'Mungara Chases Unique Hat-Trick on Gold Coast'

https://www.iaaf.org/news/preview/2017-gold-coast-marathon-preview

Past Gold Coast Airport Marathon winners Risa Takenaka (Team Shiseido) and Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) return to Sunday's race to lead a sizable Japanese contingent in both the full and half marathons. 2015 women's winner Takenaka will be seeking to improve on her PB of 2:28:09 and to extend the Japanese women's winning streak on the Gold Coast to six years in a row. 2013 men's winner Kawauchi will be running Gold Coast for the sixth year in a row as his final tuneup for next month's London World Championships. His 70th career marathon, his goal at Gold Coast is a sub-2:10. If he clears 2:12 he will break Abebe Mekonnen's world record of 22 career sub-2:12 marathons.

Other top Japanese competition includes last year's 4th-placer Chiharu Takada (Team JR Higashi Nihon), Takenaka's husband Takuya Noguchi (Team Konica Minolta), and 2016 Hofu Yomiuri Marathon winner Ryo Hashimoto (Team GMO Athletes) who in just his second marathon ran 2:11:20 to beat Kawauchi in Hofu. Japanese runners in the half marathon include Takada's teammate Koji Gokaya (Team JR Higashi Nihon) in the men's race and Mizuki Tanimoto (Team Tenmaya) in the women's race.

The 39th Gold Coast Airport Marathon and ASICS Half Marathon will be streamed live here starting at 5:45 local time on Sunday, July 2. The half marathon is set to start at 6:00 a.m. with the wheelchair race at 7:15 and the marathon at 7:20. JRN's Brett Larner will be doing commentary on the marathon broadcast again this year.

39th Gold Coast Airport Marathon and ASICS Half Marathon

Elite Field Highlights
Gold Coast, Australia, 7/2/17
click here for detailed field listing
times listed are best marks within last three years except where noted

Men's Marathon
Kenneth Mungara (Kenya) - 2:08:32 (Milan 2015)
Jonah Chesum (Kenya) - 2:08:57 (Barcelona 2017)
Yuki Kawauchi (Japan) - 2:09:01 (Gold Coast 2016)
Tewelde Hidru (Eritrea) - 2:09:16 (Frankfurt 2015)
Matthew Kipsaat (Kenya) - 2:09:19 (Rome 2017)
Feyera Dadi (Ethiopia) - 2:09:42 (Dongying 2016)
Abraraw Tegegne (Ethiopia) - 2:09:47 (Ljubljana 2016)
Douglas Chebii (Kenya) - 2:09:48 (Seville 2017)
Chiharu Takada (Japan) - 2:10:03 (Fukuoka International 2014)
Takuya Noguchi (Japan) - 2:11:04 (Tokyo 2017)
Ryo Hashimoto (Japan) - 2:11:20 (Hofu 2016)
Yuta Takahashi (Japan) - debut - 1:02:13 half (2015)

Women's Marathon
Abebech Bekele (Ethiopia) - 2:23:33 (Dubai 2015)
Letebrhan Gebreslasea (Ethiopia) - 2:25:01 (Dongying 2017)
Mercy Kibarus (Kenya) - 2:26:52 (Seoul 2017)
Meseret Tolwak (Ethiopia) - 2:27:17 (Frankfurt 2015)
Leah Kiprono (Kenya) - 2:27:39 (Zhengzhou 2016)
Risa Takenaka (Japan) - 2:28:09 (Nagoya 2015)
Azusa Nojiri (Japan) - 2:28:54 (Yokohama Women's 2014)
Elizeba Cherono (Netherlands) - debut - 1:10:10 half (2015)

Men's Half Marathon
Koji Gokaya (Japan) - 1:04:20 (New Year Ekiden 4th Stage - 22.0 km, 2015)
Liam Adams (Australia) - 1:03:29 (Gold Coast 2015)
Hiroki Yamagishi (Japan) - 1:03:41 (Marugame 2015)
Keita Nagura (Japan) - 1:03:56 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2017)
Jeffrey Hunt (Australia) - 1:06:44 (Gold Coast 2014)

Women's Half Marathon
Sara Hall (U.S.A.) - 1:10:07 (Houston 2016)
Milly Clark (Australia) - 1:10:48 (Cardiff 2016)
Desiree Linden (U.S.A.) - 1:11:05 (NYC 2017)
Jess Tengrove (Australia) - 1:11:07 (San Diego 2015)
Cassie Fien (Australia) - 1:11:13 (Cardiff 2016)
Mizuki Tanimoto (Japan) - 1:12:39 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2017)

photo © 2017 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Wanjiru Breaks Own MR, Fuwa and Ishida Return - Kanto Regionals Day 1 Highlights

Japan's best college meet kicked off Thursday at Tokyo's National Stadium at the 103rd Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships . Looking like she was doing a controlled tempo run, 2nd-yr Sarah Wanjiru (Daito Bunka Univ.) lapped the entire field to win the women's 10000 m in a meet record 32:02.87, almost 15 seconds under the record she last year in her debut. 3rd-yr Aoi Takahashi (Josai Univ.) was 2nd in 33:29.22 and 2nd-yr Nana Nagashima (Josai Kokusai Univ.) 3rd in a PB 33:30.28, but the other main news alongside Wanjiru's new record was the return of collegiate 10000 m record holder Seira Fuwa (Takushoku Univ.) in her first 10000 m in 19 months. Fuwa hung at the back of the chase pack for the first half, made a move to lead it in the second half, and ultimately faded to 9th in 33:40.20. Every comeback has to start somewhere. The D1 men's 10000 m had a tight group up front with the top 6 all finishing within 6 seconds and under 28:10. 3rd-yr Jam

Two-Time Olympic Marathon Medalist Erick Wainaina Referred to Prosectors on Suspicion of Assault

According to investigators, two-time Olympic marathon medalist Erick Wainaina has had his case referred to prosecutors after allegedly injuring a railway employee by striking him in the face at a station in Setagaya, Tokyo. Wainaina, 50, was the bronze medalist in the marathon at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and won silver in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Wainaina is suspected of assaulting a woman in her late teens and a male Tokyo Denentoshi Line employee by hitting them in the face during an altercation at Komazawa University Station in March this year, resulting in minor injuries to the man's face. According to investigators, the incident began on the train between Wainaina and the woman, and after getting off at Komazawa University Station he hit her in the face when she asked him to go to the station office with her to report it. When the male railway employee responded to the situation Wainaina reportedly hit him too. In response to questioning Wainaina is said to have answered,

Police Arrest 20-Year-Old Man Charged With Assaulting Female Runner at Popular Tokyo Running Spot

A 20-year-old man has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a female runner along the banks of the Tama River in Ota Ward, Tokyo. "I've been stuck at home because of the coronavirus, so I wanted to go for a walk and move my body a bit," the man told police. Local resident Hirai Muroyama , 20, of no known occupation, was arrested on charges of sexual assault. He is accused of acts including grabbing the breasts of a woman in her 20s at around 10 p.m. on May 31 along the banks of the Tama River. According to police, the woman was taking a break in her run when Muroyama approached her silently from behind and grabbed her breasts before running away. Under police interrogation Muroyama told investigators, "I've been stuck at home because of the coronavirus, so I wanted to go out for a walk and move my body. I'd had a few drinks and was feeling pretty hype. She was totally my type." source article: https://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newsey

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