Kinukawa Again With 31:10.02 For All-Time Japanese #4 at Abashiri 10000 m

by Brett Larner

Ten days after staging a big comeback with a 15:09.96 national 5000 m title, the all-time sixth-best by a Japanese woman, Megumi Kinukawa (Team Mizuno) did it again, running a solo 31:10.02 at the June 22 Hokuren Distance Challenge Abashiri Meet 10000 m to become the all-time fourth-fastest Japanese woman over the distance. More impressive than her time, which cleared the World Championships A-standard by over 30 seconds and makes a double in Daegu very likely, was the way she paced the race. After a 15:45 first half Kinukawa gradually ratcheted up her pace, negative splitting with a 15:25 second half which included 9:09 for the final 3000 m and a superb 2:58 final km. Although rain shortly before the race helped to lower temperatures, conditions at the finish were still a less-than-ideal 20 degrees with 81% humidity. In light of this and her conservative first half it's exciting to consider what might be in store for Kinukawa against a more competitive, aggressive field like that she'll face in Daegu.

With Kinukawa's nearest competition over a minute behind there was little else noteworthy in the race, but roughly half the field recorded new PB marks. The same was true in the A-heat of the men's 5000 m, won by Kenyan John Thuo (Team Toyota) in 13:15.53. Six of the top ten ran new PBs, among them first-year Kenta Murayama (Komazawa Univ.), best known for his 28:23.18 as a high school senior last fall, and Kazuki Onishi (Team Kanebo), the lesser-known identical twin of 2010's top Japanese 10000 m and half-marathon runner Tomoya Onishi (Team Asahi Kasei).

The Hokuren Distance Challenge continues on Saturday in Fukagawa, Hokkaido.

2011 Hokuren Distance Challenge Abashiri Meet

Abashiri, Hokkaido, 6/22/11

click here for complete results

Women's 10000 m

1. Megumi Kinukawa (Team Mizuno) - 31:10.02 - PB

2. Yoko Miyauchi (Team Kyocera) - 32:15.09

3. Hiroko Shoi (Team Nihon ChemiCon) - 32:17.39 - PB

4. Hiroko Miyauchi (Team Kyocera) - 32:23.29

5. Rei Ohara (Team Tenmaya) - 32:50.50

6. Hitomi Nakamura (Team Panasonic) - 32:50.75 - PB

7. Ayumi Sakaida (Team Daihatsu) - 32:59.09 - PB

8. Yuka Hakoyama (Team Wacoal) - 33:13.40

9. Asami Kato (Team Panasonic) - 33:16.21 - PB

10. Shiori Kakizaki (Team Wacoal) - 33:26.50 - debut

Men's 5000 m - Heat A

1. John Thuo (Keyna/Team Toyota) - 13:15.53 - PB

2. Edward Waweru (Kenya/Team NTN) - 13:18.94

3. Daisuke Shimizu (Team Kanebo) - 13:38.42 - PB

4. Assefe Fekele (Ethiopia/Team Kanebo) - 13:40.98 - PB

5. James Rungar (Kenya/Team Toyota) - 13:41.41

6. Kenta Matsumoto (Team Toyota) - 13:43.76 - PB

7. Kazuharu Takai (Team Kyudenko) - 13:46.78

8. Kenta Murayama (Komazawa Univ.) - 13:47.19 - PB

9. Kazuki Onishi (Team Kanebo) - 13:48.82 - PB

10. Kazuki Tomaru (Team Toyota) - 13:50.57

Murayama and Sasaki Making U.S. Debut at New York Mini 10 km

Every year since 2012 that there's been a United Airlines NYC Half , JRN has partnered with the NYRR and November's Ageo City Half Marathon to bring two top-tier collegiate Japanese men to the NYC Half for what's usually been their international debuts. For years we've wanted to extend that program to include top collegiate women, but that has always faced 2 problems. For one, while the half marathon distance is the main focus for Japanese collegiate men due to the stage lengths at the Hakone Ekiden, few collegiate women run it. Those that do run the National University Women's Half Marathon in Matsue, held the same day as the NYC Half. This year, though, we're finally making it happen in a slightly different way. Amisa Murayama and Nazuki Sasaki of 2025 Mt. Fuji Women's Ekiden national collegiate championship runner-up Tohoku Fukushi University are joining the field for the NYRR's Mastercard New York Mini 10 km on June 6. After running an 18:14 CR ...

Australian YouTuber Handed Lifetime Ban by Ageo City Half Marathon After Running 1:06 with Another Runner's Bib (updated)

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by Brett Larner This ekiden season I've had a few thoughts kicking around, and watching this week's Hakone Ekiden a few of them became clearer. These are still in progress, but at the moment this is what I'm thinking in terms of running as a spectator sport and about the quality of Japanese men's distance running right now. Quality: Japanese men's running is coming up very, very quickly. I was in the lead car at November's Ageo City Half Marathon , where 18 men, 17 of them university runners, broke 63 minutes. As it was going on we all thought it was a slow race because there were so many people running that pace all the way, no separation at all in the mass of the pack. See the JRN header photo above, taken just past halfway. That's pretty unusual in Japan, especially at the university level; generally you'll get a handful of guys who run an aggressive pace and a mass running dead on a safe pace, 3:00/km in a half marathon, for example. Th...

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