Following his course-record win at the May 30 Ottawa Marathon, Berlin World Championships marathoner Arata Fujiwara announced on June 1 that he will run the Nov. 7 ING New York City Marathon. Speaking at a press conference in New York following a tour of the marathon's hilly course, Fujiwara told members of the media, "I think the Ottawa Marathon was the perfect experience to be ready for the ING New York City Marathon."
Fujiwara will be the best Japanese man to have ever run in New York, the only major marathon to have never had a Japanese winner. "I've always wanted to run the ING New York City Marathon because it's the most famous marathon in the world and this where all the great runners come," he said at the press conference. "You have to win here to be the best." He also plans to run July's Sapporo International Half Marathon as part of his preparation.
Fujiwara, who finished 2nd in February's Tokyo Marathon, quit his position with the JR Higashi Japan corporate team in March in order to focus on racing overseas. Based in Tokyo, he is pursuing his own path to the 2012 London Olympics.
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