Hideo Tanaka

When Hideo Tanaka was a high school student in Nagano Prefecture he won a fell race to the summit of Mt. Kazakoshi in 1926 and decided to become an athlete. In 1932, he won the 3,000 m steeplechase at the Japan Athletics Championships for the first time. He later enrolled in Tokyo’s Chuo University and represented his alma mater in the Hakone Ekiden relay consecutively from 1934-1937. In 1934 he also set a Japanese record in the 1,500 metres and again won the steeplechase at the national championships. At the Far Eastern Games, Tanaka won the 1,500 m and placed second in the 10,000 m. One year later, he improved his 1,500 m record twice and set a national record in the 3,000 m steeplechase. In 1936, he won his third steeplechase title at the Japan Athletics Championships. At the 1936 nationals, however, he fell short of his personal best by 20 seconds and did not advance to the second round.

After his active career Tanaka became a journalist for the Shinano Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. After World War II, he continued to promote long-distance running particularly in the Nagano region. Today, the “Tanaka Cup” is awarded to the winner of the Kazakoshi Mountain Marathon, which was held regularly since 1948.

Personal Bests: 5000 – 15:10.0 (1936); 3000S – 9:32.8 (1937).