japan running news

The New York Road Runners have announced the elite women's and men's fields for the Mar. 19 United Airlines NYC Half . Alongside half marathon WR holder Jacob Kiplimo and 5000 m/10000 m WR holder Joshua Cheptegei , 2023 Hakone Ekiden champion Komazawa University 's Kensuke Tsubura and Yuta Akahoshi will make their international debuts. Tsubura and Akahoshi were the top two Japanese collegiate finishers at November's Ageo City Half Marathon , earning them places in NYC through a program JRN has run since 2012 in cooperation with the NYRR and Ageo city hall. Tsubura finished 2nd on the opening leg at Hakone to get Komazawa off to a solid start, with Akahoshi maintaining Komazawa's lead on the second day of the race with a 4th-place finish on the eighth leg. Their win capped a 2022-23 season sweep of all three major university ekidens, the first-ever triple crown for head coach Hiroaki Oyagi . Oyagi will travel to NYC with his two athletes, and having announced pos...

by Brett Larner photo courtesy of NYRR Kenta Murayama (Team Asahi Kasei) ran the fastest time ever by a Japanese man on U.S. soil to take 5th in the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon in 1:00:57.  The first alumnus of the Japan Running News-New York Road Runners program to bring top collegiate talent from November's Ageo City Half Marathon to New York to return as a pro, Murayama asserted himself from the gun, ensuring the race got off to an honest start as he led the first 5 km in 14:24.  " The last time I was here the first 5 km was close to 15:00," he told JRN post-race.  "If it starts too slow it affects how you feel later in the race and keeps too many people up front.  I wanted to run comfortably.  I figured that 14:20 would be about right.  It didn't feel too fast, but when I looked around almost nobody was left." Remaining up front after just the first 2 km were the eventual top six including Murayama, 2017 Marugame Half winner Callum Hawki...