Skip to main content

Japan Running News Dominates Tokaimura Half Marathon

by Brett Larner

Windy conditions prevailed at the 36th Tokaimura Shinshun Half Marathon on Jan. 12, where a freak early-morning rain shower combined with sub-zero temperatures to coat sections of the hilly course with a slick layer of ice. Japan Running News founder Brett Larner (Harriers AC) took the overall win in the men’s race with a course-record 1:16:02. Larner led from the 300 m point all the way to the finish, dropping a chase pack of three on the course’s long uphill after the 8 km point. Japan Running News co-editor Mika Tokairin (Namban Rengo AC), the top Japanese woman at the 2007 London Marathon, was 3rd overall in the women’s race behind Team Hitachi’s Sayaka Yamaguchi, who ran a substantial course-record 1:18:48 in her half-marathon debut.

Both Tokairin and Larner reported being 3 minutes behind their expected times, an indication of the difficulty of the course and conditions. Tokairin will race the Jan. 25 Osaka International Women’s Marathon, while Larner will run the Feb. 1 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon.

© 2009 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
Congrats on the victory! I remember the first time I won a race in Japan. They gave me four trophies!
January 13, 2009 at 12:52 AM
Anonymous said…
Hi Brett, I sent an email and received no reply, so could u please send me an email to all4data[at]gmail.com please

Gavin
January 13, 2009 at 1:13 AM
by7 said…
Brett, congratulations

a gaijin winning a race makes some sensation.
But Beppu-Oita is not only for sub-2h30' ? (or I mess up with something else...)
January 13, 2009 at 1:09 PM
Brett Larner said…
Thank you all. The course was much tougher than I expected.

Gavin--
Sorry to let your message slip.

Bryan--
I think you are thinking of Biwako. Beppu-Oita's standard is only sub-2:50.
January 14, 2009 at 12:19 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

10000 m National Championships Preview

  Less than five months since the 2023 10000 m National Championships went down at the 2021 Olympic stadium in Tokyo, the 2024 edition happens Friday at Shizuoka's Ecopa Stadium, with NHK broadcasting it live starting at 19:25 local time. Doubling up on Nationals like this lets Japanese athletes double dip on placing points to try to get into the Paris Olympics on rankings. But between the number of people who've hit the 30:40.00 women's standard and 27:00.00 men's standard and the lopsided eight spots given away to top placers at World XC, there are only four women's spots and three men's available via rankings. Of those, three of the four women's spots and two of the three men's spots are currently occupied by top placers at December's 2023 Nationals, Ririka Hironaka , Haruka Kokai and Rino Goshima for women and Ren Tazawa and Tomoki Ota for men. The 2023 Nationals did get close to the standards, with Hironaka leading the top four women under
3 comments
Read more

Chesang and Kipkoech Win Hot Gifu Half

Hot conditions held back fast times at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon Sunday, where Ugandan Stella Chesang and Kenya Hillary Kipkoech took the top spots over last year's winners Dolphine Nyaboke Omare and Amos Kurgat . In the women's race Chesang, Omare and Kenyan-born Bahraini Eunice Chebichii Chumba went out as a trio, Japan-based Hellen Ekarare with them initially but eventually dropping out. After a 15:39 opening 5 km Chumba started to slip off, and by 15 km Chesang was on her own. Chesang won in 1:07:59, solid given the conditions, with Omare 2nd in 1:08:31 and Chumba 3rd in 1:09:10. Rinka Hida was the first Japanese woman, 5th overall in 1:12:06 behind Australian Genevieve Gregson . A lead men's pack of 11 went through 5 km in 14:31, but by 10 km it was down to Kipkoech, Kurgat, , Timothy Kiplagat , Ugandan Stephen Kissa and Japan-based Kenyans Patrick Mathenge Wambui and Anthony Maina . At 15 km in 43:40 only Kurgat and Kipkoech were left, and over the last 5
1 comment
Read more

Drury and Mashiko Lead Four Japanese Golds - U20 Asian Championships Day 4

The closing day of the Dubai U20 Asian Athletics Championships saw Japan go out big, with four gold medals led by dominant runs by Sherry Drury (Tsuyama H.S.) and Yota Mashiko (Gakuho Ishikawa H.S.). Making her international debut, the 16-year-old Drury led start to finish in the women's 1500 m final, grinding down the rest of the field and putting over 4 seconds on runner-up Sandilea Vinod of India over the last 300 m to win in 4:21.41. Drury's splits: 1:11-2:24-(3:19)-3:35-4:21. There's still a long way for Drury to go, but in terms of form and confidence this was the best she has looked since her legendary breakthrough CR at last year's National Women's Ekiden, and you could see more than a glimmer of what everyone is hoping is really there. Mashiko was even more dominant in the men's 3000 m. Coming out on the front end of some pushing and shoving in the first 50 m, Mashiko led the entire way. By 300 m he had a measurable gap that never got smaller, and af
1 comment
Read more