Skip to main content

Hakone Ekiden Stars Dominate 2014 Kumanichi 30 km Elite Field

https://twitter.com/a_yamako/status/424296422305849344/photo/1

translated and edited by Brett Larner

The organizers of the 58th Kumanichi 30 km and 3rd Kumamoto-jo Marathon on Feb. 16 announced the 20 members of its 2014 elite field on Feb. 2.  Previously-announced Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't), has elected to run the marathon division rather than defend his course record win last year in the 30 km division, but the 30 km will focus on university athletes from the popular Hakone Ekiden, making it one of the freshest young fields in years.  From Hakone winner Toyo University come ace Yuma Hattori who took 3rd on Hakone's Second Stage, its most competitive, and Eighth Stage winner Ryu Takaku. Hakone runner-up Komazawa University sends two of its best men, team captain Shinobu Kubota and 2013 National University Half Marathon champion Shogo Nakamura.  3rd-place Nittai University sends top man Takumi Honda.  2012 National University Half Marathon winner Toshikatsu Ebina is also in the field, representing Hakone 8th-placer Teikyo University.

Not to be outdone, the corporate leagues are represented by Hayato Ideue of New Year Ekiden runner-up Team Toyota Kyushu, three members of New Year Ekiden 6th-place Team Fujitsu led by Kenyan Johana Maina, and more.  The small women's field of four is topped by 2011 Tokyo Marathon winner Noriko Higuchi (Team Wacoal) and elite marathoner Yoko Miyauchi (Team Kyocera).  The races begin at 9:00 a.m. on the 16th.

58th Kumanichi 30 km and 3rd Kumamoto-jo Marathon Elite Fields
Kumamoto, 2/16/14
listed times are half-marathon bests except where noted

Marathon - Men
Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) - 2:08:14 (Seoul 2013)
Shota Jige (Kumamura Town Hall) - 2:17:06 (Lake Biwa 2011)

30 km - Men
Johana Maina (Kenya/Team Fujitsu) - 1:01:28 (Nat'l Corp. Half Marathon 2013)
Shinobu Kubota (Komazawa Univ.) - 1:01:38 (Marugame 2012)
Shota Yamaguchi (Team Fujitsu) - 1:01:42 (Marugame 2012)
Toshikatsu Ebina (Teikyo Univ.) - 1:02:23 (Nat'l Univ. Half Marathon 2012)
Takumi Honda (Nittai Univ.) - 1:02:37 (Nat'l Univ. Half Marathon 2012)
Shogo Nakamura (Komazawa Univ.) - 1:02:41 (Nat'l Univ. Half Marathon 2013)
Kosuke Murasashi (Team YKK) - 1:02:46 (Marugame 2012)
Shogo Sekiguchi (Hosei Univ.) - 1:02:57 (Ageo 2013)
Yuya Taguchi (Team Toyota Boshoku) - 1:03:19 (Nat'l Corp. Half Marathon 2013)
Ryu Takaku (Toyo Univ.) - 1:03:20 (Nat'l Univ. Half Marathon 2013)
Hiroki Kubota (Team Yasukawa Denki) 1:03:38 (Nat'l Corp. Half Marathon 2013)
Hayato Ideue (Team Toyota Kyushu) - 1:03:42 (Tamana 2012)
Kazuki Sakurai (Takushoku Univ.) - 1:04:47 (Ageo 2013)
Shintaro Ogami (Takushoku Univ.) - 1:05:00 (Ageo 2013)
Yusuke Sato (Team Fujitsu) - 59:28 (Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai 20 km 2011)
Yuma Hattori (Toyo Univ.) - 28:22.43 (HDC Kitami Meet 10000 m 2013)

30 km - Women
Yoko Miyauchi (Team Kyocera) - 1:09:23 (Sanyo Women's 2011)
Noriko Higuchi (Team Wacoal) - 1:10:51 (Marugame 2010)
Yuka Takashima (Team Denso) - 1:13:30 (Nat'l Corp. Half Marathon 2012)
Kana Orino (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 1:13:38 (Matsue Ladies' 2013)

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Morii Surprises With Second-Ever Japanese Sub-2:10 at Boston

With three sub-2:09 Japanese men in the race and good weather conditions by Boston standards the chances were decent that somebody was going to follow 1981 winner Toshihiko Seko 's 2:09:26 and score a sub-2:10 at the Boston Marathon . But nobody thought it was going to be by a 2:14 amateur. Paris Olympic team member Suguru Osako had taken 3rd in Boston in 2:10:28 in his debut seven years ago, and both he and 2:08 runners Kento Otsu and Ryoma Takeuchi were aiming for spots in the top 10, Otsu after having run a 1:01:43 half marathon PB in February and Takeuchi of a 2:08:40 marathon PB at Hofu last December. A high-level amateur with a 2:14:15 PB who scored a trip to Boston after winning a local race in Japan, Yuma Morii told JRN minutes before the start of the race, "I'm not thinking about time at all. I'm going to make top 10, whatever time it takes." Running Boston for the first time Morii took off with a 4:32 on the downhill opening mile, but after that  Sis

Saturday at Kanaguri and Nittai

Two big meets happened Saturday, one in Kumamoto and the other in Yokohama. At Kumamoto's Kanaguri Memorial Meet , Benard Koech (Kyudenko) turned in the performance of the day with a 13:13.52 meet record to win the men's 5000 m A-heat by just 0.11 seconds over Emmanuel Kipchirchir (SGH). The top four were all under 13:20, with 10000 m national record holder Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) bouncing back from a DNF at last month's The TEN to take the top Japanese spot at 7th overall in 13:24.57. The B-heat was also decently quick, Shadrack Rono (Subaru) winning in 13:21.55 and Shoya Yonei (JR Higashi Nihon) running a 10-second PB to get under 13:30 for the first time in 13:29.29 for 6th. Paris Olympics marathoner Akira Akasaki (Kyudenko) was 9th in 13:30.62. South Sudan's Abraham Guem (Ami AC) also set a meet record in the men's 1500 m A-heat in 3:38.94. 3000 mSC national record holder Ryuji Miura made his debut with the Subaru corporate team, running 3:39.78 for 2n

93-Year-Old Masters Track and Field WR Holder Hiroo Tanaka: "Everyone has Unexplored Intrinsic Abilities"

  In the midst of a lot of talk about how to keep the aging population young, there are people with long lives who are showing extraordinary physical abilities. One of them is Hiroo Tanaka , 93, a multiple world champion in masters track and field. Tanaka began running when he was 60, before which he'd never competed in his adult life. "He's so fast he's world-class." "His running form is so beautiful. It's like he's flying." Tanaka trains at an indoor track in Aomori five days a week. Asked about him, that's the kind of thing the people there say. Tanaka holds multiple masters track and field world records, where age is divided into five-year groups. Last year at the World Masters Track and Field Championships in Poland he set a new world record of 38.79 for 200 m in the M90 class (men's 90-94 age group). People around the world were amazed at the time, which was almost unbelievable for a 92-year-old. After retiring from his job as an el