Omwamba Leads Yamanashi Gakuin to Top of National University Ekiden Qualifier

by Brett Larner

Triple 2013 Kanto Region 1500 m, 5000 m and 10000 m champion Enock Omwamba led Yamanashi Gakuin University through the woods to take the top position at the National University Ekiden Championships Kanto Region Qualifier June 30 at Tokyo's National Stadium. One of the most interesting meets on the Kanto circuit, the Kanto Region qualifier features twenty second-tier teams vying for seven spots at November's National University Ekiden Championships, every team with two men in each of four heats and the team's standing determined by the accumulated time of all eight men. Team supporters line the track making noise and creating a high-energy environment.

Heading into the fourth and final heat, Yamanashi Gakuin had a lead of less than 7 seconds over rival Hosei University. Omwamba led start to finish, dropping his trailers one by one to finish in 28:18.77, beating Hosei ace Kazuto Nishiike by almost 47 seconds and making hefty donation to the cause. Yamanashi's Hiroto Inoue wrapped it up with a 29:09.75 for 3rd, adding another 4 seconds onto Yamanashi margin over Hosei.

Aoyama Gakuin University, which last year enigmatically failed to qualify for Nationals before setting the course record at the season-opening Izumo Ekiden, ran steadily for 3rd despite a lackluster performance by sophomore star Kazuma Kubota in Heat 4. Chuo Gakuin University, Teikyo University, Daito Bunka University and Juntendo University filled out the list of qualifiers for the second of this year's Big Three university ekidens.

National University Ekiden Championships Kanto Region Qualifier
National Stadium, Tokyo, 6/30/13
click here for complete results

Top Team Results - top seven qualify for National University Ekiden Championships
1. Yamanashi Gakuin Univ. - 3:57:32.71
2. Hosei Univ. - 3:58:51.38
3. Aoyama Gakuin Univ. - 3:59:17.60
4. Chuo Gakuin Univ. - 4:00:28.66
5. Teikyo Univ. - 4:00:34.80
6. Daito Bunka Univ - 4:00:43.66
7. Juntendo Univ. - 4:01:06.69
-----
8. Koku Gakuin Univ. - 4:01:37.26
9. Takushoku Univ. - 4:01:46.38
10. Tokai Univ. - 4:01:57.76

Heat 4
1. Enock Omwamba (Kenya/Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 28:18.77
2. Kazuto Nishiike (Hosei Univ.) - 29:05.46
3. Hiroto Inoue (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 29:09.75
4. Takashi Ichida (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 29:10.39
5. Kazuma Ganaha (Kanagawa Univ.) - 29:10.87
6. Ryo Nakagawa (Tokai Univ.) - 29:12.49
7. Shogo Sekiguchi (Hosei Univ.) - 29:13.59
8. Yudai Okamoto (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) - 29:16.52
9. Yuki Matsumura (Juntendo Univ.) - 29:17.72
10. Duncan Muthee (Kenya/Takushoku Univ.) - 29:18.89

Heat 3
1. Kota Murayama (Josai Univ.) - 29:27.81
2. Hiroki Yamagishi (Jobu Univ.) - 29:29.94
3. Shinichiro Tai (Hosei Univ.) - 29:30.19
4. Daichi Kamino (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 29:32.87
5. Kazuma Kubota (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 29:33.55

Heat 2
1. Tadashi Isshiki (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 29:52.53
2. Yuki Hirota (Tokai Univ.) - 29:55.14
3. Koki Nanba (Teikyo Univ.) - 30:01.13
4. Akifumi Ueki (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 30:04.61
5. Ryoma Takeuchi (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 30:04.94

Heat 1
1. Tatsumi Abe (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 30:04.18
2. Hiroki Sugawa (Chuo Univ.) - 30:06.86
3. Junya Uemura (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 30:07.53
4. Mitsunori Asaoka (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 30:10.69
5. Ryo Hashimoto (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 30:13.81

Heat 5 - alternates' heat
1. Kazuma Tashiro (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 30:08.98
2. Noriyasu Ikeda (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 30:16.98
3. Shun Yamamura (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 30:17.52
4. Shunji Kikkawa (Tokai Univ.) - 30:17.61
5. Yuta Hamano (Senshu Univ.) - 30:19.40

text and photo (c) 2013 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

Rui Aoki and Shunsuke Kuwata Making U.S. Debut at United Airlines NYC Half

When the National University Half Marathon was canceled in 2011 after the massive earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan 2 days before the race, JRN talked to the New York Road Runners about bringing 2 collegiate runners to the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon the next weekend as a show of support. It wasn't possible to pull it together in the immediate aftermath of the disasters, but a year later we brought 2 young 2nd-years from Hakone Ekiden CR breaker Toyo University , Kento Otsu and Yuta Shitara , who had been the top 2 Japanese collegiate finishers at the Ageo City Half Marathon in November before Hakone. Shitara ran 1:01:48, at the time the fastest-ever by a Japanese man on U.S. soil, with Otsu running a solid 1:03:15. Thanks to that great start the Ageo-NYC partnership became a regular thing, and except for the pandemic it's continued every year since, expanding this year to June's New York Mini 10 km when 2 runners from Mt. Fuji Women's Ekiden runne...

Kuwata Runs Fastest-Ever Half Marathon by Japanese Man Outside Japan at United Airlines NYC Half

When the NYRR changed the United Airlines NYC Half course back in 2018 to more or less its current Boston-style hilly one-way version it seemed like it had been repurposed from a fast course to something more tactical. That went out the window last year with new course records of 59:09 and 1:07:04 from Abel Kipchumba and Sharon Lokedi , and this year's results backed that up. Hellen Obiri ground Lokedi down and took over 30 seconds off her CR, winning in 1:06:33 with Lokedi only 6 seconds off what she ran in 2025 but a distant 2nd in 1:07:10. British road 10 km NR holder Megan Keith rolled up hard late in the race to finish 3rd in 1:07:13 less than 10 seconds off old CR too. The men's race saw a big group of 18 attack the hilly first half on sub-59 pace, American Joe Klecker leading through 5 km in 13:57 and Houston Marathon winner Zouhair Talbi through 10 km in 27:56. Right up in it was Shunsuke Kuwata , a 20-year-old 2nd-year at 2025 National University Ekiden champ Koma...

16 Women and 26 Men on the Current Olympic Trials Qualifier List

Last weekend's Nagoya Women's Marathon and the Tokyo Marathon the weekend before brought the main part of the first year of qualification for the Marathon Grand Championship Race, Japan's L.A. Olympics marathon trials to be held in Nagoya in October, 2027, to an end. There are still a few races like the Nagano Marathon and overseas World Athletics platinum label races this season where people might qualify, but for the most part we're not likely to see many new additions until August's Hokkaido Marathon, where the qualifying period opened last year. As of right now 16 women and 26 men have qualified, although the first woman to make the cut, Ai Hosoda , announced that she was retiring after Tokyo earlier this month. Out of the 16 women to have qualified so far, Mikuni Yada is the fastest with her 2:19:57 debut at Osaka Women's in January. Including Hosoda that makes 2 qualifiers for the Edion corporate team, but Daihatsu has the biggest share of the field so ...

japan running news

Search This Blog