is a Japanese marathon runner. He came to prominence after running the 2011 Tokyo Marathon in 2:08:37, finishing as the first Japanese citizen and third overall. He was known as the "citizen runner" given that he used to work full-time for the government of Saitama Prefecture and trained in his time off with his own expenses without any sponsorship. Kawauchi won the 2018 Boston Marathon. In 2020, he left his job in local government and became a full-time professional runner.
Kawauchi is a frequent competitor, entering many races each year (averaging a marathon per month) ranging in distance from the 1500 m to the 50 km ultramarathon. Among his better performances are victories at the Boston Marathon, the Hokkaido Marathon and the Beppu-Ōita Marathon and top-three finishes at the Tokyo Marathon and Fukuoka Marathon (the two most important marathons in Japan). His personal best for the distance is 2:07:27 (Lake Biwa 2021). Guinness World Records has recognized Kawauchi for becoming the first person to run more than 100 sub-2:20 marathons.
In spite of being an amateur, he has represented Japan internationally at the World Championships in Athletics and the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. He has two younger brothers, Yoshiki and Koki Kawauchi, who are also marathon runners.Larner, Brett (2012-09-16). Kawauchi 2:11:52 CR in Sydney For Second Marathon Win in 3 Weeks. Japan Running News. Retrieved on 2013-02-24.
Career
Early years Born in Setagaya, Tokyo,川内 優輝 Yuki Kawauchi. JAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-24. Kawauchi began running from a young age: first he practiced with his mother and later with the track teams at high school. While he was there, the combination of an injury and the premature death of his father limited his running. Nevertheless, he continued to enjoy the sport at a lower level while studying at Gakushuin University. After graduation, he did not receive much interest from corporate running teams–-the typical route to professional running in Japan. He decided to continue running for pleasure, entering races and paying his own expenses.
He finished third at the 2008 Ageo Half Marathon in a time of 1:03:22 and began to compete in marathons the following year. He gradually improved his times in 2009. In his debut at the Beppu-Ōita Marathon, he finished 20th in 2:19:26. He bettered this with a time of 2:18:18 for 19th at the Tokyo Marathon a month later, then managed 13th at the Fukuoka Marathon in December in a time of 2:17:33.. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2013-02-24. He began to break into the upper echelons of the national scene at the 2010 Tokyo Marathon, where he claimed fourth place in a personal-best time of 2:12:36.Nakamura, Ken (2010-02-28). Beating horrendous conditions, Fujiwara and Biktimirova collect Tokyo Marathon wins. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-24. Despite this improvement, he was further down the field at the Fukuoka race, finishing tenth in 2:17:54.Nakamura, Ken (2010-12-05). Beating the sun and heat, Gharib takes Fukuoka victory. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-24.
2011 season Kawauchi improved his half-marathon best to 1:02:40 at the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon in February 2011, finishing in the top 10.Larner, Brett (2012-02-05). Kisorio Wins Deepest-Ever Marugame International Half-Marathon. Japan Running News. Retrieved on 2013-02-24. He set his sights on a top-eight finish at the Tokyo Marathon later that month but exceeded his own expectations by running a time of 2:08:37 and taking third place. As the best Japanese performer, he earned selection for the 2011 World Championships in Athletics.Nakamura, Ken (2011-02-27). Mekonnen triumphs in Tokyo in 2:07:35. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-24.
In June, he entered the Okinoshima Ultramarathon and led the 50 km race right up to the last 600 metres, at which point he collapsed due to heat stroke. He failed to finish."Blue-Collar" Runner Kawauchi Collapses In 50K. Podium Runner (2011-06-21). Retrieved on 2023-06-02. At the World Championship Marathon held in Daegu he finished 18th-–a performance that helped the Japanese team including Hiroyuki Horibata and Kentaro Nakamoto to a silver medal in the 2011 World Marathon Cup.2011 World Championship Marathon: Abel Kirui Repeats as Champion. Let'sRun (2011-09-04). Retrieved on 2013-02-24. He competed extensively toward the end of the year and his form held: he managed fourth at the Osaka Marathon, then took third at the Fukuoka Marathon. The latter was an Olympic qualifying race, and he was the highest-finishing Japanese. The Japan Association of Athletics Federations played down his selection choices, saying that his time of 2:09:57 was not fast enough, but Kawauchi upturned tradition by saying the race was a warm-up for the second qualifier in Tokyo. (Japanese runners rarely enter both selection races due to their proximity in the running calendar.)Nakamura, Ken (2011-12-04). Running in his debut, Ndambiri triumphs in Fukuoka. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-24. Only two weeks later, Kawauchi entered the Hofu Marathon and was runner-up behind Mongolia's Serod Bat-Ochir. He remarked that the fatigue from the previous race had hurt his chances of winning.Larner, Brett (2012-12-18). Bat-Ochir and Kawauchi Duel at Hofu Yomiuri Marathon (updated). Japan Running News. Retrieved on 2013-02-24.
