japan running news

by Brett Larner

2012 National University Ekiden Champion Komazawa University's ace sophomore Kenta Murayama, the first man since the great Toshihiko Seko to win the National University Championships 5000 m title as a first-year, added another laurel to his collection with a PB 1:02:46 win at the world's deepest half marathon, the 25th anniversary Ageo City Half Marathon. On a severely windy and cloudless day Murayama and runner-up Kento Otsu of 2012 Hakone Ekiden course record-setters Toyo University were the only men to break 63 minutes.  In his final tuneup for the Dec. 2 Fukuoka International Marathon fan favorite Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref.) tied his best-ever placing in Ageo as he took 3rd in 1:03:02, his best time on the Ageo course and one of the best of his career.

In a new relationship inaugurated in honor of Ageo's 25th anniversary and facilitated by JRN, both Murayama and Otsu along with their coaches Hiroaki Oyagi and Toshiyuki Sakai received invitations to t…

by Brett Larner

Top young talents Tsuyoshi Ugachi and Hitomi Niiya led the Konica Minolta men and Universal Entertainment women to the win at the East Japan Corporate Ekiden Championships, the regional qualifier for the New Year Ekiden men's national championships and the National Corporate Women's Ekiden Championships, Nov. 3 in Saitama.

After a slow start by leadoff man Masaki Ito, Ugachi, one of Japan's best current track and road racers, ran just off his own Second Stage record to put Konica Minolta into the lead, a position it never left despite only one more stage win courtesy of Sendai Ikuei H.S. grad Paul Kuira.  5000 m national record holder Takayuki Matsumiya brought the team home to its first East Japan win in 7 years, 45 seconds ahead of defending national champion Team Nissin Shokuhin.

Nissin was far off its game, running its youngest Kenyan Leonard Barston and taking not a single stage win.  10000 m national champion Yuki Sato was only 4th on his stage, leavi…

by Brett Larner

Three Japanese men from two rival companies were on the roads in Europe this weekend competing over the half marathon distance.  At the Great North Run former Meiji University captain Minoru Ikebe (Team Honda) had the fastest time of the three, running just off his PB in 1:03:48, the fastest time ever by a Japanese man on the Great North Run course even though far off winner 2011 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon winner and London Olympics bronze medalist Wilson Kipsang's winning time of 59:06.  Former Team Denso runner and 2012 Olympic Marathon gold medalist Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) took 3rd in the women's race behind the outstanding debut of Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) and runner-up Edna Kiplagat (Kenya), the 2011 World Championships marathon gold medalist.

In the Czech Republic at the Usti nad Ladem Half Marathon, 2011 World Championships men's marathon team member Yoshinori Oda (Team Toyota) ran almost 30 seconds off Ikebe's GNR time, clocking 1:04:18 for 4t…

http://www.albertostretti.org/2012/09/greatnorthrunofficial-startinglists.html

Former Meiji University captain Minoru Ikebe (Team Honda) will make his British half-marathon debut at Sunday's Great North Run with assistance from JRN.

by Brett Larner

A midsummer tuneup for corporate, university and amateur teams training in northern Japan to escape the heat and humidity, the Towada Hachimantai Ekiden saw its 64th running on Aug. 7.  Team Honda, led by 2010 Tokyo Marathon winner Masakazu Fujiwara, took the team title as it covered the five stage, 73.8 km course in 3:48:38.

Honda started the race in 3rd and gradually worked its way to within 21 seconds of the lead by the end of Fujiwara's stage second-best run on the 16. 3 km Third Stage.  Fourth Stage runner Minoru Ikebe ran a stage best time to overtake leader Nihon University for 1st.  Honda anchor Takashi Toyoda was only sixth-fastest on the brutal uphill Fifth Stage but still held on for the win after Nihon's anchor Shingo Hayashi struggled and finished 12th on stage time.

Hayashi in turn barely held off Toyo University's brilliant uphill specialist Ryuji Kashiwabara, who took Toyo from 8th to 3rd and from nearly five minutes off the lead to less th…

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2011011000281

translated by Brett Larner

In the 62nd and final edition of the seven-stage, 99.9 km Asahi Ekiden from Fukuoka to Kita-Kyushu, Team Kyudenko took its third win and first in five years, clocking 4:50:58. New Year Ekiden 4th placers Team Yasukawa Denki were 2nd, while Team Asahi Kasei finished 3rd. Defending champion Team Honda was only 4th.

Kyudenko's Paul Tanui put the team ahead on the First Stage, and all the way to anchor Mao Fukuyama Kyudenko's runners finished in the top three on stage time, keeping the team in 1st by a margin of 50 seconds over Yasukawa Denki.

Translator's note: The majority of Team Yasukawa Denki actually outperformed Team Kyudenko, with more Yasukawa Denki runners taking 1st or 2nd on their stage than Kyudenko runners. Yasukawa Denki was within four seconds of Kyudenko at the end of the Third Stage, but, reinforcing that you are only as strong as your weakest link, a poor performance on the Fourth S…