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Nagoya International Women's Marathon Announces Elite Field

http://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/feature/niwm/CK2008022802191336.html

The organizing committee of the 2008 Nagoya International Women's Marathon, sponsored in part by Rikuren and the Chunichi Newspapers Group, announced the names of the 20 invited elite runners for this year's Olympic selection edition of the race. The field of 325, including 305 individual entrants, will start the 42.195 course at 12:15 p.m.

The domestic elite field includes 2000 Sydney Olympics marathon gold medalist Naoko Takahashi (Team Phiten), 2006 Nagoya winner Harumi Hiroyama (Team Shiseido), 2004 Athens Olympics marathon team member Naoko Sakamoto (Team Tenmaya), and 8-time Nagoya competitor Takami Ominami (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) along with 11 others. The foreign elite field of 5 is led by Kenya's Joice Kirui.

Invited Domestic Elites
Naoko Takahashi (Team Phiten), 35, PB: 2:19:46
Naoko Sakamoto (Team Tenmaya), 27, PB: 2:21:51
Harumi Hiroyama (Team Shiseido), 39, PB: 2:22:56
Takami Ominami (Team Toyota Jidoshokki), 32, PB: 2:23:43
Yumiko Hara (Team Kyocera), 26, PB: 2:23:48
Yuri Kano (Second Wind AC), 29, PB: 2:24:42
Yasuko Hashimoto (Team Sega Sammy), 32, PB: 2:25:21
Chika Horie (Team Aruze), 27, PB: 2:26:11
Kiyoko Shimahara (Second Wind AC), 31, PB: 2:26:14
Yuko Machida (Team Nihon ChemiCon), 27, PB: 2:29:48
Ayumi Hayashi (Team Juhachi Ginko), 25, PB: 2:29:59
Yuko Manabe (Team Shikoku Denryoku), 29, PB: 2:30:34
Akane Taira (Team Panasonic), 25, PB: 1:09:17 (half marathon)
Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya), 21, PB: 1:10:03 (half marathon)

Overseas Invited Elites
Joice Kirui (Kenya), 33, PB: 2:26:52
Lidiya Vasilevskaya (Russia), 34, PB: 2:29:23
Lyudmila Korchagina (Canada), 36, PB: 2:29:42
Margaret Torotich (Kenya), 28, PB: 2:31:23
Natallia Kulesh (Belarus), 29, PB: 2:34:50

Click here for more details on the elite field.

Translator's note: JRN's Mika Tokairin will be running Nagoya as an individual entrant just 3 weeks after running a PB in the Tokyo Marathon. がんばれ!

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