Skip to main content

Murayama, Otsu Take Advantage of NYC Half Opportunity

By Chris Lotsbom
(c) 2013 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

NEW YORK (14-Mar) -- Running Sunday's NYC Half feels like the opportunity of a lifetime for Kenta Murayama and Kento Otsu. For the tandem from Japan, the 21.1 kilometer race through Manhattan represents much more than a typical competition; it is a chance for the student-athletes to gain experience against some of the sport's best, including their idol, Bernard Lagat.

Back home in Japan, Murayama and Otsu are rivals on the collegiate circuit, representing Komazawa University and Toyo University, respectively. Having finished first and second at the Ageo City Half-Marathon last November, the pair earned invitations into Sunday's race as part of a program between the New York Road Runners and the Ageo City organizers.

"As a university student, to be invited to run abroad is a very important chance for me," said Otsu, 21, through a translator. "I am very happy about that. In terms of furthering my training, I think it will be a really valuable experience to have the chance to run with top ranked runners from all across the world."

Competing outside of the Japanese domestic circuit is rare for collegiate competitors from the island nation, making their trip to America even more special. The program between the NYRR and Ageo aims to provide athletes the opportunity to learn from the best, hoping they will continue to develop as distance runners through world competition.

"The chance to run together with world class runners has definitely added to my confidence level," said Otsu.

For Murayama and Otsu, Sunday's race provides them the opportunity to rub elbows with their idol, American Bernard Lagat. A four-time Olympian and two-time Olympic medalist, Lagat will be making his half-marathon debut here.

"He is very much famous," said Murayama, 20, who has a personal best of 1:01:19 for the half-marathon distance.

In Japan, Lagat is known for his ferocious finishing speed, something Murayama hopes to learn a thing or two from on Sunday.

"For me to be able to run together with him, this is something I really wanted to do," he said. "I think it is an opportunity to learn a lot from him."

Competing with Lagat and the world's best does come with its challenges, though. Seen as celebrities back home in Japan --where collegiate running is an extremely popular sport-- the pair come into Sunday's race with a bit of pressure, knowing that the nation's attention will be on them.

"It does, it makes me feel like I have to produce good results, so that does add a little bit of pressure," said Murayama. "I don't want to have any regrets. It's OK if I fail, but I want to push ahead as much as possible."

To Brett Larner, publisher of the popular Japan Running News blog, the chance for Japanese collegians to compete in America is key for their development.

"It is really unique," Larner said, talking exclusively to Race Results Weekly. "Overseas experience generally doesn't come easy for Japanese athletes. You don't get many opportunities to race overseas because the domestic circuit is so well developed. It never happens for University guys.

"Getting into a top level world class race like this is very unique and getting a lot of attention in Japan," added Larner.

On Sunday, Murayama could very well challenge for a top-five spot. Coming into the race, he is tied with the seventh fastest personal best among entrants. Otsu, who finished 25th last year, looks to better his 1:02:43 time from Ageo City last year.

PHOTO: Kento Otsu, Bernard Lagat and Kenta Murayama before the 2013 NYC Half (photo by Chris Lotsbom for Race Results Weekly)

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Ninja Runner Yuka Ando Leads Japanese Women's Marathon Team in London: "I Want to Go For It"

Her form has been dubbed "ninja running." Both arms held straight down with almost no movement. That idiosyncratic style carried Yuka Ando , 23, to the fastest-ever marathon debut by a Japanese woman, 2:21:36, at March's Nagoya Women's Marathon to land at #4 on the all-time Japanese lists. All at once Ando found herself catapulted to the top level of women's marathoning, a candidate for Japan's next great marathoner. When she was younger Ando ran moving her arms like other runners, but she had a bad habit of moving robotically, her upper body and lower body not working in sync. The turning point came in 2014 when she joined Suzuki Hamamatsu AC . Working there with coach Masayuki Satouchi to eliminate the faults in her form, the pair arrived at the ninja running style that let her run relaxed. "Other people keep asking me, "Isn't it hard to run like that?" but for me it's comfortable," she said. The efficient form helped her mai

Yamaguchi 10th at United Airlines NYC Half - Weekend Overseas Results

2024 national cross-country champion Tomonori Yamaguchi was the top Japanese finisher in the men's race at the United Airlines NYC Half , taking 10th in 1:04:36. A 2nd-year at Waseda University , Yamaguchi was one of three collegiate runners running New York in the 11th year of JRN's development program collaboration between the Ageo City Half Marathon and the New York Road Runners, a program that has seen people like future half marathon and marathon NR breaker Yuta Shitara and Paris Olympic team member Akira Akasaki make their international debuts. Yamaguchi's Waseda teammate Taishi Ito started fast, going with the leaders through 5 km in 14:29 before losing touch. Hosei University senior Rei Matsunaga went through in 14:42 in his last race before joining the JR Higashi Nihon corporate team in April. Yamaguchi, who caught COVID after winning last month's National Cross-Country Championships, started more conservatively with a 15:11 first 5km. But where both Ito

Rui Aoki Wins National University Men's Half Marathon - Weekend Results

Yuka Ando 's win at the Nagoya Women's Marathon was the big news of the weekend, but there were other high-level races happening, even in Nagoya. Held in parallel with the marathon, the Nagoya City Half Marathon saw Australians Natalie Rule and Ed Goddard take easy wins by about 2.5 minutes each, Rule in 1:13:57 and Goddard in 1:04:01. The new Biwako Marathon also had a non-Japanese winner, China's Yousheng Guan scoring 1st in 2:14:58 with Japan's Hirohito Sugai next in 2:16:40. Mikiko Ota won the women's race in 2:50:44. The Shizuoka Marathon returned for its first running in five years, with club runner Shumpei Oda leading the top 7 men under 2:20 in 2:15:36. Women's winner Remi Tanaka ran 2:41:23, beating runner-up Ayumi Sano by exactly 7 minutes. And in Tokyo, Rui Aoki continued what has been a great season so far for Koku Gakuin University with a win at the National University Men's Half Marathon . Aoki and Hiro Konda of Chuo Gakuin Unive