| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women'sathletics | ||
Representing Japan | ||
| Asian Marathon Championships | ||
 | 2011 Pattaya | Marathon |
Noriko Higuchi (Japanese:樋口 紀子; born 23 May 1985) is a femaleJapaneselong-distance runner who specialised inmarathon running. She won theTokyo Marathon in 2011 in a career best of 2:28:49 hours and wasAsian Marathon Champion in 2011.
FromKyoto, she began competing inroad running competitions in Japan as a teenager. She placed eighth at theSanyo Women's 10K in 2004, then placed third at theKyoto City Half Marathon in her hometown in both 2005 and 2006. She attendedRitsumeikan University and ran collegiately, finishing first in her legs at theJapan Collegiate Ekiden Championships in 2006 and 2007, as well as being top on the collegiate leg at the 2007Inter-Prefectural Women's Ekiden.[1] Following her graduation she joined theWacoal corporate running team.[2]
Higuchi won theShibetsu Half Marathon in 2008 and set a personal best of 1:12:19 hours at theMarugame Half Marathon the next year, though placing twelfth at the higher profile event. She continued to steadily improve with a best of 1:10:51 hours in Marugame in 2010 followed by a win at theSendai Half Marathon.[1] She was chosen to represent Japan at the2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and placed 29th, behind her compatriotsYoshimi Ozaki,Ryoko Kizaki andHiroko Miyauchi, who won team bronze.[3]
She made her marathon debut at the 2011Osaka Women's Marathon, but failed to finish the distance. She gave a better performance at theTokyo Marathon a month later, finishing in a time of 2:28:49 hours behind RussianTatyana Aryasova. The Russian was subsequently disqualified fordoping, making Higuchi the Tokyo champion.[4] A runner-up finish behind Kenya'sElizabeth Chemweno at thePattaya Marathon brought Higuchi her first regional title at the race served as theAsian Marathon Championships.[5] On her fourth marathon race of the year, she slowed to a finish in 2:48:45 for twelfth inHokkaido.[1]
She was outclassed at theNagoya Women's Marathon in 2012 placing 21st overall, but fared much better at the 2013 Osaka race, coming sixth. In her American debut, she led the field to win theRock 'n' Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon. She closed the year with eighth place at theYokohama Women's Marathon. She won the Osaka Half Marathon in 2014 and was runner-up at the Kumanichi 30K. An outing at the2014 Boston Marathon resulted in a time of 2:33:39 hours for 19th place. She continued competing abroad, with a tenth-place finish at the 2015Vienna City Marathon. She did not compete over the marathon in the two following seasons, and her profile declined with top ten finishes at lower level Japanese races.[1]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | World Half Marathon Championships | Nanning, China | 29th | Half marathon | 1:14:56 |
| 2011 | Asian Marathon Championships | Pattaya, Thailand | 1st | Marathon | 2:44:10 |
