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Gunji, Yoshitomi, Kawauchi and Tokoro Win National Holiday Marathons

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2016/11/24/kiji/K20161124013780460.html
http://www.ryoutan.co.jp/news/2016/11/23/010999.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

4,544 people were entered in the 29th Ohtawara Marathon in Ohtawara, Tochigi on the Nov. 23 national holiday.  Takahiro Gunji (25, Team Komori Corp.) won the men's division in 2:22:56, with Hiroko Yoshitomi (32, Team Memolead) winning the women's division for the second year in a row in 2:37:20.  Both runners were awarded the Sponichi Cup.

Gunji came from far behind to score his first Ohtwara win in the last kilometer. Five minutes behind the leader at halfway, he left the chase pack near 30 km and began to pick up the pace.  Running into a strong headwind Gunji was discouraged by the distance to the leader, but, he said, "People on the side of the road kept shouting at me not to give up."  Doing exactly that, he drew closer and closer to the lead and around 41 km moved into the top position.  It was a…
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Maebashi Fujimi Boys, Katsura Girls Win National Junior High School Ekiden

http://mainichi.jp/articles/20151215/ddl/k10/050/142000c
http://www.jomo-news.co.jp/ns/2714501114405686/news.html
http://www.jomo-news.co.jp/ns/8814501067456492/news.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

The 23rd National Junior High School Ekiden Championships took place Dec. 13 at the Seminar Park Cross Country Course in Yamaguchi.  48 boys' and girls' teams competed, the prefectural champion school from each of Japan's 47 prefectures plus a second team from hosts Yamaguchi prefecture.

Maebashi Fujimi J.H.S. of Gunma prefecture scored its first-ever win in the six-stage, 18.0 km boys' race in 56:37, beating rivals Ohtawara J.H.S. of Tochigi prefecture by 15 seconds.  Following Nakanojo J.H.S. in 1998 and 2000 and Yoshioka J.H.S. in 2009 Maebashi Fujimi became just the fourth school from Gunma to win the national title.  Captain Daiki Arai, 3rd year, said, "I'm so happy it's like a dream.  In long distance running it's really easy to get anemia, so o…
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Asahi Kasei Dominates Final New Year Ekiden Qualifier

http://mainichi.jp/sports/news/20121124k0000m050028000c.html
http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2012/11/24/kiji/K20121124004624680.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

For the third year in a row Team Asahi Kasei won the seven stage, 78.8 km Kyushu Corporate Men's Ekiden, dominating the race's 49th edition on Nov. 23.  With Olympian Ryuji Ono taking the lead on the Third Stage with a stage best run, anchor Takuya Fukatsu setting a new stage record and every team member finishing in the top four on time on their stage, there was little question of the team securing its 42nd win in the event's history.

Team Yasukawa Denki presented a challenge in the early going with Hiroki Kubota running the fastest time on the Second Stage, but anchor Kentaro Nakamoto, the London Olympics marathon 6th placer, faded and could not maintain position.  Team Toyota Kyushu started slow, only getting into the game with a stage best run by ace Masato Imai on the Third Stage and another from …
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Diamond in the Rough - 17 Yr Old Girl Breaks CR by 9 Minutes and Makes Top 10 Overall at Nishi-Kanasa 14 km (updated)

by Brett Larner

New Nishi-Kanasa Mountain Road Race women's CR holder by 9 minutes, 17 year-old Minami Yamanouchi.

The 11th Nishi-Kanasa 14 km Mountain Road Race took place Nov. 21 in the town of Hitachi Ota, Ibaraki prefecture. For the second year in a row, Kenyans Joaz Ogata and Evan Malarsa of Team Ibaraki Kankyo Kigyo went 1-2, just off Ogata's course record in times of 49:36 and 49:45. The relatively slow pace, just over 3:30/km, reflects the difficulty of the course - a gentle downhill for the first two km, a gradual uphill for the next four, and then a suddenly 300 m climb from 6 km to 9 km followed by an equal descent in only 2 km and then a gradual slope down to the finish.

The big news of the race came in the women's division, where 17 year old Minami Yamanouchi, a high school junior from Koriyama, Fukushima prefecture, finished 9th overall. Her time, 54:37, was only five minutes off that of the professional male Kenyan winner, broke the existing women's course …
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Ohtawara Marathon Top Finishers Tamura and Nishizawa Run Paris Marathon

http://mainichi.jp/area/tochigi/news/20090407ddlk09050214000c.html

translated by Brett Larner

On Apr. 6 the Ohtawara municipal government released the results of the four athletes it sent to compete in the Apr. 5 Paris Marathon. The four runners included the top woman and top three men from last year's Ohtawara Marathon.

Miyo Tanabe (AC Kita) ran 2:51:40 to finish 19th in the women's race. On the men's side, Satoshi Nishizawa (Team Yamani Spring) had the highest placing, 39th in 2:24:24. Tomohiro Minami (Team Aisan Kogyo) was 49th, while Kenichiro Kawazu (Team NTN) was 71st.

30000 runners took part in this year's 33rd edition of the Paris Marathon. The best placings by runners sent by Ohtawara thus far have been 7th for women and 23rd for men.
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Ueno and Kinoshita Win Ohtawara 10 km Road Race

by Brett Larner

Former Chuo University standout Yuichiro Ueno, an Olympic-class runner who joined Team S&B in April after his graduation and promptly disappeared with injuries, marked his true professional debut with a 29:13 victory in perfect conditions at the Nov. 23 Ohtawara 10 km road race in Tochigi Prefecture. Ueno had a wide margin of victory over Norihito Watanabe (Team Yanagawa Seiki), 2nd in 30:22, and, in a rare road appearance, 1000 m, 1500 m and 2000 m national record holder Fumikazu Kobayashi (Team NTN) who finished 3rd in 31:07.

In the women's race Yumiko Kinoshita (Second Wind AC), teammate of last week's Tokyo International Women's Marathon runner-up Yuri Kano, outclassed the rest of the field, running 34:50 to finish over 2 1/2 minutes ahead of two-time Mt. Fuji Mountain Race winner Yuri Kanbara (Namban Rengo AC), who clocked 37:31.

The Ohtawara 10 km is held every Nov. 23 in conjunction with the amateur-level Ohtawara Marathon. Complete results are avai…
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