Chesang and Kipkoech Win Hot Gifu Half

Hot conditions held back fast times at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon Sunday, where Ugandan Stella Chesang and Kenya Hillary Kipkoech took the top spots over last year's winners Dolphine Nyaboke Omare and Amos Kurgat.

In the women's race Chesang, Omare and Kenyan-born Bahraini Eunice Chebichii Chumba went out as a trio, Japan-based Hellen Ekarare with them initially but eventually dropping out. After a 15:39 opening 5 km Chumba started to slip off, and by 15 km Chesang was on her own. Chesang won in 1:07:59, solid given the conditions, with Omare 2nd in 1:08:31 and Chumba 3rd in 1:09:10. Rinka Hida was the first Japanese woman, 5th overall in 1:12:06 behind Australian Genevieve Gregson.

A lead men's pack of 11 went through 5 km in 14:31, but by 10 km it was down to Kipkoech, Kurgat, , Timothy Kiplagat, Ugandan Stephen Kissa and Japan-based Kenyans Patrick Mathenge Wambui and Anthony Maina. At 15 km in 43:40 only Kurgat and Kipkoech were left, and over the last 5 km Kipkoech pulled away for the win in 1:01:26. Kurgat was next in 1:01:38, with Kiplagat 3rd in 1:01:55. Top Japanese honors went to Hideyuki Tanaka, 6th in 1:02:31. Paris Olympics marathon-bound Australian Brett Robinson and Canadian Rory Linkletter were 11th and 14th overall, Robinson in 1:03:42 and Linkletter in 1:04:16.

13th Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon

Gifu, 28 April 2024

complete results

Women

1. Stella Chesang (Uganda) - 1:07:59

2. Dolphine Nyaboke Omare (Kenya/Uniqlo) - 1:08:31

3. Eunice Chebichii Chumba (Bahrain) - 1:09:10

4. Genevieve Gregson (Australia) - 1:11:39

5. Rinka Hida (Japan/Daiichi Seimei) - 1:12:06

6. Mao Kiyota (Japan/Suzuki) - 1:12:09

7. Reia Iwade (Japan/Denso) - 1:12:46

8. Kaori Morita (Japan/Panasonic) - 1:13:18

9. Sayaka Sato (Japan/Sekisui Kagaku) - 1:13:38

10. Ayaka Kato (Japan/Uniqlo) - 1:14:30

11. Ayano Ikeuchi (Denso) - 1:14:31

12. Madoka Nakano (Japan/Iwatani Sangyo) - 1:14:48

13. Erina Yasui (Japan/Iwatani Sangyo) - 1:14:54

14. Miku Hirashima (Japan/Uniqlo) - 1:15:50

15. Mirai Waku (Japan/Universal Entertainment) - 1:16:20

16. Erin Mawhinney (Canada) - 1:17:23

-----

23. Linda Janthachit (Thailand) - 1:23:17

-----

DNF - Hellen Ekarare (Kenya/Toyota Jidoshokki)

