Masakazu Fujiwara (born 6 March 1981 in Ōkawachi, Hyōgo), in Japanese 藤原正和, is Japanese long-distance runner, who specializes in the marathon. He has a personal best of 2:08:12 hours for the event. He was the 2013 Japanese champion in the marathon and won the 2010 Tokyo Marathon. He trains at Honda Sports team.[1]
He graduated from Chuo University, where he competed in track and field. He ran an Asian junior record of 28:17.38 minutes for the 10,000 metres.[2] He participated four times in the Hakone Ekiden. He won the half marathon at the 2001 Summer UniversiadeinBeijing. In 2003 he began to compete in marathon, he finished third with a time of 2:08:12 at the 2003 Lake Biwa Marathon.[3] This was the fastest ever debut for a Japanese runner.[4] He represented Japan at the marathon at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics, but he could not complete the event due to a knee injury.[5]
After this rapid ascent, he stagnated as a runner in the following years. Highlights of this period include a runner-up finish at the 2005 Ome 30 km Road Race and a fourth-place finish at the Asian Cross Country Championships in 2007, where he led Japan to the team bronze.[6] He started well at the 2008 Lake Biwa Marathon but faded in the second half to ninth place.[7]
His career began to turn around in 2010. That year he won the Tokyo Marathon with a time of 2:12:19 hours, beating his namesake Arata Fujiwara in wet conditions.[8] He ran at the 2010 Berlin Marathon later that year and ranked in the top ten with a time of 2:12:00 hours (his best in seven years).[9] He missed 2011 due to injury. On his return in 2012 he managed only 31st at the Tokyo Marathon but clocked 2:11:31 hours for tenth at the 2012 Berlin Marathon.[10]
Ten years after his record debut run, he returned to Lake Biwa and dipped under two hours and ten minutes for the first time in a decade. His run of 2:08:51 was enough for fourth place and as the first Japanese he won his first national title in the marathon.[11]
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Summer Universiade champions in men's road running
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| 1981-1995 Marathon |
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| 1997-present Half marathon |
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