Skip to main content

Toyokawa Returns to Top in National High School Girls Ekiden Championships

by Brett Larner

Toyokawa H.S. senior Beatrice Murugi Wainaina for the win at the 2011 National High School Girls Ekiden Championships. Click photo for video highlights via broadcaster NHK.

For the second time in three years, Kenyan Beatrice Murugi Wainaina led Toyokawa High School to the National High School Girls Ekiden Championships title as she crossed the line in 1:07:29, the fifth-fastest time ever on the five-stage, 21.0975 km course through Kyoto on Dec. 25.  Defending champion Kojokan High School ace Katsuki Suga faltered on the 6.0 km opening stage, the day's longest, finishing only 6th on the stage and putting Kojokan permanently out of contention.  Only one second behind the lead at the handoff, Toyokawa's Kanayo Miyata had little trouble taking over on the 4.0975 km Second Stage.  After a brief challenge from the strong Suma Gakuen High School's Yui Fukuda on the 3.0 km Third Stage, Toyokawa's Fourth Stage runner Shiho Fukuzawa blew the race apart, opening a 13-second gap before handing over to anchor Wainaina.

Wainaina, suffering from a mild injury, ran steadily without pushing.  Kojokan anchor Miyuki Oka closed to within 9 seconds, but Wainaina mustered up a strong last km to reopen the lead to 24 seconds and return Toyokawa to the victory stand.  Oka still managed to get Kojokan under 68 minutes, holding on to 2nd in 1:07:53, just 3 seconds slower than its winning time last year.  A short distance back, Sendai Ikuei High School's Mary Waithira ran the fastest time on the 5.0 km closing leg, 15:20, to overtake Suma Gakuen's Mika Kobayashi on the track for 3rd in 1:08:19, an impressive feat considering the stress and difficulties Sendai Ikuei has faced this year following March's tsunami.

2011 National High School Girls Ekiden Championships
Kyoto, 12/25/11
five stages, 21.0975 km
click here for complete results

Stage Best Performances
First Stage (6.0 km) - Yuriko Kosaki (Narita H.S.) - 19:21
Second Stage (4.0975 km) - Risa Yokoe (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 12:55
Third Stage (3.0 km) - Yui Fukuda (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 9:44
Fourth Stage (3.0 km) - Fumika Sasaki (Nagano Higashi H.S.) - 9:32
Fifth Stage (5.0 km) - Mary Waithira (Kenya/Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 15:20

Top Team Performances
1. Toyokawa H.S. (Aichi) - 1:07:29
2. Kojokan H.S. (Okayama) - 1:07:53
3. Sendai Ikuei H.S. (Miyagi) - 1:08:19
4. Suma Gakuen H.S. (Hyogo) - 1:08:25
5. Ritsumeikan Uji H.S. (Kyoto) - 1:08:29
6. Hakuho Joshi H.S. (Kanagawa) - 1:08:51
7. Narita H.S. (Chiba) - 1:08:57
8. Nagano Higashi H.S. (Nagano) - 1:09:12
9. Osaka Kunei H.S. (Osaka) - 1:09:12
10. Chikushi Joshi Gakuen H.S. (Fukuoka) - 1:09:35

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Gold Coast Half Marathon and Marathon Preview

Australia's Gold Coast Half Marathon and Marathon are big draws for Japanese corporate leaguers these days, especially with a big contingent from this year's National Corporate Half Marathon dominating the entry lists in the half. Two-time winner Sara Hall is top-ranked in the women's half with a 1:07:15 from Houston two years ago and will mostly be racing Leanne Pompeani for the win. Beyond that there's a big group at the 1:10 level including Japan's Rinka Hida , Yukari Nagatomo and Moe Shimizu who should all be in it for 3rd. The men's half is dominated by four Japanese men who broke 1:01 at the National Corporate Half in February, meaning that if the weather is decent then the 1:01:16 CR is likely to fall to Shunsuke Shikama , Koki Kamata , Soshi Suzuki or Daisuke Doi . That's a big if, though, with >50% chance of rain and a headwind in the 2nd half that's forecast to get stronger as the race goes along. The favorite for the win and a shot at...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kobe Marathon Elite Field

Sunday's Kobe Marathon has announced its elite fields, finally. Japanese athletes have a shot at qualifying for next fall's MGC Race, the official trials race for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, if they go sub-2:27 for the first Japanese woman across the line or sub-2:09 for the first 3 Japanese men to do it. There aren't a lot of contenders to pull it off. On the women's side, Kaede Hagitani , Ayaka Shimoyamada and Kotomi Tsubokura all ran 2:31-32 PBs in the spring and will need to step it up a couple of notches to get there. 2:23 Kenyan Antonina Kwambai is perfectly positioned to help. On the men's side, Keijiro Mogi is closest with a 2:09:06 at last year's Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, Hiroto Kanamori his closest domestic competition with a 2:10:01 PB in Osaka in February. The international trio of last year's winner Barnaba Kipkoech , Elisha Rotich and Goitom Kifle all have recent 2:06-7 times and should help set it up for someone to get there, wh...
1 comment
Read more