Takenaka Runs Faster Than 10 Mile National Record, Kitajima, Tsuzaki and Hashira Win in Sydney - Weekend International Road Race Results
by Brett Larner
Japanese athletes were in action abroad on three continents over the weekend. The biggest result came at the Netherlands' Dam tot Damloop 10-Miler, where Risa Takenaka (Team Shiseido), winner of July's Gold Coast Airport Marathon, ran 52:56 on the point-to-point course to finish 12 seconds ahead of the national record set 8 1/2 years ago by Mai Endo (Team Nihon ChemiCon) in Kasumigaura.
2015 Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon winner Hisanori Kitajima (Team Yasukawa Denki) won again at the Sydney Marathon, outkicking Nobeoka 3rd-placer Hiroki Yamagishi (Team Hitachi Butsuryu) by three seconds for the win in 2:12:44. Former Hakone Ekiden uphill superstar Ryuji Kashiwabara (Team Fujitsu) made a surprisingly low-key but distinctly lackluster marathon debut in Sydney, running 2:20:44 for 7th just ahead of independent Saeki Makino, an off-and-on training partner of Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) best-known for his frontrunning at the last two Honolulu Marathons. Japanese athletes Kinya Hashira (Tokyo Police Dep't) and Kikuyo Tsuzaki (Team Noritz) also won both the men's and women's half marathon, Tsuzaki setting a course record of 1:14:23.
Kawauchi fell short of his pre-race goals at South Africa's Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, running just 2:16:33 for 9th. Kawauchi's major positive achievement in Cape Town was his 50th career sub-2:20 marathon, but after finishing almost 4 minutes off his minimum time goal it is likely he will skip December's Fukuoka International Marathon selection race for the Japanese Rio Olympics team to focus on March's Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon selection race.
Japanese athletes also ran at Portugal's Porto Half Marathon, where, as at multiple European half marathons in recent weeks the men were largely ineffective, running amateur-quality performances between 1:05:30 and 1:10:00. Misaki Kato (Team Kyudenko) was the main glimmer of brightness, running 1:10:50 for 3rd in the women's race.
'Kitajima and Wangari Bide Their Time to Win in Sydney'
Sydney, Australia, 9/20/15
click here for complete results
Men's Marathon
1. Hisanori Kitajima (Yasukawa Denki) - 2:12:44
2. Hiroki Yamagishi (Hitachi Butsuryu) - 2:12:47
3. Nicholas Chelimo (Kenya) - 2:13:09
4. Gebo Gemeda (Ethiopia) - 2:13:32
5. Kibrom Ghebrezgiabher (Eritrea) - 2:13:49
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6. Tatsunori Hamasaki (Komori Corp.) - 2:13:54
7. Ryuji Kashiwabara (Fujitsu) - 2:20:44 - debut
8. Saeki Makino (Japan) - 2:22:11
9. Koji Hayasaka (Japan) - 2:24:22
10. Rob Pope (Australia) - 2:29:59
Women's Marathon
1. Mariam Wangari (Kenya) - 2:34:37
2. Jane Kiptoo (Kenya) - 2:35:43
3. Biruktayit Degefa (Ethiopia) - 2:39:28
4. Kelly-Ann Varey (Australia) - 2:48:02
5. Sakie Ishibashi (Japan) - 2:49:02
Men's Half Marathon
1. Kinya Hashira (Tokyo Police Dep't) - 1:05:50
2. Brad Milosevic (Australia) - 1:06:13
3. Matthew Cox (Australia) - 1:08:13
Women's Half Marathon
1. Kikuyo Tsuzaki (Noritz) - 1:14:23 - CR
2. Milly Clark (Australia) - 1:16:18
3. Clare Geraghty (Australia) - 1:17:33
'Ochichi Breaks Course Record at Cape Town Marathon'
Cape Town, South Africa, 9/20/15
click here for complete results
Men's Marathon
1. Shadrack Kemboi (Kenya) - 2:11:41
2. Lungile Gongqa (South Africa) - 2:11:58
3. Michael Papi Mazibuko (South Africa) - 2:12:29
4. Peter Lotogor Kamais (Kenya) - 2:14:08
5. David Kemboi Kiyeng (Kenya) - 2:14:37
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9. Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) - 2:16:33
