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Showing posts with the label Moriya Half

Kiplagat and Tadese Lead Busy Weekend of Road Action

It's another busy weekend on the roads across Japan. Two-time marathon world champion Edna Kiplagat (Kenya) and men's half marathon world record holder Zersenay Tadese (Eritrea) top the bill at Sunday's Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon. Kiplagat is the fastest woman in the field, her main competition coming from Sara Hall (U.S.A.) and the Japanese trio of Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal), Michi Numata (Toyota Jidoshokki) and Mai Ito (Otsuka Seiyaku). In something of a slump since the Rio Olympics, Japanese national record holder Kayoko Fukushi (Wacoal) is also on the entry list.

The somewhat grizzled Tadese is the only man in the field with a recent time under 60 minutes, but just back is a thick group of nine sub-61 men led by Japan-based Kenyan Bernard Kimani (Yakult) and Japanese national record holder Yuta Shitara (Honda). Along with Shitara, all five of the other still active Japanese men to have broken 61 are entered, making it the greatest Japanese half marathon fi…
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Beppu-Oita, Marugame and More - Weekend Preview

by Brett Larner

Japan's short post-ekiden road season gets up to full speed this weekend.  The second of four selection races for the three spots on the London World Championships men's marathon team happens at the Sunday's Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon.  Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) is the leading contender for the team after a 2:09:11 for 3rd at December's Fukuoka International Marathon, a time that puts a bullseye on his back for the best men in Beppu-Oita and the other races to come.

It's rare to see someone make a national team from Beppu-Oita, but a win there in a time better than Kawauchi's would probably put someone ahead of him in priority for the team.  With a 2:09:39 debut last year at Lake Biwa the talented but injury-prone Fumihiro Maruyama (Team Asahi Kasei) is the favorite to do just that, but Kentaro Nakamoto (Team Yasukawa Denki), Ryo Kiname (Team MHPS), Kento Otsu (Team Toyota Kyushu) and debuting Toyota teammates Minato Oishi and T…
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Weekend Preview

by Brett Larner

It's a big weekend of racing across Japan.  The 70th Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon leads the way with a shot at the Japanese men's national record as Konica Minolta teammates Masato Kikuchi, Keita Shitara and Tsuyoshi Ugachi, all 1:00:32 to 1:01:12 for the half marathon, line up with support from past winner Collis Birmingham (Australia), Goitom Kifle (Eritrea), track star Yuki Sato (Nissin Shokuhin) in his serious half marathon debut, and more.  2014 Asian Games marathon gold medalist Eunice Kirwa (Bahrain) leads a women's field that includes 2015's top Japanese woman Rei Ohara (Team Tenmaya), last year's winner Eloise Wellings (Australia), Canadian record hopeful Natasha Wodak and many more.

Likewise celebrating an anniversary year is the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon in its 65th running.  Not counting in the qualifying for the Rio Olympic team the home field is weaker than usual, Kenichi Shiraishi (Team Asahi Kasei) topping the list …
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Beppu-Oita and Marugame Lead Weekend Action

by Brett Larner

Another busy weekend is on the way, with the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon and Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon leading at least five elite road races nationwide. Despite a padding of aging veterans and the withdrawal yesterday of two A-list athletes, Beppu-Oita still sports what may be the best field in its 63-year history, from a domestic standpoint at least as good as what Tokyo has put together this year.  The fastest Japanese marathoner of 2013 with a 2:08:00 in Tokyo and a vocal critic of Beppu-Oita course record holder Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't), Kazuhiro Maeda (Team Kyudenko) is back in Beppu for the first time since 2011 looking to eclipse the 2:08:15 record Kawauchi set last year.  His best competition comes form Mongolian national record holder Ser-Od Bat-Ochir, a high-volume marathoner who beat Kawauchi to win the Hofu Yomiuri Marathon in 2:09:00 seven weeks ago.  If things go well and Bat-Ochir is fully recovered from Hofu the race …
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Big Weekend Ahead With Olympic Medalists in Marugame, Nakamoto vs. Kawauchi in Beppu-Oita and One More Ekiden for the Road

by Brett Larner

A big weekend of racing is ahead in Japan with three major races and a handful of other events on the calendar for Sunday.  First and foremost is the 67th Kagawa Marugama International Half Marathon, where London Olympic marathon medalists Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) and Abel Kirui (Kenya) bring the most prestige.  Women's gold medalist Gelana is challenged by #1-ranked Kim Smith (New Zealand) and 2010 Marugame winner Nicole Chapple (Australia) from south of the equator, with 2012 Sanyo Ladies Half Marathon winner Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren) making up the domestic challenge.  All three challengers hold faster PBs than Gelana, setting up for an exciting race.  Other top-level entrants include Marisa Barros (Portugal) and Hiroko Miyauchi (Team Kyocera).

Men's silver medalist Abel Kirui (Kenya) is the fastest man in Marugame, where last year's men's field set new world records for depth.  His strongest competition on paper is Japanese national record holder Ats…
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Nittai Univ. First-Year Hattori Wins Moriya Half in Debut

by Brett Larner

Nittai University's star first-year Shota Hattori, 2nd on the Third Stage of last month's Hakone Ekiden behind Kenyan Cosmas Ondiba (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.), won the 27th Moriya Half Marathon on Feb. 6 in his debut over the half marathon distance. In a last kick sprint finish Hattori prevailed over Chuo Gakuin University captain Koji Kobayashi and Hattori's teammate Takumi Honda by one second to win in 1:03:54. With mostly university runners in the front end of the field, the top corporate runner was 2:08:56 marathoner Kazutoshi Takatsuka (Team Komori Corp.), 6th in 1:05:09. Nittai runners Hidemi Sakurai and Yasuha Kurita went 1-2 in the women's race.

2011 Moriya Half Marathon
click here for complete results
Men
1. Shota Hattori (Nittai Univ.) - 1:03:54 - debut
2. Koji Kobayashi (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) - 1:03:55
3. Takumi Honda (Nittai Univ.) - 1:03:56
4. Tomohiro Hayakawa (Nittai Univ.) - 1:04:02 - PB
5. Ataru Otani (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) - 1:04:02 - PB
6. Kazutoshi Ta…
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