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MGC Race Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier - Hiroyuki Yamamoto

Hiroyuki Yamamoto

age: 33
sponsor: Konica Minolta
graduated from: Kawaguchi Kita H.S., Toyo University

best time inside MGC window:
2:10:33, 10th, 2019 Lake Biwa Marathon

PB: 2:09:12, 10th, 2017 Tokyo Marathon

other PBs:
5000 m: 13:45.43 (2010) 10000 m: 27:55.40 (2015) half marathon: 1:02:43 (2013)

marathons inside MGC window (Aug. 1 2017 – April 30 2019):
10th, 2019 Lake Biwa Marathon, 2:10:33
DNF, 2018 Tokyo Marathon
DNS, 2017 New York City Marathon

other major results:
6th, 2019 New Year Ekiden Fifth Stage (15.8 km), 46:53
6th, 2018 Great North Run Half Marathon, 1:02:49
5th, 2017 Great North Run Half Marathon, 1:02:03
4th, 2016 New York City Marathon, 2:11:49
3rd, 2015 Beppu-Oita Marathon, 2:11:48

Yamamoto was a member of Toyo University’s 2009 team that won the Hakone Ekiden for the first time in school history and launched Hakone’s transition into the modern era. A solid meat and potatoes marathoner, Yamamoto has been reliably at the 2:09 to 2:11 level in four marathon finishes including a best-ever Japanese 4th place at the 2016 NYC Marathon. The only rocky period on his recent resume came in 2017-18 when he was a DNS in NYC and a DNF in Tokyo.

After a good run at the New Year Ekiden in January, this March he ran 2:10:33 for 10th at Lake Biwa to qualify for the MGC Race. He has tuned up with a 14:27.27 shakeout at June’s Tokai University Time Trials and a decent 28:44.33 at the HDC Fukagawa Meet 10000 m in July. He is one of two Konica Minolta runners in the race along with teammate Tomohiro Tanigawa, and one of five Toyo graduates, more than any other university.

Next profile: Masato Imai (Toyota Kyushu).

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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