Hunt In Japan: A Column By Len Johnson

By Len Johnson.

With the fastest debut marathon by an Australian male athlete, Jeff Hunt once again proved that Japan is an excellent place to go marathoning.

Hunt iced a cake he and his coach, Ken Green, have been some time preparing when he ran third in 2:11:00 in last Sunday’s Beppu-Oita marathon.

More than that, he gave watchers a thrill _ and sent the Japanese television commentators scurrying for their fact sheets _ when he came from far back in the pack to loom as a possible winner just before 40km. Marathon great Shigeru Soh, who nowadays coaches some of Japan’s best, said that Japanese runners could learn a lot from Hunt’s performance.

Jeff Hunt has been preparing for his marathon debut for two years _ though he himself really only focused in on the goal in the last six months or more. He has run with versatility over a number of events and distances _ an 8.41 3000 metres steeplechase, first, second and second in the last three national cross-country titles.

Most importantly, Hunt has not missed a long run in two years. And all this really came together over the last few months _ a 62:44 half-marathon on the Gold Coast and selection in the world half-marathon championships, second in the cross-country, a personal best 28:19 in the Zatopek (breaking the Randwick Botany Harriers record formerly held by 1956 Olympic bronze medallist Al Lawrence), a good training stint at Falls Creek, and selection in the world cross-country team after a strong fifth place in the trial.

As has been noted often about break-through performers, Jeff Hunt has worked hard to become an overnight sensation.

There was another great performance by an Australian in Japan on Sunday. That was Nikki Chapple’s win in the Marugame half-marathon in 68:37, a time placing her behind only Kerryn McCann, Benita Willis, Susie Power  and Lisa Ondieki on the Australian all-time list.

Chapple, too, is reaping the fruits of consistency, though it has taken her a little longer to find it. A very good junior, the first phase of her career was marked by injuries. Since linking up with Box Hill club coach Chris O’Connor, and now Nic Bideau, she is going from strength to strength, highlighted by a third place in the Great North Run (70:03), a win in the Great Australian Run, a personal best in placing fifth in the Zatopek and second behind Willis at the cross-country trial.

Common as it is with Kenyans and Ethiopians, success in pairs comes rarely to other nations’ distance runners. With their same-day triumphs in Japan, Hunt and Chapple join the likes of Garry Henry and Rod de Castella running 2.10.09 and 2.10.44 for fourth and eighth, respectively, in the 1980 Fukuoka marathon, ‘Deek’ and Lisa Ondieki winning the 1986 Commonewalth Games marathons and 1987 Great North, Steve Moneghetti and Jackie Perkins placing fourth and fifth in the world cross-country championships in 1989 and _ well, not a hell of a lot of others that come readily to mind.

As for success in Japan, well Australians benefit from a double whammy there. It’s a relatively short trip for us, with virtually no time change. For Africans, Europeans and North Americans, it’s the opposite.

Australian successes in Japan include Derek Clayton’s first world best (2.09.36 at Fukuoka 1967), Dave Chettle’s 2.10.20 at Fukuoka in 1975, Deek’s world record win there in 1981 and personal bests by a host of others including Bill Scott, Chris Wardlaw and Garry Henry. Steve Moneghetti won the Tokyo half-marathon twice and the Tokyo marathon in 1994.

Kerryn McCann set the current Australian half-marathon record in Tokyo in 2000, Lisa Ondieki set a long-standing national marathon mark (broken by Benita Willis in 2006) in winning at Osaka in 1988.

Darren Wilson won the 1997 Tokyo half in what remains an Australian record 60.02. Pat Carroll and Lee Troop ran sub-2.10 at Beppu (a win for Carroll) and Lake Biwa.

In Australia last weekend, Ryan Gregson ran a personal best for 800 metres in Newcastle, while  Lachlan Renshaw ran impressively in Brisbane, as did Trychelle Kingdom. Mitch Kealey is well on the way back to join Jeff Riseley and Jeremy Roff in the 1500; Bridey Delaney and Kaila McKnight stand out in the women’s 1500 so far. We’ve had two competitive and deep Zatopek 10,000 metres races, led home by Collis Birmingham and Eloise Wellings.

There are still a couple of holes _ the depth in women’s steeple has dissipated, whether temporarily or permanently remains to be seen _ but overall, middle and long-distance running is looking in a lot healthier state than at the corresponding time in the lead-up to the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.