japan running news

https://www.iaaf.org/news/report/jepchirchir-breaks-world-half-marathon-record

The Ras Al-Khaimah Half was the fifth-straight win for Tokyo-based Bedan Karoki (DeNA RC), having won two track races in 24 hours at November's Nittai University Time Trials meet, the first a 10000 m in 27:07.30, a brilliant win in the most competitive January race in the world, the New Year Ekiden's 8.3 km Second Stage, and a tune-up for RAK with a win at the 10 km Discovery Cross meet in Kenya late last month.  Karoki is set to debut at April's London Marathon after a DNS there last year.

photo © 2017 Dr. Helmut Winter
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https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-cross-country-championships/news/cross-country-eldoret-san-sebastian

Bedan Karoki (DeNA RC) is based in Tokyo and trains on Yoyogi Park's cross-country loop almost every morning when in town.

by Brett Larner

Japanese 10000 m all-comers record holder Josephat Ndambiri (Kenya/Team Komori Corp.) ran the 4th Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon Feb. 19th in the U.A.E. In his first major half marathon in five years, Ndambiri, who last spring ran 26:57.36 for 10000 m and was 5th in the 2007 World Championships 10000 m, finished 7th overall in the competitive field in a PB of 1:01:08. Ndambiri ran the first half of the race with the leaders, covering 10 km on pace for a 59:30 before slowing to over 3 min/km between 15 and 20 km. Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya) won the race in 59:43, while Ethiopian-born Elvan Abeleygesse (Turkey), a double medalist on the track in the Beijing Olympics, took a no-surprise win in her half marathon debut, clocking 1:07:07.

For complete results click here. Ndambiri's splits are available here.

(c) 2010 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

by Brett Larner

Team Hokuren's Philes Ongori, who ran the fastest women's half marathon in the world last year, set a new PB of 1:07:50 at the Feb. 20 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in the UAE. Ongori ran among the leaders until the final kilometers when Ethiopia's Dire Tune broke away to a new national record of 1:07:18. Ongori was outkicked by Ethiopian Aselefech Mergia, settling for 3rd. Team Aruze's Julia Mumbi Muraga was a distant 10th in 1:09:40.

Men's winner Patrick Makau of Kenya ran 58:52, the second-fastest half marathon time ever recorded, breaking world record holder Samuel Wanjiru's course record by 1 second. Yamanashi Gakuin University's Mekubo Mogusu did not start the race after a recent car accident in Kenya, and his friend Daniel Gitau of Nihon University likewise failed to start.

A detailed recap of both the women's and men's races and a link to complete results are available here.

(c) 2009 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

http://iaaf.org/WXC08/news/kind=100/newsid=43288.html

Gideon Ngatuny is based in Tokyo, where he runs for the Nissin Shokuhin jitsugyodan team. He has been dominant on the ekiden circuit since coming to Japan in 2006. Speaking of this spring's World Cross Country Championships, Ngatuny said after today's victory, "I will certainly be on the team to Edinburgh and I can assure Bekele and Tedesse that they must prepare well to beat me."

http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=43269.html

Meanwhile, Mekubo Mogusu, a 3rd-year Kenyan 'exchange student' at Yamanashi Gakuin University who ran three solo sub-60 minute half marathons in Japan last year, had his major international debut at the Ras Al Kaimah Half Marathon. He ran a solid if somewhat disappointing 1:00:35 to finish 5th, with the top four runners all breaking one hour.