com ). Further information on the club is available at http://team.strands.com/
Young is represented by Boulder, Colorado, sports agency Boulder Wave, Inc. (www.boulderwave.com ). In the past ten Olympic Games and World Championships, Boulder Wave has helped its athletes win nine marathon medals, including reigning Beijing Olympic gold medalist Constantina Dita. In addition to Justin, the company will have four other athletes compete in Tokyo: Two-time Tokyo champion Daniel Njenga of Kenya; 2007 and 2008 Vienna City Marathon champion Luminita Talpos of Longmont and Romania, James Mwangi of Kenya, and 2008 Honolulu Marathon champion Kiyoko Shimahara of Japan.
Special thanks to Brendan Reilly.
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