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National Corporate Half Marathon to Accept Collegiate Runners After Marugame Cancels


Following the cancelation of the Feb. 6 Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon, JITA has announced that it will give special permission for top collegiate athletes who had been entered in Marugame to run in the Feb. 13 National Corporate Half Marathon in Yamaguchi instead. 

Top collegiate athletes from the Kanto Region have often taken a week or two off after the Hakone Ekiden, then delivered excellent performances at Marugame. Last week it was announced that this year's Marugame has been canceled due to an explosive resurgence in coronavirus cases, its second-straight cancelation. 

With that opportunity now gone, JITA created the special opportunity for top university athletes to compete at the National Corporate Half a week after they would have raced in Marugame. But with the field at the National Corporate Half already at is maximum capacity, JITA has limited the number of collegians it will accept to around 10.

A complication is that Yamaguchi prefecture's current partial state of emergency lasts through Jan. 31. If it is extended beyond that time it is unclear whether the National Corporate Half will be able to go ahead. Everyone involved has their fingers crossed that the race can take place as scheduled.

source article:
translated by Brett Larner

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Rigajags said…
Finally a bit of hope to see a race with top students involved.
Do we know who was supposed to run Marugame that may run the national corporate?

Let's hope that doesn't get cancelled too...
January 24, 2022 at 6:56 AM
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