japan running news

by Brett Larner The 2011 Hokuren Distance Challenge series wrapped up June 29 with its fourth and final event, the Shibetsu Meet. Despite warm and humid conditions, significant marks came in the women's 5000 m and men's 1500 m. In the women's 5000 m, Kenyan Sally Chepyego (Team Kyudenko) marked her latest PB of the season, 15:10.53, to take the win. Just behind her, National Championships 5000 m runner-up Hitomi Niiya , sporting her new Team Universal Entertainment jersey for the first time after a few months as an independent following being fired from Team Toyota Jidoshokki, just cleared the World Championships A-standard with a new PB of 15:13.12. Niiya's mark all but assures she will join national champion Megumi Kinukawa (Team Mizuno) in Daegu and secures her as the all-time Japanese #10 over 5000 m. Her former teammate, 1500 m national record holder Yuriko Kobayashi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki), was a regrettable DNF after a long period lost to injury. In the ...

217th Nittai University Time Trials June 11-12, Nittai University, Yokohama click here for complete results Women's 5000 m Heat 22 1. Kaho Tanaka (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 15:43.27 2. Yuka Kakimi (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 15:45.43 3. Tomomi Tanaka (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 16:03.56 4. Yukie Nagata (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 16:06.20 5. Miho Ihara (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 16:07.86 6. Yoko Aizu (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 16:09.28 7. Risa Nakamura (Team Hitachi) - 16:10.96 8. Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 16:13.24 9. Yuki Hidaka (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 16:19.02 10. Misaki Kato (Team Kyudenko) - 16:21.54 Men's 5000 m Heat 27 1. Genki Yagisawa (Meiji Univ.) - 13:55.04 2. Michael Githinji (Kenya/Team Toho Refine) - 13:55.49 3. Hideyuki Anzai (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:55.77 4. Ryo Matsumoto (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 13:56.06 5. Shinichi Yamashita (Takigahara SDF Base) - 13:56.16 6. Muryo Takase (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:57.91 7. Kazuhiro Kuga (Komazawa Univ.) - 13:58...

by Brett Larner Click photo for video highlights. Kagoshima Jitsugyo H.S. unexpectedly ran down defending champion Sera H.S. on the final two stages to win a dramatic 2010 National High School Boys Ekiden , its first-ever national title in the event's 61-year history. Kazuto Nishiike (Suma Gakuen H.S.), who finished 0.02 seconds out of the medals in the boys' 3000 m at last summer's Youth Olympics, took the race out hard with a 29:35 for the 10 km First Stage. Kagoshima Jitsugyo's Takashi Ichida was just 3 seconds back, with another 5 seconds separating Ichida from pursuers Sendai Ikuei H.S. and Kyushu Gakuin H.S. Suma Gakuen's Second Stage runner Yudai Yamamoto lengthened the team's lead over Sendai Ikuei and Kyushu Gakuin, while Kagoshima Jitsugyo fell to 7th. The 8.1075 km Third Stage, a showcase for the top Kenyan high schoolers in Japan, saw a shakeup to the runner as defending champions Sera H.S.' new ace Charles Ndirangu delivered a big perfor...

by Brett Larner Two days after winning the 2010 National High School Track and Field Championships 1500 m by a hair, Aomori Yamada H.S. senior Michael Githinji had another narrow win in the men's 5000 m to complete the distance double at this year's Championships. As in the 1500 m, Githinji outkicked the top Japanese man, in this case Suma Gakuen H.S. senior Kazuto Nishiike , in the home stretch to win in 13:59.86. Nishiike, just back from the World Junior Championships, barely held off Shogo Nakamura of Ueno Kogyo H.S. for 2nd in 14:00.54, Nakamura taking 3rd in 14:00.98. Nishiike will next compete in the 3000 m at the Youth Olympics in Singapore later this month. The 2010 Nationals finish up Aug. 2nd with the finals of the women's 3000 m. For complete results click here . (c) 2010 Brett Larner all rights reserved

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/p-sp-tp0-20100731-660194.html http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/p-sp-tp0-20100731-660197.html translated and edited by Brett Larner At the 2010 National High School Track and Field Championships at Okinawa Prefectural Sports Park on the island of Amami, Kojokan High School's Mahiro Akamatsu (3rd yr.) won the girls' 1500 m, holding up her right hand in victory as she crossed the line. The pace was quick right from the start, but Akamatsu remained calm and composed. "It was windy and hot," she said after the race, "but I was moving well and I was sure I could do it." With one lap to go Akamatsu dropped the rest of the leaders with an aggressive spurt which carried her to the win by a margin of nearly three seconds, clocking 4:19.80. Akamatsu came to the championships confident from her gold medal in the 3000 m at last month's Asian Junior Games in Vietnam. Kojokan H.S. head coach Yoshiji Mo...

by Brett Larner Several universities around Tokyo hold monthly open time trials. Anyone from beginner joggers to Olympians is free to run distances from 1500 m to 10000 m in heats seeded by personal best time. The Nihon Taiku University* Kirokukai series of time trials is perhaps the most popular. The November 22nd edition , the 199th in Nittai's series, focused on the 5000 m, with 26 heats of 5000 m and 4 heats of women's 3000 m stretched out over 12 hours from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. 30 to 45 runners ran in each heat, some of which included designated pacemakers. Heats early in the day were slower and featured mostly amateurs, while the later heats were filled with high school, university and jitsugyodan professionals tuning up for their championship ekidens. Among the noteworthy runners on hand was Arata Fujiwara (Team JR Higashi Nihon), a 2:08:40 marathoner who was the alternate for the Beijing Olympics men's marathon team. Fujiwara is competing in the Fukuoka Internati...