Uchida 4th at Chevron Houston Marathon

Making his international debut with support from JRN, Kenta Uchida (SID Group) took 4th in the Chevron Houston Marathon in a tight pack race to the end. The debuting Frank Lara (U.S.A.) did most of the work throughout the race, leading the front group through halfway in 1:05:30 before things slowed to mid-2:12 territory. When another first-timer, Luke Caldwell (Great Britain) caught up just after 25 km and went right by into the lead the pace picked up, but at 40 km it was still a group of 6 all right together.

James Ngandu (Kenya), yet another runner doing his first marathon, had the strongest kick, finishing in 2:11:03 to run almost even splits. 2nd placer Abdi Abdo (Bahrain) was 8 seconds behind by the end, but just 9 seconds separated him from 5th. Elisha Barno (Kenya) edged Uchida for 3rd by 3 seconds 2:11:16 to 2:11:19, with 2020 winner Kelkile Gezahegn (Ethiopia) another second behind Uchida. Both Lara and Caldwell cleared 2:12 in 6th and 7th.

"For his first time racing overseas this was pretty good," said Uchida's coach Junichi Shibata. "He was right there until the end and didn't drop off or go too early. I'm happy with how he did." "I'm happy with how I did," said Shibata, "but more than happy I'm just really tired." Shibata's result moved him up to 5th in the Japan Marathon Championship rankings, where a top-8 ranking at the end of March qualifies the athletes for the 2024 MGC Olympic marathon trials.

In the women's race Keira D'Amato (U.S.A.) soloed a male-paced 2:19:12 national record, winning by almost 10 minutes over runner-up Alice Wright (Great Britain) and exactly tying Olympic gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi's Japanese national record. The American record also fell in the accompanying half-marathon where Sara Hall ran 1:07:15 for 2nd behind Vicoty Chepngeno (Kenya), who set an American all-comers record of 1:05:03. Milkelsa Tolosa (Ethiopia) won the men's race in 1:00:24 by 3 seconds over John Korir (Kenya). 8th-placer Rory Linkletter set a Canadian national record of 1:01:08.

50th Chevron Houston Marathon

Houston, Texas, U.S.A., 16 Jan., 2022

complete results

Men

1. James Ngandu (Kenya) - 2:11:03 - debut

2. Abdi Abdo (Bahrain) - 2:11:11

3. Elisha Barno (Kenya) - 2:11:16

4. Kenta Uchida (Japan/SID Group) - 2:11:19

5. Kelkile Gezahegn (Ethiopia) - 2:11:20

6. Frank Lara (U.S.A.) - 2:11:32 - debut

7. Luke Caldwell (Great Britain) - 2:11:33 - debut

8. Josh Izewski (U.S.A.) - 2:12:45 - PB

9. Augustus Maiyo (U.S.A.) - 2:13:17

10. Rodgers Ondati Gesabwa (U.S.A.) - 2:14:46

Women

1. Keira D'Amato (U.S.A.) - 2:19:12 - NR, CR

2. Alice Wright (Great Britain) - 2:29:08

3. Maggie Montoya (U.S.A.) - 2:29:08

4. Roberta Groner (U.S.A.) - 2:32:02

5. Atsede Tesema (Ethiopia) - 2:32:38

6. Brittney Feivor (U.S.A.) - 2:32:39

7. Kathya Mirell Garcia Barrios (Mexico) - 2:32:54

8. Christina Welsh (U.S.A.) - 2:33:00

9. Molly Bookmyer (U.S.A.) - 2:33:19

10. Andrea Pomaranski (U.S.A.) - 2:33:35

Men's Half Marathon

1. Milkelsa Tolosa (Ethiopia) - 1:00:24

2. John Korir (Kenya) - 1:00:27

3. Wilfred Kimitei (Kenya) - 1:00:44

4. Kirubel Erassa (U.S.A.) - 1:00:44

5. Shadrack Kimining (Kenya) - 1:00:53

6. Patrick Tiernan (Australia) - 1:00:55

7. Biya Simbassa (U.S.A.) - 1:01:03

8. Rory Linkletter (Canada) - 1:01:08 - NR

9. Sydney Gidabuday (U.S.A.) - 1:01:09

10. Scott Fauble (U.S.A.) - 1:01:11

Women's Half Marathon

1. Vicoty Chepngeno (Kenya) - 1:05:03 - ACR

2. Sara Hall (U.S.A.) - 1:07:15 - NR

3. Dominique Scott (South Africa) - 1:07:32

4. Fiona O'Keefe (U.S.A.) - 1:07:42

5. Jessica Judd (Great Britain) - 1:07:52

6. Emily Durgin (U.S.A.) - 1:07:54

7. Caren Maiyo (Kenya) - 1:08:41

8. Dakotah Lindwurm (U.S.A.) - 1:09:36

9. Nell Rojas (U.S.A.) - 1:09:42

10. Annie Frisbie (U.S.A.) - 1:10:27

Goshima and Kasai Win 10000 m National Titles, Maeda Breaks U20 Asian Record

Rino Goshima and Jun Kasai stepped up with PBs to win the 2024 National Championships 10000 m titles Friday at Shizuoka's Ecopa Stadium. In the women's race, Goshima, 4th in last December's 2023 National Championships 10000 m, went out front from the start with Kenyan teammate Judy Jepngetich pacing and 2023 3rd-placer Haruka Kokai in tow. Things were never on track to hit the 30:40.00 Paris Olympics standard, but except for a brief dip to 3:08 at 7000 m Goshima held steady at 3:05 to 3:06/km even as Kokai and Jepngetich fell off. With blood dripping from her left knee after getting spiked by Jepngetich, Goshima closed in 3:03 to take 5 seconds off her best from December's Nationals and win in 30:53.31, moving up to all-time Japanese #6. Jepngetich also PBd at 31:09.42 without counting in the standings, with Kokai 2nd in 31:10.53 and Kazuna Kanetomo 3rd in a PB 31:59.29. The runner-up last time, Yuka Takashima was last in 33:33.27. The men's race went out in a

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

Golden Games in Nobeoka Top Results

For everyone not running yesterday's 10000 m National Championships , where the Asahi Kasei corporate team dominated the men's race with four out of four men sub-28 including winner Jun Kasai , 27:17.46, the grand dame of Japan's long distance time trial circuit was happening on AK's home ground in Miyazaki at the Golden Games in Nobeoka . Not including kids' races, a total of 74 women and 227 men ran in 14 heats of 5000 m, with a packed-in crowd of fans lining the track beating on metal sponsor boards with batons. It's a pretty awesome meet, and memorable performances included: National champion Kamimura Gakuen H.S. standout Caroline Kariba continued to kill it in the second month of her corporate league career, winning the 5000 m A-heat in 15:00.95 in a race where 3 out of the top 4 including her ran PBs. National champion Meijo University seemed flat at this point in the season, with none of its people under 16 minutes and star Nanase Tanimoto leading

japan running news

Search This Blog