Skip to main content

Kuira and Karoki Top Road and Track Action

by Brett Larner
Karoki photo by Tsukasa Kawarai


Marathons and ekidens aside, this weekend also saw high-level half marathon and track action.  At Tokyo's Setagaya 246 Half Marathon Japan based-Kenyan Paul Kuira (Team Konica Minolta) scored the third win in four half marathons in his career to date, setting a course record 1:02:27.  Kuira and university runners Takato Suzuki (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) and Yusuke Nishiyama (Komazawa Univ.) went out fast, ahead of the pack within the first few km and staying together through 15 km before Kuira put them away.  For Kuira it was a solid tuneup for his marathon debut in three weeks at the Fukuoka International Marathon.  For Suzuki, 2nd in 1:02:55, it was his first time breaking 1:03 in the half marathon, a result sure to elevate his position on the deep roster of Hakone Ekiden favorite Aoyama Gakuin University.  Nishiyama, who ran this year's United Airlines NYC Half with support from JRN, took 3rd in 1:03:08.


Across the Tamagawa river, the Nittai University Time Trials meet saw Tokyo-based Rio Olympian and World XC and World Half Marathon silver medalist Bedan Karoki (DeNA RC) deliver a spectacular double.  Running Saturday night's 10000 m A-heat Karoki ran 27:07.30, his best since last year's Beijing World Championships, beating two-time World Junior Championships 3000 mSC gold medalist Jonathan Ndiku (Team Hitachi Butsuryu) and John Maina (Team Fujitsu), both of whom went under 27:30 for the first time.  24 hours later Karoki returned to take down Rio 1500 m runner Ronald Kwemoi (Team Komori Corp.) and a deep field over 5000 m, winning in 13:25.64.  The top 19 all broke 14 minutes, including Kenyan high schoolers Luka Musembi (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) and Peter Mwangi (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) and Japanese high schoolers Ryota Natori (Saku Chosei H.S.), Yuhi Nakaya (Saku Chosei H.S.) and Hyuga Endo (Gakuho Ishikawa H.S.).  Of particular interest was Kenyan Nganga Waweru, 5th in 13:39.69.  Photographer Tsukasa Kawarai reports that Waweru is 15 years old and trains with support from the Young Champs program, in Japan for experience before returning to Kenya.

11th Setagaya 246 Half Marathon
Tokyo, 11/13/16

1. Paul Kuira (Kenya/Konica Minolta) - 1:02:27 - CR
2. Takato Suzuki (Aoyama Gakuin Univ) - 1:02:55
3. Yusuke Nishiyama (Komazawa Univ.) - 1:03:08
4. Ryusei Yoshinaga (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:03:36
5. Keisuke Hayashi (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:03:52
6. Kinari Ikeda (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:03:53
7. Yuya Yoshida (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:03:55
8. Fuminori Shimo (Komazawa Univ.) - 1:04:01
9. Kosuke Yamada (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 1:04:04
10. Takumi Hirose (Komazawa Univ.) - 1:04:47

254th Nittai University Time Trials
Yokohama, Kanagawa, 11/12-13/16
click here for complete results

Men's 10000 m Heat 6
1. Bedan Karoki (Kenya/DeNA) - 27:07.30
2. Jonathan Ndiku (Kenya/Hitachi Butsuryu) - 27:11.23
3. John Maina (Kenya/Fujitsu) - 27:21.97
4. Joseph Onsarigo (Kenya/ND Software) - 28:25.93
5. Shohei Kurata (GMO Athletes) - 28:32.91

