Skip to main content

Sendai International Half Marathon Announces Elite Field

by Brett Larner

Cancelled last year in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that hit its area hard, the Sendai International Half Marathon has announced a small but competitive elite field for its 22nd running on May 13.  Japan-resident Kenyans Mekubo Mogusu (Team Nissin Shokuhin), Daniel Gitau (Team Fujitsu) and Harun Njoroge (Team Komori Corp.) make up the front end of the men's field, with London Olympics marathon team member Arata Fujiwara (Tokyo T&F Assoc.), independent Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref.) and breakthrough marathoner Takashi Horiguchi (Team Honda) among the best in the domestic men's field.

Former women's national record holder Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) returns to Sendai, site of some of her best races, to face the Miyauchi twins Hiroko and Yoko (Team Kyocera) and her own teammate Megumi Seike (Team Sysmex).

This year the Sendai half also features a large mass-participation field, initially planned for last year's edition after 20 years as a competitive event.  Check back closer to race date for more information on catching the TV broadcast.

2012 Sendai International Half Marathon Elite Field
Sendai, 5/13/12
click here for complete elite field listing

Men
Mekubo Mogusu (Kenya/Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 59:48
Daniel Gitau (Kenya/Team Fujitsu) - 1:01:01
Harun Njoroge (Kenya/Team Komori Corp.) - 1:01:04
Arata Fujiwara (Tokyo T&F Assoc.) - 1:01:34
Yoshihiro Yamamoto (Team Toyota Boshoku) - 1:02:03
Atsushi Fujita (Team Fujitsu) - 1:02:12
Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref.) - 1:02:18
Takeshi Kumamoto (Team Toyota) - 1:02:29
Takeshi Maegawa (Team Toenec) - 1:02:30
Takashi Horiguchi (Team Honda) - 1:02:32
Kohei Nishiyama (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 1:02:38
Tsukasa Morita (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 1:02:42
Ryosuke Fukuyama (Team Honda) - 1:02:49
Kosaku Hoshina (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 1:03:09

Women
Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) - 1:07:43
Yoko Miyauchi (Team Kyocera) - 1:09:23
Hiroko Miyauchi (Team Kyocera) - 1:09:54
Megumi Seike (Team Sysmex) - 1:10:08
Misato Horie (Team Noritz) - 1:10:37
Sumiko Suzuki (Team Hokuren) - 1:13:30

(c) 2012 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Goshima and Kasai Win 10000 m National Titles, Maeda Breaks U20 Asian Record

Rino Goshima and Jun Kasai stepped up with PBs to win the 2024 National Championships 10000 m titles Friday at Shizuoka's Ecopa Stadium. In the women's race, Goshima, 4th in last December's 2023 National Championships 10000 m, went out front from the start with Kenyan teammate Judy Jepngetich pacing and 2023 3rd-placer Haruka Kokai in tow. Things were never on track to hit the 30:40.00 Paris Olympics standard, but except for a brief dip to 3:08 at 7000 m Goshima held steady at 3:05 to 3:06/km even as Kokai and Jepngetich fell off. With blood dripping from her left knee after getting spiked by Jepngetich, Goshima closed in 3:03 to take 5 seconds off her best from December's Nationals and win in 30:53.31, moving up to all-time Japanese #6. Jepngetich also PBd at 31:09.42 without counting in the standings, with Kokai 2nd in 31:10.53 and Kazuna Kanetomo 3rd in a PB 31:59.29. The runner-up last time, Yuka Takashima was last in 33:33.27. The men's race went out in a
1 comment
Read more

Ichiyama 8th at Copenhagen Marathon

Currently the #10-ranked Japanese man in the marathon with the fastest-ever domestic time at the elite Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, Tsubasa Ichiyama (Sunbelx) made his international debut at Sunday's Copenhagen Marathon , literally an international debut as it was his first time outside the country. Ichiyama hoped to be in contention to break the 2:08:23 CR and go for the win, and with cool and breezy conditions ran easy in the lead group through 30 km. But something ate away at almost everyone as time went by, several people in the lead men's and women's groups saying humidity, and past 30 km Ichiyama fell off. Falling as low as 9th, he rallied after 40 km to finish 8th in 2:13:07. "It was different than in Japanese races," he said. "I'm used to bigger packs and more even pacing, but this was a kind of racing I hadn't done before. There's a lot to think about. I didn't feel like I was sweating a lot, but I got really thirsty and started sk
Post a Comment
Read more

Golden Games in Nobeoka Top Results

  For everyone not running yesterday's 10000 m National Championships , where the Asahi Kasei corporate team dominated the men's race with four out of four men sub-28 including winner Jun Kasai , 27:17.46, the grand dame of Japan's long distance time trial circuit was happening on AK's home ground in Miyazaki at the Golden Games in Nobeoka . Not including kids' races, a total of 74 women and 227 men ran in 14 heats of 5000 m, with a packed-in crowd of fans lining the track beating on metal sponsor boards with batons. It's a pretty awesome meet, and memorable performances included: National champion Kamimura Gakuen H.S. standout Caroline Kariba continued to kill it in the second month of her corporate league career, winning the 5000 m A-heat in 15:00.95 in a race where 3 out of the top 4 including her ran PBs. National champion Meijo University seemed flat at this point in the season, with none of its people under 16 minutes and star Nanase Tanimoto leading
1 comment
Read more