Men

1. Hillary Kipkoech (Kenya) - 1:01:26

2. Amos Kurgat (Kenya/Chudenko) - 1:01:38

3. Timothy Kiplagat (Kenya) - 1:01:55

4. Patrick Mathenge Wambui (Kenya/NTT Nishi Nihon) - 1:01:58

5. Anthony Maina (Kenya/Toyota Kyushu) - 1:02:29

6. Hideyuki Tanaka (Japan/Toyota) - 1:02:31

7. Benard Kimani (Kenya/Comodi Iida) - 1:02:48

8. Stephen Kissa (Uganda) - 1:03:07

9. Charles Kamau (Kenya/SG Holdings) - 1:03:25

10. Kazuto Kawabata (SG Holdings) - 1:03:26

11. Brett Robinson (Australia) - 1:03:42

12. Kazuya Azegami (Japan/Toyota) - 1:03:48

13. Kiyohito Akiyama (Japan/Aichi Seiko) - 1:04:08

14. Rory Linkletter (Canada) - 1:04:16

15. Hiromasa Kumahashi (Japan/Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 1:04:23

16. Shuto Mikami (Japan/SG Holdings) - 1:04:30

17. Yuma Hattori (Japan/Toyota) - 1:04:30

18. Simon Saidimu (Kenya/Chuo Hatsujo) - 1:04:39

19. Taiki Suzuki (Japan/ND Software) - 1:05:05

20. Yuichi Yasui (Japan/Toyota) - 1:05:14

21. Tatsuya Sumide (Japan/Aichi Seiko) - 1:05:23

22. Yuta Shitara (Japan/Nishitetsu) - 1:05:25

23. Yohei Suzuki (Japan/Aisan Kogyo) - 1:05:35

24. Joel Mwaura (Kenya/Kurosaki Harima) - 1:05:44

25. Masashi Ishida (Japan/Shimamura) - 1:06:02

-----

35. Yuki Nakamura (Japan/Sumitomo Denko) - 1:08:11

40. Nattawut Innum (Thailand) - 1:08:43

44. Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - 1:09:56

Updates on Transfers

April 1 is the start of Japan's new academic and fiscal year, and there's always a wave of transfer announcements to go with it. Some notable ones yesterday: 800 m NR holder Rin Kubo skipped university to go straight to 2023 Queens Ekiden national champion Sekisui Kagaku after her graduation from Higashi Osaka Keiai H.S. Multiple NR holder Nozomi Tanaka rejoined the Toyota Jidoshokki women's team after having left it to pursue a solo pro career as a New Balance athlete. Already on the team for this fall's Nagoya Asian Games in the 10000 m, Ririka Hironaka announced a switch from her longtime home at Japan Post to the Uniqlo women's team. Collegiate marathon record holder Asahi Kuroda joined the 2026 national champion GMO corporate team after graduating from 2026 Hakone Ekiden champ Aoyama Gakuin University last week. Hakone Ekdien First Stage CR holder Rui Aoki joins the Sumitomo Denko corporate team after running his final race for 2025 Izumo Ekiden w...

Chien Breaks TPE NR, Iwata Betters ID-Class WR - Weekend Track Roundup

The last weekend of the academic and fiscal year saw at least 5 meets with good results domestically and abroad. Kicking things off Friday was the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne, where Tomohiro Shinno and Naoto Hasegawa took 1st and 3rd in the men's high jump, both of them only clearing 2.18 m along with 2nd-placer Roman Anastasios . 12 other Japanese athletes were in action on the second day of the meet on Saturday, where 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura ran 3:42.84 for 6th in the men's 1500 m. Nagiya Mori had a better one in the men's 3000 m with a 7:45.40 for 4th. Both Yota Mashiko and Rui Suzuki cleared 8:00 too, Mashiko's 7:53.84 the 2nd-fastest ever by a Japanese-born high schooler. Abigail Fuka Ido and Nagisa Takahashi both placed 3rd in their events, Ido going 23.85 (-0.9) in the women's 200 m and Takahashi clearing 1.82 m in the women's high jump. 8 Japanese men were at The TEN in California to run 10000 m. In the B-heat won by Edward Marks in ...

Australian YouTuber Handed Lifetime Ban by Ageo City Half Marathon After Running 1:06 with Another Runner's Bib (updated)

After discussion with their race's chief JAAF referee, on Nov. 27 the organizers of the Ageo City Half Marathon handed down a lifetime ban from their event against 36-year-old Australian Matt Inglis Fox for running the Nov. 15 race wearing the bib number of another JAAF-registered runner. The incident came to light after Fox posted on his personal Instagram account that he had run a PB of 1:06:33 and finished 203rd in Ageo with a 10 km split of 31:03, along with photos and video of himself in the race wearing a bib number beginning with 11. Fox did not appear in the results by name or in that time or place, the closest match being a 1:06:54 gross, 1:06:50 net finish time with a 31:21 10 km split for 18th place in the JAAF-registered division and 209th overall by bib number 1129, registered to a non-Japanese Tokyo-resident club runner. The club runner, Harrisson Uk , readily confirmed that he had given his bib to Fox, saying, "I gave my number to Matt. It wasn't me."...

japan running news

Search This Blog