Skip to main content

Honda Runners Fujiwara and Ishikawa 9-10 in Berlin Marathon

by Brett Larner

photo by Dr. Helmut Winter

2010 Tokyo Marathon winner and collegiate/debut marathon national record holder Masakazu Fujiwara (Team Honda) had a minor breakthrough at the 2012 Berlin Marathon, breaking 2:12 for the first time since his 2:08:12 marathon debut in 2003 to take 9th place, the first non-Kenyan finisher. Setting out at mid-2:08 pace, Fujiwara and 2:11 men Suehiro Ishikawa (Team Honda) and Atsushi Ikawa (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) ran together, fading off that seemingly reasonable pace as a group with each passing 5 km split even as the lead pack spearheaded by eventual winner Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya) accelerated. Ishikawa, who debuted in 2:11:14 at March's Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, briefly ran into trouble just before 30 km but quickly recovered. After 32 km it was Ikawa, coached by 2:06 man Takayuki Inubushi, who faded, 24 seconds behind Fujiwara and Ishikawa by 35 km.

Just as Mutai was non-battling debuting 25 km world record holder Dennis Kimetto (25 km) down the home straight for the win in 2:04:15, Fujiwara broke away from teammate Ishikawa before 40 km to head in to the finish without pressure.  Ishikawa took 10th in 2:11:46 while far behind him Ikawa faded badly to 16th, finishing in a career-worst 2:14:20.  In the women's race 2010 Nagoya International Women's Marathon winner Yuri Kano (Team Shiseido) took an introduction on the starting line but did not record even a 5 km split.  In her absence, the top Japanese woman was Yuka Aikawa, 18th in 2:49:52.

2012 Berlin Marathon
Berlin, Germany, 9/30/12
click here for complete results

Men
1. Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya) - 2:04:15
2. Dennis Kimetto (Kenya) - 2:04:16 - debut
3. Geoffrey Kipsang (Kenya) - 2:06:12 - debut
4. Nicholas Kamakya (Kenya) - 2:08:28
5. Josphat Keiyo (Kenya) - 2:08:41
6. Jonathan Maiyo (Kenya) - 2:09:19
7. Eliud Kiptanui (Kenya) - 2:09:59
8. Felix Keny (Kenya) - 2:10:22
9. Masakazu Fujiwara (Team Honda) - 2:11:31
10. Suehiro Ishikawa (Team Honda) - 2:11:46
-----
16. Atsushi Ikawa (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 2:14:20

Women
1. Aberu Kebede (Ethiopia) - 2:20:30
2. Tirfi Tsegaye (Ethiopia) - 2:21:19
3. Olena Shurhno (Ukraine) - 2:23:32
4. Flomena Chepchirchir (Kenya) - 2:24:56
5. Fate Tola (Ethiopia) - 2:25:14
6. Alevtina Biktimirova (Russia) - 2:28:45
7. Caroline Chepkwnoy (Kenya) - 2:30:34
8. Anna Hahner (Germany) - 2:30:37
9. Sonia Samuels (GBR) - 2:30:56
10. Degefa Biruktayit (Ethiopia) - 2:33:27
-----
DNF - Yuri Kano (Team Shiseido)

(c) 2012 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

photo (c) 2012 Dr. Helmut Winter
all rights reserved

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Japan Post Holds Off Sekisui Kagaku to Win Queens Ekiden National Title

  Japan Post  was back on top at the Queens Ekiden corporate women's national championships Sunday in Sendai, holding off last year's winner Sekisui Kagaku  over the second half of a race that came as close as 1 second to take 1st with a final margin of victory of 27 seconds. Sekisui Kagaku was out fast with a win on the 7.0 km opening leg by Erika Tanoura  and a new CR for the 12:56 second leg by Yuma Yamamoto , 17 seconds better than her own CR from last year. Last year's 4th-placer Shiseido  briefly led on the 10.6 km third leg with an excellent 33:17 stage win from Rino Goshima , but behind her Japan Post's Ririka Hironaka  returned from her latest injury problems to pass Sekisui Kagaku's Sayaka Sato  and hand off 6 seconds ahead. New recruit Caroline Kariba  ran Shiseido down on the 3.6 km fourth leg and put Japan Post 22 seconds ahead of Sekisui Kagaku, but a duel of marathoners between JP's  Ayuko Suzuki  and Sekisui's Hitomi Niiy...

Olympian Hagitani Takes 10 Minutes Off Yodogawa Kanpei Half Marathon CR

At the Yodogawa Kanpei Half Marathon in Hirakata, Osaka on Dec. 15, Kaede Hagitani , 24, took over 10 minutes off the women's course record to win in 1:10:37. Hagitani ran the 5000 m at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and is targeting the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Men's winner Koki Hosokawa , 31, broke his own CR with a 1:08:03 to win for the 2nd year in a row. In 5˚ temperatures the race set off along the Yodogawa river. Competing as a first step in her comeback after having left the sport post-Olympics, Hagitani had a spectacular record-breaking run that earned her a permanent invitation. "I usually train alone, so I never feel like I'm really on except in a race like this," she said. "The male runners in the race helped me have a good one." When asked why she ran a local race like the Kanpei Half when everyone else there was just a regular amateur Hagitani laughed and said, "My parents live near here." At the Tokyo Olympics Hagitani broke her 5000...

2023 Champion Kamimura Gakuen Girls Ready for Sunday's National High School Ekiden

Ahead of the Dec. 22 National High School Ekiden in Kyoto, the 2023 national champion Kamimura Gakuen H.S. girls held an open practice session for the media. 2023 was Kamimura Gakuen's only 2nd national title ever. Can it make it two in a row? The Kamimura Gakuen girls won the Nov. 2 Kagoshima Prefecture High School Ekiden, its 9th-straight win and 31st victory overall in the prefectural qualifying race for Nationals. 3rd on her stage at Nationals last year as part of the winning team, Hina Ogura summed up this year's lineup. "There's no really dominant star runner this year, but each person is aware of their position on the team and working together to share in everyone playing leading roles." Sakine Noguchi ran the Second Stage at Nationals last year. "I think we've improved our stamina," she said, "so I hope that we can get the best possible results and all finish with a smile." Handling the First Stage last year, Rin Setoguchi said,...