Mwikali Breaks Own CR at Sanyo Ladies Road Race, Tesfaye Takes Kanto 10-Miler

Japan's last big non-ekiden road race of the year happened Sunday in Okayama at the Sanyo Ladies Road Race 10 km and half marathon. In the 10 km, CR holder Agnes Mwikali (Kyocera) soloed a 31:09 CR for the win. 2 seconds up on rival Janet Nyiva (Panasonic) at 5 km in 15:34, Mwikali held steady over the second half to cut 2 seconds off her old CR of 31:11 from 2021. Nyiva faded to 31:57 but held on to 2nd, with Kaede Kawamura (Iwatani Sangyo) passing Eva Cherono (Toto) for 3rd in 32:22.

In the half marathon, a lead group of four stayed together through 15 km before 2022 winner Margaret Akidor (Comodi Iida) surged over the last 5 km. Taking almost 2 minutes off her PB, Akidor took the top spot in 1:09:29, beating #1-ranked Dolphine Nyaboke Omare (U.S.E.) by 18 seconds. Joanne Kipkemoi (Kyudenko) was 3rd in 1:10:01, with Yuri Karasawa (Kyudenko) scoring the top Japanese spot at 5th in 1:10:48.

Also Sunday in Chiba was the 137th running of the Kanto 10-Miler. After a DNF at last month's Hachioji Long Distance meet, Eritrean Tesfaye Biniam Zeratsion (Musashino Gakuin Univ.) took the win in 47:56, narrowly out kicking marathoner Kensuke Horio (Kyudenko) by 4 seconds. Chuo University athletes took the next three spots, with two runners from Juntendo University close behind. Chuo and Juntendo meet next Jan. 2 on day one of the 100th Hakone Ekiden.

42nd Sanyo Ladies Road Race

Okayama, 17 Dec. 2023

complete results

10 km

1. Agnes Mwikali (Kyocera) - 31:09 - CR

2. Janet Nyiva (Panasonic) - 31:57

3. Kaede Kawamura (Iwatani Sangyo) - 32:22

4. Eva Cherono (Toto) - 32:38

5. Mitsu Ozaki (Sysmex) - 33:01

6. Misaki Hayashida (Kyudenko) - 33:01

7. Shiori Yoshizono (Tenmaya) - 33:04

8. Mizuki Nishimura (Tenmaya) - 33:09

9. Yuri Tasaki (Sysmex) - 33:19

10. Ayaka Kato (Uniqlo) - 33:30

Half Marathon

1. Margaret Akidor (Comodi Iida) - 1:09:29 - PB

2. Dolphine Nyaboke Omare (U.S.E.) - 1:09:47

3. Joanne Kipkemoi (Kyudenko) - 1:10:01

4. Desta Burka (Denso) - 1:10:16

5. Yuri Karasawa (Kyudenko) - 1:10:48

6. Ayano Ikemitsu (Kagoshima Ginko) - 1:10:57

7. Madoka Nakano (Iwatani Sangyo) - 1:11:22

8. Honoka Tanaike (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 1:11:24

9. Hibiki Sakuragawa (Daiichi Seimei) - 1:11:28

10. Mizuki Tanimoto (Tenmaya) - 1:11:29

11. Chinatsu Takeda (Daihatsu) - 1:13:17

12. Nanami Aoki (Iwatani Sangyo) - 1:13:18

13. Saya Nishitani (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 1:13:18

14. Yuko Kikuchi (Shimamura) - 1:13:19

15. Ayami Hirano (Noritz) - 1:13:22

137th Kanto 10-Miler

Narita, Chiba, 17 Dec. 2023

complete results

1. Tesfaye Biniam Zeratsion (Musashino Gakuin Univ.) - 47:56

2. Kensuke Horio (Kyudenko) - 48:00

3. Hinata Shirakawa (Chuo Univ.) - 48:12

4. Kanta Kotagiri (Chuo Univ.) - 48:16

5. Yuto Urata (Chuo Univ.) - 48:16

6. Yuki Murao (Juntendo Univ.) - 48:29

7. Kyota Iwashima (Juntendo Univ.) - 48:36

8. Yosuke Nagashima (Chuo Univ.) - 48:45

9. Shoto Horikoshi (Juntendo Univ.) - 48:49

10. Kotaro Suzuki (Chuo Univ.) - 48:53

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

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

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

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