Men's 5000 m Heat 41
1. Bedan Karoki (Kenya/DeNA) - 13:25.64
2. Ronald Kwemoi (Kenya/Komori Corp.) - 13:27.77
3. Kassa Mekashaw (Ethiopia/Yachiyo Kogyo) - 13:31.08
4. Tonosa Hiko (Ethiopia/Kurosaki Harima) - 13:31.09
5. Nganga Waweru (Kenya) - 13:39.69
6. Samuel Mwangi (Kenya/Konica Minolta) - 13:40.86
7. Ezekiel Chebotibin (Kenya/Toho Refining) - 13:43.45
8. Luka Musembi (Kenya/Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 13:46.08
9. Peter Mwangi (Kenya/Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 13:47.28
10. Alfred Ngeno (Kenya/Nissin Shokuhin) - 113:50.27
-----
13. Ryota Natori (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 13:52.61
15. Yuhi Nakaya (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 13:54.65
17. Hyuga Endo (Gakuho Ishikawa H.S.) - 13:57.57

text © 2016 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
Karoki photo © 2016 Tsukasa Kawarai, all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Chepkirui Over Sato Again to Win 2nd-Straight Nagoya Women's Marathon, Chen Breaks Malaysian NR (updated)

This year's Nagoya Women's Marathon felt like a changing of the guard, with some the bigger domestic names over the last few years fading early and a lot of newer faces stepping up with quality debuts or second marathons. The front group was set to be paced for 2:20 flat with the 2nd group at 2:23:30 to hit the auto-qualifying time for the 2027 MGC Race, Japan's L.A. Olympics marathon trials race in Nagoya. Up front things went out OK, but after a 33:10 split at 10 km Ayuko Suzuki , 2:21:22 here 2 years ago, lost touch, ultimately finishing 23rd in 2:33:28. Windy conditions started to play with pacers' ability to keep things steady and the pace slowed majorly over the next 10 km, but even with a 34:05 second 10 km there were big-name casualties. 2024 Nagoya winner Yuka Ando was next to drop, ending up 17th in 2:30:32. NR holder Honami Maeda was next, followed quickly by Bahraini Kenyan Eunice Chumba and debuting Wakana Kabasawa . Maeda faded to 21st in 2:31:21, whil...
2 comments
Read more

Nagoya Women's Marathon Preview and Streaming (updated)

Japan's winter marathon season of 6 major races in 7-straight weekends wraps up Sunday with the world's largest women-only marathon, the Nagoya Women's Marathon . The weather is looking pretty good, 6˚ at the start rising to 10˚ by the finish and sunny skies, but a moderate 7 m/s NW wind means a headwind finish that might impact the potential for some fast times. Official streaming kicks off at 9:00 a.m. local time. Live results will be here . Sheila Chepkirui won last year in 2:20:40, breaking away from Sayaka Sato and Eunice Chebichii Chumba at 30 km and hanging on for the win. Sato negative split a 2:20:59 PB for 2nd, Chumba fading to 3rd in 2:21:36. All 3 are back this time, but they have pretty serious competition from Aynalem Desta , 2:17:37 in Amsterdam last fall, and Selly Chepyego Kaptich , 2:20:03 in Barcelona 2023. And of course, Japanese NR holder Honami Maeda . Maeda ran 2:18:59 at the Osaka International Women's Marathon in 2024 to make the Paris Oly...
Post a Comment
Read more

16 Women and 26 Men on the Current Olympic Trials Qualifier List

Last weekend's Nagoya Women's Marathon and the Tokyo Marathon the weekend before brought the main part of the first year of qualification for the Marathon Grand Championship Race, Japan's L.A. Olympics marathon trials to be held in Nagoya in October, 2027, to an end. There are still a few races like the Nagano Marathon and overseas World Athletics platinum label races this season where people might qualify, but for the most part we're not likely to see many new additions until August's Hokkaido Marathon, where the qualifying period opened last year. As of right now 16 women and 26 men have qualified, although the first woman to make the cut, Ai Hosoda , announced that she was retiring after Tokyo earlier this month. Out of the 16 women to have qualified so far, Mikuni Yada is the fastest with her 2:19:57 debut at Osaka Women's in January. Including Hosoda that makes 2 qualifiers for the Edion corporate team, but Daihatsu has the biggest share of the field so ...
Post a Comment
Read more