2012 season
At the start of 2012, Kawauchi ran a half-marathon best of 1:02:18 in Marugame, but his unorthodox decision to race frequently ruined his chances of Olympic selection, as he finished fourteenth with a time of 2:12:51 at February's Tokyo Marathon. He called his own performance "disgraceful" and shaved his head to make amends for disappointing his supporters.Larner, Brett (2012-02-27). Kawauchi, 14th in 2:12:51: "I Do Not Think I Will be Picked" for Olympics; Shaves Head. Japan Running News. Retrieved on 2013-02-24. This did not deter Kawauchi from following his own running plan, however, and he entered nine marathons that year, winning five of them. He took the top honors at the Kasumigaura Marathon, Hokkaido Marathon, Sydney Marathon, Chiba Aqualine Marathon and Hofu Marathon. Kawauchi's return to Okinoshima produced a course-record victory in 2:51:45 at the 50 km race.Larner, Brett (2012-06-18). Kawauchi 2:51:45 CR at Okinoshima 50 km Ultra . Japan Running News. Retrieved on 2013-02-24. On top of his marathon running, Kawauchi ran six half-marathons, including top-three finishes in Shizuoka and Ageo as well as 21st place at the 2012 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. Following the advice of the late New Zealand running coach Arthur Lydiard, he said that focusing on distance work would improve his speed, rather than the inverse speed training favored by his contemporaries. Demonstrating this philosophy, he ran personal bests for the 1500 meters and the 5000 meters in September, recording times of 3:50.51 and 13:58.62 at a Nittai University track meet.Larner, Brett (2012-09-23). Kawauchi Runs Double 1500 m and 5000 m PBs, Targets 1500 m at 2013 National Championships. Japan Running News. Retrieved on 2013-02-24.
Kawauchi's fastest marathon time of the year was 2:10:29, which earned him sixth place at the Fukuoka Marathon.Nakamura, Ken (2012-12-02). 2:06:58 win for Gitau in Fukuoka. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-24. Repeating his schedule from the previous year, he ran in Hofu two weeks later; this time he won the race. His 2:10:46 gave him the record for the shortest period of time between two sub-2:11 marathons by any runner. Responding to questions about his frequent racing, he said that he wanted "to find out whether the common sense of the running world is really any kind of sense at all."Larner, Brett (2012-12-16). Kawauchi Wins Hofu in 2:10:46 Two Weeks After 2:10:29 in Fukuoka, Hosaka Gets Age 63 World Record. Japan Running News. Retrieved on 2013-02-24.
2013 season
The organizers of the 2013 Egyptian Marathon agreed to pay his travel expenses for the January race, but Kawauchi missed his flight after arriving at the airport without his passport. He decided to pay 800,000 yen (US$9,000) for a replacement flight – an amount that equated to a quarter of his yearly salary.Gambaccini, Peter (2013-01-17). 2:08 Marathoner Pays 3 Months' Salary to Travel to Race. Runner's World. Retrieved on 2013-02-24. The decision paid off as he reached the starting line for the marathon and won with a time of 2:12:24—the fastest ever for a race in Egypt.Kawauchi Wins Egyptian Marathon Despite Travel Snafu. Runner's World (2013-01-13). Retrieved on 2013-02-24. Less than three weeks later he ran at the Beppu-Ōita Marathon and reached the top of the Japanese rankings by winning the race in a personal best of 2:08:15, breaking Gert Thys's 17-year-old course record in the process. In spite of the many races, his passion was not dimmed: "after 21 Marathon runs, I can now say with confidence how fun Marathon running can be".Nakamura, Ken (2013-02-03). Kawauchi clocks course record in Beppu-Oita Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-25. He beat a number of professional runners at the Kumanichi 30 km Road Race two weeks later, finishing in 1:29:31—another course record and a personal-best time.Larner, Brett (2013-02-17). Shitara Sets Collegiate National Record, Ito and Kawauchi Blaze Fast 30 km Times in Ome and Kumamoto. Japan Running News. Retrieved on 2013-02-25. The race organizers said a 30,000 increase in spectators that year was due to Kawauchi's popularity with the Japanese public: the runner had received invitations to more than 100 races.Larner, Brett (2012-02-18). Kawauchi Challenges Kashiwabara to Race Him Next Year in Ome . Japan Running News. Retrieved on 2013-02-25.
Kawauchi achieved further success in 2013. He broke his personal best by one second with a fourth-place finish at the Seoul International Marathon.Chepkwony, Chepchirchir complete first Kenyan double at Seoul International Marathon. IAAF (2013-03-17). Retrieved on 2013-03-19. Cold conditions at the Nagano Marathon put a stop to an attempt to be the first person to run three sub-2:09 marathons in consecutive months, but he still managed to win the race, becoming the first Japanese winner since 1999.Nakamura, Ken (2013-04-21). Kawauchi and Puchkova win snowy Nagano Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-04-22. He equalled Nicholas Manza's course record to win the Gold Coast Marathon in July.Johnson, Len (2013-07-07). Course records for Akaba and Kawauchi at Gold Coast Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-07-29.
2018 Boston Marathon Kawauchi won the 2018 Boston Marathon with a time of 2:15:58, becoming the first Japanese winner since Toshihiko Seko in 1987. After leading early at world record pace and repeatedly surging throughout the race, at mile 25 Kawauchi passed defending champion Geoffrey Kirui to achieve his first major marathon win. He overcame extremely difficult weather conditions, including heavy rain, strong headwinds, and temperatures near throughout the race. Despite this, he attributed his victory to those conditions, stating that "for me, these are the best conditions possible." Kawauchi's Boston win was his world record 79th marathon under 2:20:00. After returning to Japan following his Boston Marathon win, Kawauchi told reporters that he would quit his job as a high school administration office worker and turn pro in April 2019.
International competitions 2011World ChampionshipsDaegu, South Korea 18thMarathon2:16:11 2ndTeam6:41:132012World Half Marathon ChampionshipsKavarna, Bulgaria21stHalf marathon1:04:049thTeam3:14:332013World ChampionshipsMoscow, Russia18thMarathon2:15:352014Asian GamesIncheon, South Korea3rdMarathon2:12:422017World ChampionshipsLondon, United Kingdom9thMarathon2:12:192019World ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar29thMarathon2:17:59
Half Marathon results through 2018