by Brett Larner
Kenyans Joseph Gitau (Team JFE Steel) and Danielle Filomena Cheyech (Team Uniqlo) held off fast-closing Beijing Olympics marathoners Atsushi Sato (Team Chugoku Denryoku) and Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) to win the 2009 National Jitsugyodan Half Marathon Championships. Conditions were ideal and led to fast times overall, with most of the top ten runners in both the men's and women's races clocking new PBs. Gitau, nursing a heavily taped left knee, broke away just before 15 km to take the win in 1:01:23 with an extended push, while Cheyech improved on her PB in the runner-up position at last year's Jitsugyodan Half by leading start to finish and clocking a new PB of 1:08:44.
Top Japanese finishers Sato and Nakamura secured places on the national team for this year's World Half Marathon Championships should they choose to run. Sato, who used the race as final preparation run for next month's London Marathon where he will try to secure a spot on the World Championships marathon team, was relaxed and patient throughout the race. "I'm a little disappointed I didn't win but satisfied with my time," he said afterward. "I've spent the last year getting myself back together [after Beijing] and meeting small goals along the way to the bigger goal of London in 2012." Should he decide not to run the World Half Marathon, Sato's spot will go to 4th place finisher Yoshinori Oda (Team Toyota), who ran a strong race to break his five year-old PB. Nakamura was more definite on her plans after recording a new PB of 1:10:00, saying, "My goal was at least to be the top Japanese runner so I could get a spot on the World Half Marathon team, and it was nice to run a good time as well. Next month track season starts so I'll be focusing on speed for a while."
The men's race was one of attrition, as a large pack went through the first km in 2:49. By 5 km the pack was down to a dozen or so, led by Kenyans Gitau and Harun Njoroge (Team Komori Corp.) and Sato's rookie teammate Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) in 14:31, 20 seconds faster than the course record. The leaders briefly went off-course at a corner near 5.7 km but recovered without issue, clocking a 14:36 split for the next 5 km, still 7 seconds ahead of the course record. At 10 km the lead pack contained twelve runners but was soon joined from behind by Takeshi Takahashi (Team Osaka Gas).
Gitau broke away shortly before 15 km, the pack coming apart as those capable of going after him did so. A chase group of three containing Njoroge, Sato and Oda tried to close the gap, with another group containing the remnants of the lead pack drifting behind. Gitau hit 15 km in 43:34, 10 seconds ahead of the course record, with the group of three 12 seconds back. Gitau's knee began to give him trouble in the final 5 km and he slowed appreciably, 9 seconds slower than the course record when he hit 20 km in 58:06. As he rounded the first corner after entering the track for a final lap he actually lost his balance and stumbled. Behind him, Njoroge and Sato came into the stadium together, Oda having fallen behind. The pair drew closer to Gitau as they raced each other but were too far away to catch him. Sato kicked rounding the final corner and opened 2 seconds over Njoroge.
The women's race was far more lopsided. Last year's runner-up Cheyech and debut half marathoner Winfredah Kebaso (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) pulled away from a pack of fifteen Japanese runners after a fast 3:12 first km, opening a lead of 26 seconds by the time they hit 5 km in 16:17. Kebaso couldn't quite match Cheyech's experience and was 3 seconds behind at 10 km, which Cheyech reached in 32:19 after a 16:02 split from 5 to 10 km. The Japanese pack of fifteen was still together more than a minute behind.
Little changed by 15 km. Cheyech ran a 16:15 split for 48:34 while Kebaso began to fade, 29 seconds back from Cheyech. The Japanese pack, still numbering fifteen, was another 1:10 behind Kebaso in 50:13. Cheyech continued on without issue, becoming only the fifth woman to break 1:09 on the Jitsugyodan Half Marathon course as she finished in a new PB of 1:08:44. Kebaso continued to fade. As she came into the stadium a breakaway group of four Japanese women was in hot pursuit. Nakamura looked as though she would catch Kebaso in the final 250 m, but the Kenyan heard her coming and managed to keep it just fast enough to stay out of reach. In so doing she pulled Nakamura to a 3-second PB and herself clocked a strong debut just under the 70-minute mark.
2009 National Jitsugyodan Half Marathon Championships - Top Finishers
Men
1. Joseph Gitau (Team JFE Steel) - 1:01:23
2. Atsushi Sato (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 1:01:29
3. Harun Njoroge (Team Komori Corp.) - 1:01:31
4. Yoshinori Oda (Team Toyota) - 1:01:41 - PB
5. Yuko Matsumiya (Team Konica Minolta) - 1:02:13
6. Bene Zama (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 1:02:15 - PB
7. Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 1:02:16 - PB
8. Yukihiro Kitaoka (Team NTN) - 1:02:17 - PB
9. Noritaki Fujiyama (Team Sumco Techxiv) - 1:02:26 - PB
10. Takeshi Takahashi (Team Osaka Gas) - 1:02:29 - PB
Women
1. Danielle Filomena Cheyech (Team Uniqlo) - 1:08:44 - PB
2. Winfredah Kebaso (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 1:09:59 - debut
3. Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) - 1:10:00 - PB
4. Remi Nakazato (Team Daihatsu) - 1:10:03 - PB
5. Yukako Eto (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 1:10:06 - debut
6. Megumi Seike (Team Sysmex) - 1:10:08 - PB
7. Ryoko Kisaki (Team Daihatsu) - 1:10:16 - PB
8. Maki Suzawa (Team Kyocera) - 1:10:23 - PB
9. Hiroko Miyauchi (Team Oki) - 1:10:33
10. Azusa Nojiri (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 1:10:53 - PB
(c) 2009 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Kenyans Joseph Gitau (Team JFE Steel) and Danielle Filomena Cheyech (Team Uniqlo) held off fast-closing Beijing Olympics marathoners Atsushi Sato (Team Chugoku Denryoku) and Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) to win the 2009 National Jitsugyodan Half Marathon Championships. Conditions were ideal and led to fast times overall, with most of the top ten runners in both the men's and women's races clocking new PBs. Gitau, nursing a heavily taped left knee, broke away just before 15 km to take the win in 1:01:23 with an extended push, while Cheyech improved on her PB in the runner-up position at last year's Jitsugyodan Half by leading start to finish and clocking a new PB of 1:08:44.
