Skip to main content

Kosimbei and Azmeraw Win Gifu Seiryu Half, Kawauchi 14th

Breaking away over the last 5 km, Nicholas Kosimbei (Toyota) scored his second-straight win at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon, putting 12 seconds on Alexander Mutiso (ND Software) to take the top spot in 1:01:12. Moses Murong (Uganda) was 3rd in 1:01:57, with Yohei Suzuki (Aisan Kogyo) the top-placing Japanese man with a 1:03:34 for 9th.

Just five days given the time difference after winning the Boston Marathon, Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) outkicked Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon runner-up Hayato Sonoda (Kurosaki Harima) to take 14th overall in 1:04:35 with the third-fastest closing split in the field despite unseasonably hot temperatures nearing 30 degrees.

Women's world record holder and defending champion Joyciline Jepkosgei (Kenya) was a last-minute withdrawal, leaving Degitu Azmeraw to become Gifu's first Ethiopian women's winner in five years. Like Kosimbei, Azmeraw broke free of the competition over the last 5 km, opening an 18-second lead over Valary Jemeli (Kenya) for 1st in 1:09:53. Marie Imada (Iwatani Sangyo) was the top Japanese woman at 7th in 1:14:20.

8th Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon

Gifu, 4/22/18

Men
1. Nicholas Kosimbei (Kenya/Toyota) - 1:01:12
2. Alexander Mutiso (Kenya/ND Software) - 1:01:24
3. Moses Murong (Uganda) - 1:01:57
4. James Mwangi (Kenya/NTN) - 1:02:14
5. Edward Waweru (Kenya/NTN) - 1:02:29
6. Joel Mwaura (Kenya/Kurosaki Harima) - 1:02:59
7. Michael Githae (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 1:03:09
8. Daniel Muiva Kitonyi (Kenya/Kanebo) - 1:03:27
9. Yohei Suzuki (Japan/Aisan Kogyo) - 1:03:34
10. Patrick Muendo Mwaka (Kenya/Aisan Kogyo) - 1:03:40
-----
14. Yuki Kawauchi (Japan/Saitama Pref. Gov't) - 1:04:35

Women
1. Degitu Azmeraw (Ethiopia) - 1:09:53
2. Valary Jemeli (Kenya) - 1:10:11
3. Joy Kemuma (Kenya) - 1:10:47
4. Andrea Seccafien (Canada) - 1:13:19
5. Sinead Diver (Australia) - 1:13:23
6. Karolina Nadolska (Poland) - 1:13:56
7. Marie Imada (Japan/Iwatani Sangyo) - 1:14:20
8. Yuko Watanabe (Japan/Edion) - 1:14:51
9. Sayo Nomura (Japan/Uniqlo) - 1:17:08
10. Sakura Wada (Japan/Denso) - 1:17:51

© 2018 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Comments

sensato said…
Sorry, but I understand that her right name is Degitu AzImeraw with taht "I" ... that is not right like you wrote Azmeraw...

Most-Read This Week

10000 m NR Attempt In the Works Saturday at Hachioji Long Distance - Streaming and Preview

There are a bunch of other time trial meets this weekend and next, but Saturday's Hachioji Long Distance is the last big meet for Japanese men, 8 heats of Wavelight-paced 10000 m finely graded from target times of 28:50 down to 26:59 for the fastest heat. Heat 6 at 17:55 local time is effectively the B-race, with 35 Japan-based Kenyans targeting 27:10 at the front end, and in a lot of cases a spot on their teams at the New Year Ekiden national championship on Jan. 1. Corporate teams are only allowed to field one non-Japanese athlete in the New Year Ekiden, and only on its shortest stage, and getting to that has a big impact on African athletes' contracts and renewal prospects. Toyota Boshoku , Yasukawa Denki , Chugoku Denryoku , Aisan Kogyo , JR Higashi Nihon , Subaru and 2024 national champion Toyota are all fielding two Kenyans, and Aichi Seiko three. For people like Toyota's Felix Korir and Samuel Kibathi , getting as close to the 27:10 target time as they can and

19-Yr-Old Munakata Breaks Miura's U20 NR to Win Ageo City Half Marathon

The Ageo City Half Marathon is always big, the main race that the coaches of Hakone Ekiden-bound university men's teams use for firming up their entry rosters for the big show. That makes what's basically an idyllic small town race into one of the world's great road races, with depth unmatched anywhere. One of the top-tier people on the start list at 1:02:07, Kodai Miyaoka (Hosei Univ.) took the race out fast, but the entire pack was keying off the fastest man in the race, Reishi Yoshida (Chuo Gakuin Univ.), 1:00:31. Yoshida reeled Miyaoka in before 5 km and kept things steady in the low-1:01 range, wearing down the lead group to around 10 including his CGU teammate Taisei Ichikawa , a quartet from Izumo and National University Ekiden runner-up Komazawa University , 2 runners from local Daito Bunka University , 2:07:54 marathoner Atsumi Ashiwa (Honda), and Australian Ed Goddard . Right after 15 km Komazawa went into action, Yudai Kiyama , Hibiki Murakami and Haru Tanin

Queens Ekiden Streaming and Preview

Sunday is the first big race of championship ekiden season, the Queens Ekiden in Sendai, the season-ending national championship for corporate women. 24 teams race 42.195 km in 6 legs, with the top 8 scoring places for 2025. TBS' live nationwide broadcast starts at 11:50, with multi-camera streaming on Youtube above. Last year Sekisui Kagaku won by almost a minute and a half, and with Paris Olympian Yuma Yamamoto , 2023 World Championships marathoner Sayaka Sato on its entry list and collegiate 1500 m record holder Mizuki Michishita having come on board this season it looks like a contender for another win. But last year's runner-up Japan Post got a big boost this season with the addition of its first non-Japanese member, two-time double 1500 m and 3000 m high school champion Caroline Kariba . The Queens Ekiden limits non-Japanese athletes to a 3.8 km leg, so it'd be tough for Kariba to bridge a 1:25 gap by herself with that little ground to work with. But what she can