Women's Marathon
1. Isabella Ochichi (Kenya) - 2:30:20 - CR
2. Eunice Chumba (Bahrain) - 2:33:12
3. Jemila Wortesa Shure (Ethiopia) - 2:37:52
4. Lebo Phalula (South Africa) - 2:38:54
5. Keneilwe Sesing (South Africa) - 2:43:38
Men's 10 km
1. William Kaptein (South Africa) - 28:34
2. Elroy Gelant (South Africa) - 29:10
3. Folaviio Sehohle (South Africa) - 29:36
Women's 10 km
1. Lebogang Phalula (South Africa) - 34:13
2. Mapaseka Makhanya (South Africa) - 34:28
3. Simonay Weitsz (South Africa) - 34:41
Porto Half Marathon
Porto, Portugal, 9/20/15
click here for complete results
Men's Half Marathon
1. Emmanuel Bor (Kenya) - 1:01:06
2. Justus Kipkoskei (Kenya) - 1:01:51
3. Ezekiel Chebii (Kenya) - 1:02:43
4. David Bett (Kenya) - 1:03:37
5. Daniel Limo (Kenya) - 1:04:50
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6. Kenta Kitazawa (Yachiyo Kogyo) - 1:05:31
9. Kyohei Nishi (Kyudenko) - 1:07:28
14. Shusei Ohashi (JR Higashi Nihon) - 1:09:47
Women's Half Marathon
1. Monica Jepkoech (Kenya) - 1:10:26
2. Sara Moreira (Portugal) - 1:10:42
3. Misaki Kato (Kyudenko) - 1:10:50
4. Pamela Rotich (Kenya) - 1:12:28
5. Naoko Akutsu (Japan) - 1:12:52
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7. Chiharu Suzuki (Hitachi) - 1:14:45
Dam tot Damloop 10 Mile Road Race
Amsterdam-Zaandam, Netherlands, 9/20/15
click here for complete results
Women's 10 Miles
1. Joyce Chepkirui (Kenya) - 51:30
2. Jackline Chepngeno (Kenya) - 51:34
3. Dibabe Kuma (Ethiopia) - 52:52
4. Yenenesh Tilahun (Ethiopia) - 52:53
5. Risa Takenaka (Shiseido) - 52:56
(c) 2015 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Japanese athletes were in action abroad on three continents over the weekend. The biggest result came at the Netherlands' Dam tot Damloop 10-Miler, where Risa Takenaka (Team Shiseido), winner of July's Gold Coast Airport Marathon, ran 52:56 on the point-to-point course to finish 12 seconds ahead of the national record set 8 1/2 years ago by Mai Endo (Team Nihon ChemiCon) in Kasumigaura.
2015 Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon winner Hisanori Kitajima (Team Yasukawa Denki) won again at the Sydney Marathon, outkicking Nobeoka 3rd-placer Hiroki Yamagishi (Team Hitachi Butsuryu) by three seconds for the win in 2:12:44. Former Hakone Ekiden uphill superstar Ryuji Kashiwabara (Team Fujitsu) made a surprisingly low-key but distinctly lackluster marathon debut in Sydney, running 2:20:44 for 7th just ahead of independent Saeki Makino, an off-and-on training partner of Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) best-known for his frontrunning at the last two Honolulu Marathons. Japanese athletes Kinya Hashira (Tokyo Police Dep't) and Kikuyo Tsuzaki (Team Noritz) also won both the men's and women's half marathon, Tsuzaki setting a course record of 1:14:23.
Kawauchi fell short of his pre-race goals at South Africa's Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, running just 2:16:33 for 9th. Kawauchi's major positive achievement in Cape Town was his 50th career sub-2:20 marathon, but after finishing almost 4 minutes off his minimum time goal it is likely he will skip December's Fukuoka International Marathon selection race for the Japanese Rio Olympics team to focus on March's Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon selection race.
Japanese athletes also ran at Portugal's Porto Half Marathon, where, as at multiple European half marathons in recent weeks the men were largely ineffective, running amateur-quality performances between 1:05:30 and 1:10:00. Misaki Kato (Team Kyudenko) was the main glimmer of brightness, running 1:10:50 for 3rd in the women's race.
