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Ndungu, Cheyech Win National Corporate Half Marathon

http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/sports/Sp201003220091.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

On a windy day with strong headwinds in the second half of the race, Samuel Ndungu (Team Aichi Seiko) ran 1:01:19 to take the National Corporate Half Marathon Championships men's race on Mar. 21, with defending champion Joseph Gitau (Team JFE Steel) 2nd. Akihiko Tsumurai (Team Mazda) was the top Japanese finisher, 5th overall in a PB of 1:01:58 despite his left shoe coming undone partway through the race. "It didn't bother me at all," he said afterwards. With the strong time and placing Tsumurai secured a spot on the Japanese national team for October's World Half Marathon Championships in China. Altogether 105 men in the field broke 66 minutes.

Defending women's champion Danielle Filomena Cheyech (Team Uniqlo) took a second win with a 1:09:01 run. Berlin World Championships women's marathon silver medalist Yoshimi Ozaki (Team Daiichi Seimei) was 2nd in 1:10:06, likewise earning a World Half Marathon spot. Cheyech became injured after returning to Kenya around the New Year and was only able to resume training in February. "My mileage is too low right now," she said ruefully after the race. Cheyech also hopes to run the World Half Marathon for her native Kenya. "I want to just run one race at a time and build up the results I'll need to get there," she said. 39 women in race broke 76 minutes.

Click here for complete results from both the men's and women's races.
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