japan running news

Great Scottish Run Half Marathon
Glasgow, 9/2/12
click here for complete results

Men
1. Joseph Birech (Kenya) - 1:03:14
2. Sota Hoshi (Team Fujitsu) - 1:03:49
3. John Kelai (Kenya) - 1:04:17
4. Masamichi Shinozaki (Team Hitachi Logistics) - 1:05:10
5. Yuki Takamiya (Team Yakult) - 1:05:19
6. Masashi Kada (Team NTT Nishi Nihon) - 1:05:41

Women
1. Bezunesh Bekele (Ethiopia) - 1:09:09
2. Aya Nagata (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 1:12:02
3. Grace Momanyi (Kenya) - 1:12:41
4. Shino Saito (Team Shimamura) - 1:13:23
5. Hayley Haining (U.K.) - 1:15:03


Rock 'n' Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon
Virginia Beach, 9/2/12
click here for complete results

Men
1. Nicholas Kurgat (Kenya) - 1:04:45
2. Henry Rutto (Kenya) - 1:05:01
3. Ryo Matsumoto (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 1:05:58
4. Samuel Ndereba (Kenya) - 1:06:00
5. Rui Yonezawa (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 1:06:32
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8. Kazuki Tomaru (Team Toyota) - 1:11:13

Women
1. Rei Ohara (Team Tenmaya) - 1:13:50
2. Chihiro Takato (Team Wacoal) - 1:14:10
3. Yuri Kano…

by Brett Larner

In the absence of any serious competition, Madoka Ogi (Team Juhachi Ginko) won the women's race at the Rock 'n' Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon Sept. 5. Ogi's time of 1:14:17 was unremarkable but good enough to win by a margin of nearly a minute and a half over a field which included Beijing Olympics marathon gold medalist Constantina Dita (Romania) and world trail running champion Fiona Docherty (New Zealand). Along with Seattle winner Mari Ozaki (Team Noritz), Ogi is the second Japanese woman to win a Rock 'n' Roll-brand half marathon this year. Japanese men also fared decently in Virginia Beach, taking five of the top ten spots led by 5000 m and 30 km national record holder Takayuki Matsumiya (Team Konica Minolta) in 1:03:57 for 4th behind Kenyan Yusuf Songoka's 1:02:46 winning performance. Click here to read the official press release on Songoka and Ogi's wins.

Across the ocean, formerly Japan-based Africans took both of the top spot…

by Brett Larner
As in past years, Rikuren selected top male and female finishers from this year's Jitsugyodan Half Marathon corporate championships to run in the 2009 Great Scottish Run half marathon in Glasgow, Scotland on Sept. 6. Leading the way with a 3rd place finish in the women's race was 2008 Shanghai Half Marathon winner Megumi Seike (Team Sysmex). 2009 Miyazaki Women's Half Marathon winner Maki Suzawa (Team Kyocera) was 5th in 1:18:24. Caroline Cheptonui Kilel of Kenya took the women's race in a solid 1:09:03. In February Kilel took the stage best honors on the third leg of the final Yokohama International Women's Ekiden before crashing in March's Nagoya International Women's Marathon.
A sizeable Japanese contingent in the men's race also took four of the top ten spots, with Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) the best Japanese man in 5th. Former Team Honda ace Hailu Mekonnen of Ethiopia was the runner-up in 1:01:29, ten seconds behind win…