Skip to main content

Berlin Marathon - Japanese Results

Fresh off a 1:00:17 half marathon national record last weekend and a 28:55 road 10 km the one before, Yuta Shitara (Honda) lived up to expectations at today's Berlin Marathon, trying to go with the lead group and running the first part of the race alone between the first and second groups.

Whatever his plan, Shitara was swallowed up by the second pack, a good turn of events as it was travelling ahead of Japanese national record pace on track for just sub-2:06. Shitara hung with that group through 25 km before his projected time started to creep away, drifting to high-2:06 pace by 30 km, high-2:07 by 35 km, and high-2:08 by 40 km. In the end he was well short of Toshinari Takaoka's 2:06:16 national record, but with a 2:09:03 for 6th Shitara took 24 seconds off his best with the fastest Japanese men's performance in Berlin since Takayuki Inubushi's then-NR 2:06:57 in 1999. And just 8 days after the greatest half marathon performance in Japanese history.


His Honda teammate Hiroaki Sano led the Berlin-experienced Koji Gokaya (JR Higashi NIhon) and fellow sub-61 half marathoner Masato Kikuchi (Team Konica Minolta) on a more conservative, steady pace around 2:10:30 until 30 km, after which point Kikuchi started to slip. Gokaya, like Sano a one-time sub-2:10 runner to date, was next, leaving Sano to gut out a 2:11:24 for 7th. Gokaya was good for 2:14:28 for 13th, with Kikuchi marking a two-minute improvement over his 2017 Tokyo Marathon debut in 2:15:32.

Shitara's time was the 9th sub-2:10 of the year by a Japanese man. Along with Takuya Noguchi (Konica Minolta) and Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) at July's Gold Coast Airport Marathon he was the third to do it outside Japan this year, the most in a single year since 1986. At least four more international marathons and one domestic marathon could see additions to that list, meaning a possible record-setting year for depth at the front end of Japanese men's marathoning. With 2:09 marathons in his first two times out the gate Shitara is one of the ones leading that charge.

Berlin Marathon

Berlin, Germany, 9/24/17
click here for complete results

Men
1. Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) – 2:03:32
2. Guya Adola (Ethiopia) – 2:03:46 – debut
3. Mosinet Geremew (Ethiopia) – 2:06:09 - PB
4. Felix Kandie (Kenya) – 2:06:13
5. Vincent Kipruto (Kenya) – 2:06:14
6. Yuta Shitara (Japan/Honda) – 2:09:03 – PB
7. Hiroaki Sano (Japan/Honda) – 2:11:24
8. Ryan Vail (U.S.A.) – 2:12:40
9. Liam Adams (Australia) – 2:12:52 - PB
10. Jonny Mellor (Great Britain) – 2:12:57 - PB
-----
13. Koji Gokaya (Japan/JR Higashi Nihon) – 2:14:28
17. Masato Kikuchi (Japan/Konica Minolta) – 2:15:32 – PB

Women
1. Gladys Cherono (Kenya) – 2:20:23
2. Ruti Aga (Ethiopia) - 2:20:41 - PB
3. Valary Ayabei (Kenya) – 2:20:54 - PB
4. Helen Tola (Ethiopia) - 2:22:51 - PB
5. Anna Hahner (Germany) - 2:28:32
6. Catherine Bertone (Italy) - 2:28:34 - PB
7. Sonia Samuels (Great Britain) - 2:29:34
8. Azucena Diaz (Spain) - 2:30:31
9. Catarina Ribeiro (Portugal) - 2:33:13
10. Kim Dillen (Netherlands) - 2:33:24 - PB

photo © 2017 Horst Milde, all rights reserved
text © 2017 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Metts said…
Looking through the Berlin results, like I do with most big marathons, and especially in Japan, I see huge depth, not just up to 2:20, but beyond, 2:20 to 2:30, 2:30 to 2:40 etc. I see huge depth in the age groups at sub 2:40, sub 2:50, those guys who work full time and still try to run a quality time. While the elite in Japan are very interesting I am very much also interested in the sub elite and all those who work and run quality marathons, especially in Japan. The 60+ record holder comes to mind, even though he has dropped a lot. Maybe the 7 to 10 stretch of good marathons and then we all drop off or Chihro Tanaka comes to mind of those still trying to do quality marathons.
September 25, 2017 at 11:04 AM
TokyoRacer said…
I don't care what Shitara thinks, that Half effort cost him in the final 12k. He would have been much faster had he tapered properly.
September 25, 2017 at 1:56 PM
Metts said…
What about Sano? Is it record? Waiting approval?
September 25, 2017 at 4:22 PM
Brett Larner said…
Sorry, I'm not sure what you are asking. Sano has run 2:09:12, so this was over 2 minutes off his best.

Shitara would probably have run faster with the half, but then he might not be a national record holder today.
September 25, 2017 at 5:24 PM
Metts said…
The Berlin results on Sun/Mon. were showing Sano as first in the 45M age group. They have now revised that.
September 26, 2017 at 8:58 AM
Post a Comment

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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,...
Post a Comment
Read more