Top Japanese finishers Sato and Nakamura secured places on the national team for this year's World Half Marathon Championships should they choose to run. Sato, who used the race as final preparation run for next month's London Marathon where he will try to secure a spot on the World Championships marathon team, was relaxed and patient throughout the race. "I'm a little disappointed I didn't win but satisfied with my time," he said afterward. "I've spent the last year getting myself back together [after Beijing] and meeting small goals along the way to the bigger goal of London in 2012." Should he decide not to run the World Half Marathon, Sato's spot will go to 4th place finisher Yoshinori Oda (Team Toyota), who ran a strong race to break his five year-old PB. Nakamura was more definite on her plans after recording a new PB of 1:10:00, saying, "My goal was at least to be the top Japanese runner so I could get a spot on the World Half Marathon team, and it was nice to run a good time as well. Next month track season starts so I'll be focusing on speed for a while."
The men's race was one of attrition, as a large pack went through the first km in 2:49. By 5 km the pack was down to a dozen or so, led by Kenyans Gitau and Harun Njoroge (Team Komori Corp.) and Sato's rookie teammate Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) in 14:31, 20 seconds faster than the course record. The leaders briefly went off-course at a corner near 5.7 km but recovered without issue, clocking a 14:36 split for the next 5 km, still 7 seconds ahead of the course record. At 10 km the lead pack contained twelve runners but was soon joined from behind by Takeshi Takahashi (Team Osaka Gas).
Gitau broke away shortly before 15 km, the pack coming apart as those capable of going after him did so. A chase group of three containing Njoroge, Sato and Oda tried to close the gap, with another group containing the remnants of the lead pack drifting behind. Gitau hit 15 km in 43:34, 10 seconds ahead of the course record, with the group of three 12 seconds back. Gitau's knee began to give him trouble in the final 5 km and he slowed appreciably, 9 seconds slower than the course record when he hit 20 km in 58:06. As he rounded the first corner after entering the track for a final lap he actually lost his balance and stumbled. Behind him, Njoroge and Sato came into the stadium together, Oda having fallen behind. The pair drew closer to Gitau as they raced each other but were too far away to catch him. Sato kicked rounding the final corner and opened 2 seconds over Njoroge.
The women's race was far more lopsided. Last year's runner-up Cheyech and debut half marathoner Winfredah Kebaso (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) pulled away from a pack of fifteen Japanese runners after a fast 3:12 first km, opening a lead of 26 seconds by the time they hit 5 km in 16:17. Kebaso couldn't quite match Cheyech's experience and was 3 seconds behind at 10 km, which Cheyech reached in 32:19 after a 16:02 split from 5 to 10 km. The Japanese pack of fifteen was still together more than a minute behind.
Little changed by 15 km. Cheyech ran a 16:15 split for 48:34 while Kebaso began to fade, 29 seconds back from Cheyech. The Japanese pack, still numbering fifteen, was another 1:10 behind Kebaso in 50:13. Cheyech continued on without issue, becoming only the fifth woman to break 1:09 on the Jitsugyodan Half Marathon course as she finished in a new PB of 1:08:44. Kebaso continued to fade. As she came into the stadium a breakaway group of four Japanese women was in hot pursuit. Nakamura looked as though she would catch Kebaso in the final 250 m, but the Kenyan heard her coming and managed to keep it just fast enough to stay out of reach. In so doing she pulled Nakamura to a 3-second PB and herself clocked a strong debut just under the 70-minute mark.
2009 National Jitsugyodan Half Marathon Championships - Top Finishers
Men
1. Joseph Gitau (Team JFE Steel) - 1:01:23
2. Atsushi Sato (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 1:01:29
3. Harun Njoroge (Team Komori Corp.) - 1:01:31
4. Yoshinori Oda (Team Toyota) - 1:01:41 - PB
5. Yuko Matsumiya (Team Konica Minolta) - 1:02:13
6. Bene Zama (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 1:02:15 - PB
7. Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 1:02:16 - PB
8. Yukihiro Kitaoka (Team NTN) - 1:02:17 - PB
9. Noritaki Fujiyama (Team Sumco Techxiv) - 1:02:26 - PB
10. Takeshi Takahashi (Team Osaka Gas) - 1:02:29 - PB
Women
1. Danielle Filomena Cheyech (Team Uniqlo) - 1:08:44 - PB
2. Winfredah Kebaso (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 1:09:59 - debut
3. Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) - 1:10:00 - PB
4. Remi Nakazato (Team Daihatsu) - 1:10:03 - PB
5. Yukako Eto (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 1:10:06 - debut
6. Megumi Seike (Team Sysmex) - 1:10:08 - PB
7. Ryoko Kisaki (Team Daihatsu) - 1:10:16 - PB
8. Maki Suzawa (Team Kyocera) - 1:10:23 - PB
9. Hiroko Miyauchi (Team Oki) - 1:10:33
10. Azusa Nojiri (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 1:10:53 - PB
(c) 2009 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
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