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National Corporate Half Marathon Championships Entry Lists

by Brett Larner

The organizers of the Mar. 17 National Corporate Half Marathon and 10 km Championships, Japan's last major road race before track season, released its 2013 entry lists on Mar. 5.  With no World Half Marathon Championships this year there are no national team places on the line, but the fields are deep nevertheless.

Having struggled in recent years, 2008 Kenyan national XC champion Gideon Ngatuny (Team Nissin Shokuhin) heads the men's list along with last year's runner-up Jacob Wanjuki (Team Aichi Seiko), 2010 World Half Marathon 9th-place Tomoya Onishi (Team Asahi Kasei), Micah Njeru (Team Toyota Boshoku) and 2012 Sendai International Half Marathon winner Johana Maina (Team Fujitsu).  Besides Onishi eight other Japanese men with sub-62 bests are close behind, led by Yuta Igarashi (Team JR Higashi Nihon) and Daisuke Matsufuji (Team Kanebo).  2012 national 5000 m champion Kazuya Deguchi (Team Asahi Kasei) will be looking to join the sub-62 ranks along with teammate Fumihiro Maruyama (Team Asahi Kasei), 2nd at last month's Kumanichi 30 km in a solid 1:29:34.  Runners making their half marathon debut include 2009 double 1500 and 5000 m national champion Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) and 2010-2011 two-time Kanto Region University 5000 m champion Taku Fujimoto (Team Toyota).

Course record holder Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren) heads the women's half marathon field in a tuneup for April's London Marathon, and with defending champion Tomomi Tanaka (Team Daiichi Seimei) heading east for the New York City Half Marathon she is the clear favorite.  Tanaka's teammate Sakiko Matsumi (Team Daiichi Seimei) is a possible rival, coming in off a 1:10:10 best at the Marugame Half last month. Much of the other potential competition comes from first-timers, including ekiden aces Hanae Tanaka (Team Daiichi Seimei) and Yurie Doi (Team Starts), Doi's Kenyan teammate Grace Kimanzi (Team Starts), and teenaged track star Yuka Ando (Team Mizuno). Aging 10000 m national record holder Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) is also scheduled to start.

The introduction of a women's 10 km in 2011 has somewhat diluted the field, but look for a close race there with seven sub-33 women.  Miho Ihara leads them with a 32:18.00 best in her final race in the Team Shikoku Denryoku uniform.  Misaki Onishi (Team Sekisui Kagaku) holds strong 5000 m and half marathon credentials but will be filling in the gaps with her formal 10 km debut.  Former high school star Katsuki Suga (Team Toyota Jidoshokki), 6th in the 3000 m at the 2011 World Junior Championships, will also debut.

TBS will broadcast the Championships on Mar. 17 starting at 2:00 p.m.  Click here for more info on watching online.

National Corporate Half Marathon and 10 km Championships - Entry List Highlights
Yamaguchi, 3/17/13
click division for complete entry lists

Men's Half Marathon
Gideon Ngatuny (Kenya/Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 59:50
Jacob Wanjuki (Kenya/Team Aichi Seiko) - 1:00:32
Tomoya Onishi (Team Asahi Kasei) - 1:01:31
Micah Njeru (Kenya/Team Toyota Boshoku) - 1:01:33
Johana Maina (Kenya/Team Fujitsu) - 1:01:34
Yuta Igarashi (Team JR Higashi Nihon) - 1:01:46
Daisuke Matsufuji (Team Kanebo) - 1:01:46
Mamoru Hirano (Team Yasukawa Denki) - 1:01:49
Takanobu Otsubo (Osaka Police Dept.) - 1:01:55
Muryo Takase (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 1:01:57
Masamichi Shinozaki (Team Hitachi Butsuryu) - 1:01:58
Akihiko Tsumurai (Team Mazda) - 1:01:58
Shuji Yoshikawa (Team Kyudenko) - 1:01:58
Kazuya Deguchi (Team Asahi Kasei) - 1:02:46
Fumihiro Maruyama (Team Asahi Kasei) - 1:29:34 (30 km)
Taku Fujimoto (Team Toyota) - debut
Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) - debut

Women's Half Marathon
Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren) - 1:08:11
Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 1:09:31
Sakiko Matsumi (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 1:10:10
Yuka Tokuda (Team Starts) - 1:10:40
Rei Ohara (Team Tenmaya) - 1:10:50
Kumi Ogura (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 1:10:51
Noriko Higuchi (Team Wacoal) - 1:10:51
Shino Saito (Team Shimamura) - 1:11:10
Chihiro Takato (Team Wacoal) - 1:11:16
Aya Nagata (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 1:11:28
Yuka Hakoyama (Team Wacoal) - 1:11:29
Keiko Nogami (Team Juhachi Ginko) - 1:11:35
Chieko Kido (Canon AC Kyushu) - 1:11:38
Shoko Mori (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 1:11:41
Yuka Ando (Mizuno) - debut
Yurie Doi (Team Starts) - debut
Grace Kimanzi (Kenya/Team Starts) - debut
Hanae Tanaka (Team Daiichi Seimei) - debut

Women's 10 km 
Miho Ihara (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 32:18.00
Hitomi Nakamura (Team Panasonic) - 32:23.49
Tomoka Inadomi (Team Wacoal) - 32:26.46
Akiko Matsuyama (Team Panasonic) - 32:27.23
Yuki Mitsunobu (Team Kyocera) - 32:31.33
Korei Omata (Team Sekisui Kagaku) - 32:37.89
Akari Ota (Team Tenmaya) - 32:59.00
Misaki Onishi (Team Sekisui Kagaku) - 15:32.88 (5000 m)
Katsuki Suga (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 9:05.62 (3000 m)

(c) 2013 Brett Larner
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