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Augusto, Birmingham, Fujiwara, Mathathi Headline Marugame Half (updated)

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20140114-OHT1T00116.htm
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/region/news/140115/kgw14011502170000-n1.htm

translated and edited by Brett Larner

On Jan. 14 the organizers of the Feb. 2 Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon announced the 35 men and 12 women making up the domestic and overseas elite fields for the event's 68th running.  London Olympics marathoner Arata Fujiwara (Miki House), 2012 National Corporate Half Marathon champion Chihiro Miyawaki (Team Toyota), Hakone Ekiden Seventh Stage winner Hazuma Hattori of Hakone champion Toyo University, 2013 Izumo Ekiden and National University Ekiden stage record setter Kenta Murayama (Komazawa Univ.) and last month's Fukuoka International Marathon winner Martin Mathathi (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) top the domestic list for the men's race.  This year's race is a selection event for the men's team for March's World Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen, meaning many top corporate team stars are also on the list.  Their four overseas competitors include defending champion Collis Birmingham (Australia) and London Olympics 5000 m runner Amanuel Mesel (Eritrea).

The women's race features November's Yokohama International Women's Marathon runner-up Azusa Nojiri (Hiratsuka Lease), 2009 Tokyo Marathon runner-up Yukari Sahaku (Team Univ. Ent.) and, from overseas, London Olympics marathon 7th-placer Jessica Augusto (Portugal).

A total of 11,705 people are entered in the half marathon, 3 km and 1 km divisions, with 10,577 entered in the half.  Although the application deadline has passed, entries will also be accepted the day before the race.  Final numbers are expected to be similar to last year's 12,810 entrants.

68th Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon Elite Field
Marugame, Kagawa, 2/2/14
click here for complete field listing

Women
Jessica Augusto (Portugal) - 1:09:10 (Ostia 2011)
Yukari Sahaku (Team Universal Entertainment) - 1:09:36 (Sapporo Int'l 2009)
Eri Hayakawa (Team Toto) - 1:10:13 (Marugame 2013)
Misato Horie (Team Noritz) - 1:10:26 (Marugame 2013)
Yolanda Caballero (Colombia) - 1:10:30 (New York 2013)
Azusa Nojiri (Hiratsuka Lease) - 1:10:53 (National Corporate Championships 2009)
Ayame Takaki (Meijo University) - 1:11:10 (Matsue Ladies' 2012)
Aliaksandra Duliba (Belarus) - 1:11:30 (Chicago 2013)
Seongeun Kim (South Korea) - 1:11:34 (Marugame 2010)
Kikuyo Tsuzaki (Team Noritz) - 1:11:53 (Matsue Ladies' 2009)
Michi Numata (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 1:12:47 (Sanyo Ladies' 2013)
Ho-Sun Park (South Korea) - 1:12:58 (Marugame 2008)

Men
Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 58:56a (Great North Run 2011)
Amanuel Mesel (Eritrea) - 1:00:10 (Prague 2013)
Jacob Wanjuki (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) - 1:00:32 (Nagoya 2010)
Chihiro Miyawaki (Team Toyota) - 1:00:53 (National Corporate Championships 2012)
Collis Birmingham (Australia) - 1:00:56 (Marugame 2013)
Daniel Gitau (Kenya/Team Fujitsu) - 1:01:01 (Marugame 2012)
Kenta Murayama (Komazawa University) - 1:01:19 (Marugame 2013)
Yusuke Takabayashi (Team Toyota) - 1:01:31 (Marugame 2012)
Arata Fujiwara (Miki House) - 1:01:34 (Marugame 2012)
Yemane Tsegaye (Ethiopia) - 1:01:37 (Prague 2010)
Yoshinori Oda (Team Toyota) - 1:01:41 (National Corporate Championships 2009)
Tatsunori Hamasaki (Team Komori Corp.) - 1:01:45 (Marugame 2012)
Ryotaro Nitta (Team Konica Minolta) - 1:01:45 (Marugame 2012)
Yuta Igarashi (Team JR Higashi Nihon) - 1:01:46 (Marugame 2012)
Hiromitsu Kakuage (Team Konica Minolta) - 1:01:56 (Marugame 2012)
Yuki Iwai (Team Asahi Kasei) - 1:01:58 (Marugame 2012)
Akihiko Tsumurai (Team Mazda) - 1:01:58 (National Corporate Championships 2010)
Yusei Nakao (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 1:02:00 (Sendai 2008)
Yoshihiro Yamamoto (Team Toyota Boshoku) - 1:02:03 (Nat'l Corp. Championships 2004)
Osamu Ibata (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 1:02:08 (Sendai 2008)
Kenta Iinuma (Team SGH Group Sagawa) - 1:02:09 (Marugame 2012)
Tomohiro Tanigawa (Team Konica Minolta) - 1:02:17 (Marugame 2013)
Shuho Dairokuno (Meiji University) - 1:02:19 (Marugame 2012)
Chiharu Takada (Team JR Higashi Nihon) - 1:02:22 (Marugame 2013)
Masakazu Fujiwara (Team Honda) - 1:02:23 (Hakodate 2004)
Suehiro Ishikawa (Team Honda) - 1:02:23 (Kyoto 2003)
Masato Kikuchi (Team Konica Minolta) - 1:02:26 (Marugame 2013)
Masatoshi Kikuchi (Team Fujitsu) - 1:02:28 (Marugame 2012)
Takashi Kumamoto (Team Toyota) - 1:02:29 (National Corporate Championships 2007)
Koki Takada (Waseda University) - 1:02:38 (Ageo 2013)
Yusuke Nishiyama (Komazawa University) - 1:02:54 (Ageo 2013)
Hazuma Hattori (Toyo University) - 1:02:54 (Ageo 2013)
Hiroto Inoue (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 1:02:58 (National University Championships 2013)
Jeffrey Eggleston (U.S.A.) - 1:03:41
Daniel Muiva Kitonyi (Kenya/Nihon Univ.) - 58:00 (Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai 20 km 2013)
Kota Murayama (Josai University) - 59:17 (Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai 20 km 2013)
Kazuma Ganaha (Kanagawa University) - 59:29 (Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai 20 km 2013)

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