Inoue Runs Second-Fastest Time Ever at Tamana Half in Tuneup for Boston

While many of the other main contenders for September’s MGC Race, Japan’s new 2020 Olympic trials marathon, were focused on trying to run super fast times at the Tokyo Marathon, 2018 Asian Games gold medalist Hiroto Inoue (MHPS) did his last major tuneup for next month’s Boston Marathon at the 70th edition of Kumamoto’s Kanaguri Hai Tamana Half Marathon.

Throughout the race Inoue went head-to-head with 2018 winner Patrick Muendo Mwaka (Aisan Kogyo) before finally dropping him in the final kilometers. At 1:02:21 Mwaka was more than 30 seconds up on his winning time from last year, but Inoue surged away from him to win in 1:02:12, his best half marathon time in four years and the second-fastest winning time in Tamana’s 70-year history. Only five people had ever broken 63 minutes at Tamana previously, but this year the top eight all did it, 8th-placer Shunsuke Kanbe (Komazawa Univ.) running a PB 1:02:56. Boston-bound Shizuoka Marathon winner Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov’t) was over a minute and a half behind Inoue in 1:03:46 for 11th.

3rd in last month’s National Corporate 10 km Championships, Miku Daido (Iwatani Sangyo) won the women’s 10 km in 33:52 in a photo finish with teammate Nami Aoki and just a step ahead of Minaru Okamoto (Shiseido). Kenyan Victor Kimosop (Fukuoka Daiichi H.S.) won the high school boys’ 10 km in 29:40, with teammates Koki Sato and Hitoshi Yuasa (both Miyazaki Nihon Prep H.S.) 2nd and 3rd in 29:51 and 29:57.

70th Kanaguri Hai Tamana Half Marathon

Tamana, Kumamoto, 3/3/19
complete results

Men’s Half Marathon
1. Hiroto Inoue (MHPS) – 1:02:12
2. Patrick Muendo Mwaka (Aisan Kogyo) – 1:02:21
3. Naoya Takahashi (Yasukawa Denki) – 1:02:42
4. Atsumi Ashiwa (Honda) – 1:02:44
5. Yuki Arimura (Asahi Kasei) – 1:02:44
6. Kento Otsu (Toyota Kyushu) – 1:02:45
7. Yuki Matsumura (Honda) – 1:02:49
8. Shunsuke Kanbe (Komazawa Univ.) – 1:02:56 - PB
9. Shunya Nomura (Yasukawa Denki) – 1:03:23
10. Kiyoshi Koga (Yasukawa Denki) – 1:03:43

Women’s 10 km
1. Miku Daido (Iwatani Sangyo) – 33:52
2. Nanami Aoki (Iwatani Sangyo) – 33:52
3. Minaru Okamoto (Shiseido) – 33:53
4. Shino Hasegawa (Wacoal) – 33:55
5. Wakana Itsuki (Kyudenko) – 34:04

High School Boys’ 10 km
1. Victor Kimosop (Fukuoka Daiichi H.S.) – 29:40
2. Koki Sato (Miyazaki Nihon Prep H.S.) – 29:51
3. Hitoshi Yuasa (Miyazaki Nihon Prep H.S.) – 29:57

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Ichiyama 8th at Copenhagen Marathon

Currently the #10-ranked Japanese man in the marathon with the fastest-ever domestic time at the elite Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, Tsubasa Ichiyama (Sunbelx) made his international debut at Sunday's Copenhagen Marathon , literally an international debut as it was his first time outside the country. Ichiyama hoped to be in contention to break the 2:08:23 CR and go for the win, and with cool and breezy conditions ran easy in the lead group through 30 km. But something ate away at almost everyone as time went by, several people in the lead men's and women's groups saying humidity, and past 30 km Ichiyama fell off. Falling as low as 9th, he rallied after 40 km to finish 8th in 2:13:07. "It was different than in Japanese races," he said. "I'm used to bigger packs and more even pacing, but this was a kind of racing I hadn't done before. There's a lot to think about. I didn't feel like I was sweating a lot, but I got really thirsty and started sk

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,

japan running news

Search This Blog