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Paris, Rotterdam and Guam - Weekend Overseas Marathon Results

Rio 10000 m Olympian Yuka Takashima (Shiseido) made a good debut Sunday at the Paris Marathon, finishing 8th in 2:26:13. Takashima started fast, on sub-2:21 pace until just before 30 km before fading. Her time was the 4th-fastest this year by a Japanese woman and best so far this season outside Japan, and it put her well within reach of the two-race sub-2:28:00 average route to qualifying for the MGC Race 2020 Olympic trials marathon. Kasumi Yoshida (Nitori) was 11th in 2:38:15 and Kanae Shimoyama (Noritz) 16th in 2:45:34. Yoshiki Koizumi (Raffine) was the top Japanese man at 24th in 2:20:29.

Things went less smoothly at the Rotterdam Marathon. Running her third marathon in less than four months in a desperate attempt to get her MGC Race qualifying time this season, Hofu Yomiuri Marathon course record holder Misaki Kato (Kyudenko) went through halfway on schedule in 1:13:22 before starting to slow, ultimately finishing in 2:47:25 for 15th. On the men's side Yuki Yagi (Yagi Project) fell early in the race, sustaining an injury that forced him to drop out near 15 km.

Japanese runners took the top spots in both the women's and men's races at the Guam Marathon. High-volume marathoner Tomomi Sawahata (Sawahatters) won the women's race in 2:47:31, the first-ever sub-3 marathon by a woman on Guam soil and her 17th-straight marathon victory. Fuji Mountain Run champion Shun Gorotani (Comody Iida) won the men's race in 2:32:14.

© 2018 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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