3 Top-Tier Japanese Collegiate Runners in United Airlines NYC Half Elite Field

The NYRR have announced the elite fields for the 2025 United Airlines NYC Half, and 3 top-tier runners from Japanese universities feature prominently in the men's field. Having just lost his 59:32 collegiate record to Komazawa University's Kotaro Shinohara in Marugame earlier this month, collegiate 5000 m and 10000 m record holder Richard Etir of Tokyo Kokusai University heads to New York fresh off a 1:05:31 CR on the 23.1 km Hakone Ekiden Second Stage, equivalent to a 59:50 half marathon on a rolling net uphill course. That should predict success on the tough NYC course. He'll be the main competition for newly crowned American record holder Connor Mantz, 59:17 in Houston at the end of January, with defending champ and sub-59 man Abel Kipchumba in contention too after a 59:52 win at last year's Great North Run. Sub-27 10000 m men Mohammed Ahmed and Woody Kincaid are also debuting.

Komazawa teammates Yudai Kiyama and Hibiki Murakami earned spots in New York with breakthrough runs at November's Ageo City Half Marathon as part of JRN's partnership with the NYRR and Ageo. Kiyama was 2nd in 1:01:59 and Murakami 4th in 1:02:04, both PBs. At Hakone Kiyama was 2nd again on the 21.3 km First Stage in 1:02:39, with Murakami 5th on the 23.1 km Ninth Stage. Both broke through again at Marugame earlier this month, Kiyama was a stellar 1:00:32 that saw him go from 15th to 10th in the last km and Murakami running a 1:01:46 PB. For both it will be the first time racing outside Japan.

United Airlines NYC Half

Elite Men's Field Highlights

New York, U.S.A., 16 March 2025

times listed are athletes' best in last 3 years except where noted

Conner Mantz (U.S.A.) - 59:17 (Houston 2025)

Richard Etir (Kenya/Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) - 59:32 (Marugame 2024)

Abel Kipchumba (Kenya) - 59:52 (Great North Run 2024)

Patrick Dever (Great Britain) - 1:00:11 (Houston 2025)

Hillary Bor (U.S.A.) - 1:00:20 (Houston 2025)

Yudai Kiyama (Japan/Komazawa Univ.) - 1:00:32 (Marugame 2025)

Wesley Kiptoo (Kenya) - 1:00:34 (Houston 2025)

Biya Simbassa (U.S.A.) - 1:00:37 (Valencia 2023)

Reed Fischer (U.S.A.) - 1:00:54 (Houston 2025)

Ben Flanagan (Canada) - 1:01:00 (Valencia 2022)

Alex Masai (Kenya) - 1:01:04 (Houston 2025)

Jack Rowe (Great Britain) - 1:01:08 (Greenwich 2023)

Yemane Haileselassie (Eritrea) - 1:01:34 (Houston 2024)

Hibiki Murakami (Japan/Komazawa. Univ.) - 1:01:46 (Marugame 2025)

Tristan Woodfine (Canada) - 1:02:40 (Boston 2023)

Andrew Davies (Canada) - 1:03:05 (Vancouver 2025)

Jose Mauricio Gonzalez (Colombia) - 1:03:07 (Caracas 2023)

Connor Winter (U.S.A.) - 1:03:10 (NYC 2023)

Charlie Sweeney (U.S.A.) - 1:03:31 (Indianapolis 2023)

Liam Dee (Great Britain) - 1:03:43 (Valencia 2024)

Nick Hauger (U.S.A.) - 1:03:48 (Great North Run 2024)

Tim McGowan (U.S.A.) - 1:03:54 (Philadelphia 2023)

Debut

Mohammed Ahmed (Canada) - 26:43.79 (Paris Olympics 10000 m 2024)

Woody Kincaid (U.S.A.) - 26:57.57 (The TEN 10000 m 2024)

Luke Combs (U.S.A.) - 28:24.84 (Palo Alto 10000 m 2024)

Australian Male Arrested on Drug Smuggling Charges After Entering Japan for Osaka Marathon

On Apr. 9 the Kinki Region Bureau of Health, Labor and Welfare's Drug Control Division arrested Matthew Inglis Fox , 38, an Australian business owner of no known fixed address, on charges of violating the importation regulations of the Narcotics Control Act by smuggling tablets containing marijuana elements from the United States. The suspect had entered Japan in February to run in the Osaka Marathon . The suspect was arrested on suspicion of smuggling approximately 12 pills containing marijuana by sending them from a U.S. airport to Osaka's Kansai Airport using an international courier service on Feb. 19. The Osaka branch of the Customs Service discovered the tablets in arriving cargo and suspected them to be narcotics. Customs contacted the Narcotics Control Division, which then began its investigation of the case. According to the Narcotics Control Division, the suspect denies the charges. Translator's note: Fox, who received a lifetime ban from the Ageo City Half Mara...

Long Time Coming - Akira Akasaki and Haruka Onodera's Road to the 2022 United Airlines NYC Half

Back in pre-pandemic days Akira Akasaki and Haruka Onodera were still in college, Akasaki at Takushoku University and Onodera at Teikyo University . At the 2019 Ageo City Half Marathon they frontran most of the race together, dead set on finishing in the top two Japanese collegiate spots to win invitations to the 2020 United Airlines NYC Half. For Akasaki it had already been a year and a half wait. Inspired by Kenta Murayama 's 1:00:57 5th place in finish in New York in 2017 and Kei Katanishi 's 7th-place in 2018, Akasaki went for it his junior year in his debut at the 2018 Ageo Half . "Coming up to 10 km I was in the lead pack and feeling good, so I knew I had a shot at going to New York and got pretty excited," he said. But right after the 10 km turnaround point he tripped and fell, and by the time he was back up the lead group was out of range. He finished 20th in 1:03:07, over a minute and a half behind top Japanese university man Ken Nakayama . "I was f...

My Training for 1:00:44

Hi, I'm Ayumu Kobayashi . Today I'm going to write about this year's National Corporate Half Marathon and the training I did for it. I hope other runners will find it even a little bit helpful. At the Corporate Half on Feb. 13 I was 10th in 1:00:44. My goal had been to run 61 minutes, so I hit that target. My Training Menu In January I ran a total of 681 km. Key workouts: Jan. 11: 1000 m x 5 at 2:50/km Jan. 12: 22.5 km Jan. 15: 9 km variable pace Jan. 17: 25 km Jan. 24: 1000 m x 8 at 2:52/km Jan. 27: 1 km + 4 km + 2 km Jan. 30: 16 km at 3:18/km avg. In January I was tired from the New Year Ekiden and had some knee pain after it, so I just jogged for 10 days until I started doing workouts again on the 11th. That's why I only ran 681 km for the month. But even on the jog days I was aware that I had the Corporate Half coming up, so I was doing around 30 km. It's pretty meat and potatoes, but I think it was really important. February (training for the 10 days before...

japan running news

Search This Blog