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Arai and Tanaka Set Course Records at Kobe Marathon

http://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/sports/201311/0006503245.shtml

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Over 20,000 people took part in the third edition of the Kobe Marathon on Nov. 17, running on the streets raised from the ruin of the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake. Starting out at a much faster pace than Kobe saw in either of its first two runnings, Hironori Arai (34, Team Chugoku Denryoku) and local veteran Chihiro Tanaka (44, AthleC AC) set new men's and women's course records of 2:17:01 and 2:36:53. For each of them it was their first time to win in Kobe.

Organized by the Hyogo Prefectural Government, the Kobe Civic Government and the Hyogo Prefecture Track and Field Association, the race had "Give Thanks for Friendship" as its official theme to express the city's gratitude for the assistance it received during the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake and to help raise support for survivors of the East Japan Earthquake and the recent major typhoon in the Philippines.  A total of 20,674 runners participated in the race's 42.195 km full marathon and 10.6 km quarter marathon division.

3rd Kobe Marathon
Kobe, Hyogo, 11/17/13
click here for complete results

Men
1. Hironori Arai (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 2:17:01 - CR
2. Shoji Takada (Nittai Univ.) - 2:17:15
3. Harun Malel (Kenya) - 2:17:45
4. Yuya Takayanagi (Nittai Univ.) - 2:17:55
5. Takeshi Tsubouchi (Kanagawa Univ.) - 2:18:37

Women
1. Chihiro Tanaka (AthleC AC) - 2:36:53 - CR
2. Hiromi Saito (Kobe Gakuin Univ.) - 2:39:51
3. Satoko Uetani (Kobe Gakuin Univ.) - 2:43:42
4. Ikue Tabata - 2:44:17
5. Monica Njeru (Kenya) - 2:46:37
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