'Kitajima and Wangari Bide Their Time to Win in Sydney'
Sydney, Australia, 9/20/15
click here for complete results
Men's Marathon
1. Hisanori Kitajima (Yasukawa Denki) - 2:12:44
2. Hiroki Yamagishi (Hitachi Butsuryu) - 2:12:47
3. Nicholas Chelimo (Kenya) - 2:13:09
4. Gebo Gemeda (Ethiopia) - 2:13:32
5. Kibrom Ghebrezgiabher (Eritrea) - 2:13:49
-----
6. Tatsunori Hamasaki (Komori Corp.) - 2:13:54
7. Ryuji Kashiwabara (Fujitsu) - 2:20:44 - debut
8. Saeki Makino (Japan) - 2:22:11
9. Koji Hayasaka (Japan) - 2:24:22
10. Rob Pope (Australia) - 2:29:59
Women's Marathon
1. Mariam Wangari (Kenya) - 2:34:37
2. Jane Kiptoo (Kenya) - 2:35:43
3. Biruktayit Degefa (Ethiopia) - 2:39:28
4. Kelly-Ann Varey (Australia) - 2:48:02
5. Sakie Ishibashi (Japan) - 2:49:02
Men's Half Marathon
1. Kinya Hashira (Tokyo Police Dep't) - 1:05:50
2. Brad Milosevic (Australia) - 1:06:13
3. Matthew Cox (Australia) - 1:08:13
Women's Half Marathon
1. Kikuyo Tsuzaki (Noritz) - 1:14:23 - CR
2. Milly Clark (Australia) - 1:16:18
3. Clare Geraghty (Australia) - 1:17:33
'Ochichi Breaks Course Record at Cape Town Marathon'
Cape Town, South Africa, 9/20/15
click here for complete results
Men's Marathon
1. Shadrack Kemboi (Kenya) - 2:11:41
2. Lungile Gongqa (South Africa) - 2:11:58
3. Michael Papi Mazibuko (South Africa) - 2:12:29
4. Peter Lotogor Kamais (Kenya) - 2:14:08
5. David Kemboi Kiyeng (Kenya) - 2:14:37
-----
9. Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) - 2:16:33
Women's Marathon
1. Isabella Ochichi (Kenya) - 2:30:20 - CR
2. Eunice Chumba (Bahrain) - 2:33:12
3. Jemila Wortesa Shure (Ethiopia) - 2:37:52
4. Lebo Phalula (South Africa) - 2:38:54
5. Keneilwe Sesing (South Africa) - 2:43:38
Men's 10 km
1. William Kaptein (South Africa) - 28:34
2. Elroy Gelant (South Africa) - 29:10
3. Folaviio Sehohle (South Africa) - 29:36
Women's 10 km
1. Lebogang Phalula (South Africa) - 34:13
2. Mapaseka Makhanya (South Africa) - 34:28
3. Simonay Weitsz (South Africa) - 34:41
Porto Half Marathon
Porto, Portugal, 9/20/15
click here for complete results
Men's Half Marathon
1. Emmanuel Bor (Kenya) - 1:01:06
2. Justus Kipkoskei (Kenya) - 1:01:51
3. Ezekiel Chebii (Kenya) - 1:02:43
4. David Bett (Kenya) - 1:03:37
5. Daniel Limo (Kenya) - 1:04:50
-----
6. Kenta Kitazawa (Yachiyo Kogyo) - 1:05:31
9. Kyohei Nishi (Kyudenko) - 1:07:28
14. Shusei Ohashi (JR Higashi Nihon) - 1:09:47
Women's Half Marathon
1. Monica Jepkoech (Kenya) - 1:10:26
2. Sara Moreira (Portugal) - 1:10:42
3. Misaki Kato (Kyudenko) - 1:10:50
4. Pamela Rotich (Kenya) - 1:12:28
5. Naoko Akutsu (Japan) - 1:12:52
-----
7. Chiharu Suzuki (Hitachi) - 1:14:45
Dam tot Damloop 10 Mile Road Race
Amsterdam-Zaandam, Netherlands, 9/20/15
click here for complete results
Women's 10 Miles
1. Joyce Chepkirui (Kenya) - 51:30
2. Jackline Chepngeno (Kenya) - 51:34
3. Dibabe Kuma (Ethiopia) - 52:52
4. Yenenesh Tilahun (Ethiopia) - 52:53
5. Risa Takenaka (Shiseido) - 52:56
(c) 2015 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
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