Yuki Kawauchi

Yuki Kawauchi

Kawauchi (left) at the 2013 World Championships
Personal information
Born	(1987-03-05) 5 March 1987 (age 30) Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	62 kg (137 lb; 9.8 st)
Sport
Country	Japan
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Half marathon: 1:02:18 Marathon: 2:08:14 (SEOUL 2013)

Yuki Kawauchi (川内優輝^?, Kawauchi Yūki, born 5 March 1987) is a Japanese marathon runner. He came to prominence after running the 2011 Tokyo Marathon in 2:08:37, finishing as the first Japanese and third overall. He is known as the "citizen runner" given that he works full-time for the government of Saitama Prefecture and trains in his time off with his own expenses without any sponsorship.

Kawauchi is a frequent competitor, entering many races each year, ranging in distance from the 1500 m to the 50 km ultramarathon. Among his performances, he has won at the Hokkaido Marathon and Beppu-Ōita Marathon and has reached the top three at the Tokyo Marathon and Fukuoka Marathon (the two major marathons in Japan). His personal best for the distance is 2:08:14 (Seoul 2013).

In spite of him 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.

Born in Setagaya, Tokyo, Kawauchi began running from a young age: first he practised with his mother and later with the track teams at high school. While there, the combination of an injury and the premature death of his father meant that his running suffered. Nevertheless, he continued to enjoy the sport at a lower level while studying at Gakushuin University. After university, 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.