World Leads at Lake Saroma Ultra As Federation Cancels Team Selection for World Championships

by Brett Larner

The 28th edition of Japan's premier ultra, the Lake Saroma 100 km and 50 km Ultramarathon, took place June 30 along the northeastern shore of Hokkaido. Lake Saroma was to have been the official selection race for the Japanese team for this year's IAU 100 km World Championships, but on Friday organizers posted a notice on the race website informing top-ranked participants that due to uncertainty surrounding South Africa's readiness to host the World Championships this October the team selection would be cancelled.

Despite both this disappointment and hot temperatures, both the men's and women's 100 km races saw world-leading performances. In the men's 100 km division, 2009 winner Hideo Nojo (New Balance) improved on his 2nd-place finish last year with a world-leading 6:37:16 for this year's title, 4 1/2 minutes ahead of 2:18 marathoner Takayoshi Shigemi (Urugimura). Two-time Olympic medalist and 2010 Lake Saroma champion Erick Wainaina (Kenya/New Balance) was 5th in 6:55:09, well off his best of 6:38:40. Last year's runner-up also improved a place in the women's 100 km, Mai Fujisawa (Sapporo City Hall) taking the win in a world-leading 8:10:39.

In the 50 km division, defending women's champion Chiyuki Mochizuki (Canon AC Kyushu) won again in 3:30:10, Norifumi Goto (Chiboryo RC) winning the men's race in 3:18:51.

Lake Saroma Ultramarathon
Yubetsu, Hokkaido, 6/30/13
click here for top results

Men's 100 km
1. Hideo Nojo (New Balance) - 6:37:16 - WL
2. Takayoshi Shigemi (Urugimura) - 6:41:44
3. Tsutomu Nagata (Takada SDF Base) - 6:44:33
4. Yuki Takada (Aichi T&F Assoc.) - 6:49:53
5. Erick Wainaina (Kenya/New Balance) - 6:55:09

Women's 100 km
1. Mai Fujisawa (Sapporo City Hall) - 8:10:39 - WL
2. Tomoko Hara (Sokyu RC) - 8:23:33
3. Hisayo Matsumoto (Saitama) - 8:30:37
4. Wakako Oyagi (Kiso RC) - 8:31:13
5. Mikiko Ota (Kyoto Tanzan RC) - 8:33:10

Men's 50 km
1. Norifumi Goto (Chiboryo RC) - 3:18:51
2. Takashi Fujiwara - 3:26:56
3. Kazuo Otaki - 3:29:35

Women's 50 km
1. Chiyuki Mochizuki (Canon AC Kyushu) - 3:30:10
2. Asami Kagawa - 4:04:02
3. Atsuko Shimokawara - 4:05:37

(c) 2013 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

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