japan running news

by Brett Larner

2011 World Cross Country silver medalist Paul Tanui (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) delivered the biggest run of a weekend of regional corporate track and field championships, setting a meet record at the Kyushu region championships 10000 m in a world-leading 27:21.50. His teammate Sally Chepyego (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) likewise brought her best with a meet record 15:17.47 in the women's 5000 m.  Moscow World Championships marathon team members Kazuhiro Maeda (Team Kyudenko) and Kentaro Nakamoto (Team Yasukawa Denki) both ran well behind Tanui to go sub-29, Nakamoto for only the second time in his career.

Less than an hour after Tanui's world leading run, London Olympics 10000 m 5th-place Bedan Karoki (Kenya/DeNA RC) flashed the flamboyant colors of the new DeNA uniform to win the East Japan region 10000 m in 27:30.65, the fastest time in the world this year behind Tanui.  Ethiopian Asmeraw Mengistu (Team Honda), hired as the Honda team's B-African behind 2011 world c…

by Brett Larner

The Japanese outdoor track season got started Saturday at Kumamoto's Kanaguri Memorial Meet depite high winds and heavy rain from a passing storm that kept times from what was hoped.  Japan-based Africans won all the major races, with last year's winners Patrick Mutunga (Kenya/Team Toyota Boshoku) and Sally Chepyego (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) repeating in the men's and women's 5000 m A-heats in 13:26.48 and 15:42.81.  The Koichi Morishita-coached Yuya Konishi (Team Toyota Kyushu) clocked the fastest time of the day by a Japanese man, 13:39.46 for 2nd in the B-heat, while independent Yuka Ando (Tokinosumika T&F Assoc.) took 2nd behind Chepyego for the top Japanese time in 16:02.08.  The year's leading Japanese marathoner, Kazuhiro Maeda (Team Kyudenko), started his buildup to August's World Championships, running a 14:07.46 shakeout in the men's 5000 m B-heat in his first race since running 2:08:00 at February's Tokyo Marathon.

In the men&…

text and Kanto video by Brett Larner
Hachioji video by B1853264

Two major time trial meets focusing on the men's 10000 m took place in Tokyo Nov. 24, the pro-oriented Hachioji Long Distance Time Trials meet in Tokyo's western suburbs, and the Kanto Region University Long Distance Time Trials meet at the National Stadium.



The focus in the A-heat in Hachioji was on the 2013 World Championships A and B qualifying times of 27:40.00 and 28:05.00.  With impeccable pacing from Bitan Karoki (Kenya/Team S&B) in 14:00 through 5000 m, former Jobu University ace Yusuke Hasegawa (Team S&B), 2011 year-leader Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Team Konica Minolta) and Kenyans Patrick Mwaka (Team Aisan Kogyo) and Alex Mwangi (Team YKK) cleared the B-standard, Hasegawa going sub-60 on his final lap to deliver a 15-second PB of 27:50.64.  With outstanding conditions four other men in the top ten ran PBs of 20 to 45 seconds, led by 2012 Waseda University graduate Yusuke Mita (Team JR Higashi Nihon) in 28:…

Ecopa Stadium, Shizuoka, 5/3/12
click here for complete results

Men's 5000 m
1. Paul Tanui (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) - 13:19.18
2. Patrick Mutunga (Kenya/Team Toyota Boshoku) - 13:21.22
3. John Thuo (Kenya/Team Toyota) - 13:23.41
4. Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 13:27.06
5. Edward Waweru (Kenya/Team NTN) - 13:41.56
6. Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) - 13:46.35
7. Kazuharu Takai (Team Kyudenko) - 14:00.31
8. Hayato Saito (Team Honda) - 14:05.13
9. Yusei Nakao (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 14:08.95
10. Wataru Ueno (Komazawa Univ.) - 14:18.77

Women's 5000 m
1. Yuriko Kobayashi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:30.95
2. Ai Igarashi - 15:31.72 (Team Sysmex) - 15:31.72
3. Susan Wairimu (Kenya) - 15:31.74
4. Grace Kimanzi (Kenya/Team Starts) - 15:32.23
5. Yurie Doi (Team Starts) - 15:37.32
6. Megumi Kinukawa (Mizuno) - 15:40.73
7. Doricah Obare (Kenya/Team Hitachi) - 15:43.95
8. Mai Ishibashi (Team Denso) - 15:45.25
9. Felista Wanjugu (Kenya/Team Univ. Ent.) - 15:51.85
10. Ayuko Suzuki (…

by Brett Larner

The Japanese track season got moving Apr. 7 with the first big meet of the year, the 21st Kanaguri Memorial Meet in Kumamoto.  In the men's 5000 m A-heat, relative newcomer Patrick Mwikya (Kenya/Team Toyota Boshoku) led start to finish, winning in a solo 13:21.36.  A tight pack behind him saw Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B), on the mend from his latest round of injuries, emerge to take 2nd in 13:28.70 just short of the 13:27.00 Olympic B-standard.  A step behind were Kenyan Daniel Gitau (Team Fujitsu) and 10000 m Olympic A-standard holder Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Team Konica Minolta), both under 13:30.  In the men's B-heat, winner Hayato Saito (Team Honda) would have placed well in the A-heat as he won by a comfortable margin in 13:41.80.

Kenyans Sally Chepyego (Team Kyudenko) and, making her pro debut, Beatrice Murugi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) ran together ahead of the Japanese pack with Chepyego pulling away for the win in 15:20.30.  Yuka Ando, debuting with her new M…

by Brett Larner

In its fifth year with a mixed men and women team format, the 2011 International Chiba Ekiden was one of the better editions in recent memory.  All three Kenyan men won their stages, with Patrick Mutunga Mwikya and Edwin Nyandusi Mokua setting stage records, while all three Japanese women won theirs including a stage record from anchor Hitomi Niiya, making for a tense race with lead changes on almost every stage.  Kenya came out 19 seconds ahead of the Japanese team for the win in 2:04:40 as both broke the old course record.  The defending champion, the Japanese University Select Team, was far back in 3rd in 2:07:26 after spending most the race battling 4th placer Russia.  The United States and Australia also had a good duel throughout the ekiden, American men Robert Cheseret and Bobby Mack making the top three on their stages and Australian women Lisa Corrigan and Emily Brichacek doing likewise.  Mack drew camera time when he passed Australia's Stephen Dinneen hal…