James Rungaru Solo 27:22.53 at Nittai Time Trials

by Brett Larner

Newcomer James Rungaru (Kenya/Team Toyota) rocked Saturday's Nittai Univ. Time Trials men's 10000 m A-heat with a solo 27:22.53 PB, going out at sub-27 pace without accompaniment and lapping the entire field. Toyota's B-Kenyan, Rungaru ran 15 seconds faster than Paul Tanui's winning time at Friday's National Corporate T&F Championships 10000 m and 16 seconds faster than Toyota's A-Kenyan John Thuo ran at the national meet. His nearest competition, Ethiopian Fekele Assefa (Team Kanebo), finished in only 28:36.63 after running most of the race with Masaki Ito (Kokushikan Univ.).

Ito's PB of 28:38.13 led three university men under 29 minutes, the most surprising being Aritaka Kajiwara of the minor Shoin University. With a performance like this behind him Kajiwara is a lock on a spot for the 2012 Hakone Ekiden's Select Team. Also in the field in his first race since the Daegu World Championships marathon earlier this month, Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref.) finished 21st of 27 after fading badly in the final km. Kawauchi is also scheduled to run Sunday's 5000 m A-heat, a tuneup for next month's Osaka Marathon where he is an invited athlete.

218th Nittai University Time Trials Men's 10000 m Heat 9
Nittai University, Yokohama, 9/24/11
click here for complete results

1. James Rungaru (Kenya/Team Toyota) - 27:22.53 - PB
2. Fekele Assefa (Ethiopia/Team Kanebo) - 28:36.63
3. Masaki Ito (Kokushikan Univ.) - 28:38.13 - PB
4. Yuki Nakamura (Team Kanebo) - 28:40.77
5. Hideyuki Anzai (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 28:45.72
6. Hirotaka Tamura (Nihon Univ.) - 28:48.54 - PB
7. Naohiro Yamada (Team YKK) - 28:49.58
8. Takamasa Uchida (Team Toyota) - 28:51.04
9. Aritaka Kajiwara (Shoin Univ.) - 28:52.55 - PB
10. Naohiro Domoto (Nihon Univ.) - 29:00.26
-----
21. Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref.) - 29:30.87

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
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