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Kawauchi Defends Title at Kushiro Shitsugen 30 km

by Brett Larner

As part of his tuneup for next month's Hokkaido Marathon, 2011 World Championships marathoner Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref.) returned to Hokkaido's Kushiro Shitsugen 30 km road race for its 40th anniversary edition to defend his course record win last year.  Running unchallenged in 27-degree temperatures, he succeeded in adding a second win to his list of accomplishments as he crossed the line in 1:35:02 despite being a self-professed weak hot weather runner.  The little-known race is sure to become a staple of Kawauchi's summer training.

(c) 2012 Brett Larner
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