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National Corporate Half Marathon and 10 km Championships Entry Lists

by Brett Larner

The National Corporate Half Marathon Championships are Japan's premier half, producing more quality times over its 43-year history than any other half marathon worldwide.  This year's 44th running on Feb. 14 counts as the final men's and women's selection race for the 2016 World Half Marathon Championships team and has fields as good as ever lined up.  The men's field includes last year's course record-breaking top two Charles Ndirangu (Team JFE Steel) and Macharia Ndirangu (Team Aichi Seiko), 2014 3rd-placer Sota Hoshi (Team Fujitsu), 2013 runner-up Johana Maina (Team Fujitsu) and 2012 winner Chihiro Miyawaki (Team Toyota), along with Rio Olympics marathon team contender Satoru Sasaki (Team Asahi Kasei) and fellow 2:08 marathoners Kentaro Nakamoto (Team Yasukawa Denki) and Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (Team NTN).

The women's field is split between the half marathon and 10 km distances again this year, making for two smaller but equally competitive races.  Kenyan Felista Wanjugu (Team Univ. Ent.) leads the way in the half with a best of 1:09:36.  Last year's runner-up Mai Ito (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) returns with a place in Rio assured, accompanied by 3rd-placer and junior national record holder Reia Iwade (Team Noritz), 10000 m national record holder Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo), last year's 10000 m national champion Kasumi Nishihara (Team Yamada Denki) and more.  The 10 km is led by 2013 winner Riko Matsuzaki (Team Sekisui Kagaku) and Yuki Mitsunobu (Team Denso), both with sub-32 bests on the track.  Former Ritsumeikan University captain Kazue Kojima (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) is also entered in what will be a return from a long time off for injury if she starts.

44th National Corporate Half Marathon and 10 km Championships
Entry List Highlights
Yamaguchi, 2/14/16
click here for complete entry lists
times listed are 2013-2015 half marathon best times except where noted

Men’s Half Marathon
Charles Ndirangu (Kenya/JFE Steel) – 1:00:18 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Macharia Ndirangu (Kenya/Aichi Seiko) – 1:00:30 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Sota Hoshi (Fujitsu) – 1:01:18 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2014)
Johana Maina (Kenya/Fujitsu) – 1:01:28 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2013)
Yuji Osuda (Mazda) – 1:01:40 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Shogo Nakamura (Fujitsu) – 1:01:56 (Copenhagen World Half 2014)
Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) – 1:02:03 (Ageo City Half 2014)
Yoshihiro Nishizawa (Komori Corp.) – 1:02:03 (Nat’l Univ. Half 2014)
Minato Oishi (Toyota) – 1:02:06 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2013)
Joseph Gitau (Kenya/JFE Steel) – 1:02:07 (Sendai Int’l Half 2013)
Edward Waweru (Kenya/NTN) – 1:02:08 (Gifu Seiryu Half 2014)
Masamichi Yasuda (Aichi Seiko) – 1:02:10 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2014)
Chihiro Miyawaki (Toyota) – 1:02:18 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Kazuki Onishi (Kanebo) – 1:02:21 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2013)
Keita Baba (Honda) – 1:02:23 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Hiroshi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) – 1:02:25 (Nat’l Univ. Half 2015)
Shuji Matsuo (Chudenko) – 1:02:25 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Kenta Kitazawa (Yachiyo Kogyo) – 1:02:32 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Shun Inoura (Yachiyo Kogyo) – 1:02:32 (Ageo City Half 2014)
Ezekiel Chebotibin (Kenya/Toho Refining) – 1:02:34 (Sendai Int’l Half 2015)
Keigo Yano (Nissin Shokuhin) – 1:02:38 (Ageo City Half 2013)
Masaru Aoki (Kanebo) – 1:02:45 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Shota Kai (Yachiyo Kogyo) – 1:02:46 (Marugame Int’l Half 2015)
Yuki Matsumura (Honda) – 1:02:46 (Nat’l Univ. Half 2014)
Yoshihiro Yamamoto (NTN) – 1:02:47 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Kenta Iinuma (SGH Group) – 1:02:47 (Marugame Int’l Half 2013)
Ryotaro Otani (Toyota Boshoku) – 1:02:48 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Ryuji Okada (Otsuka Seiyaku) – 1:02:48 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Takahiro Yagihara (Yachiyo Kogyo) – 1:02:49 (Nat’l Univ. Half 2014)
Toshikatsu Ebina (Komori Corp.) – 1:02:49 (Nat’l Univ. Half 2013)
Takuya Noguchi (Konica Minolta) – 1:02:50 (Marugame Int’l Half 2014)
Nobuyuki Matsumoto (Aisan Kogyo) – 1:02:52 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Ryu Takaku (Yakult) – 1:02:53 (Kumanichi Road Race 2014)
Keisuke Sago (Yasukawa Denki) – 1:02:54 (Ageo City Half 2013)
Tatsumi Abe (Komori Corp.) – 1:02:55 (Marugame Int’l Half 2014)
Yuto Aiba (Chuo Hatsujo) – 1:02:56 (Ageo City Half 2013)
Takuma Sano (Mazda) – 1:02:58 (Ageo City Half 2013)
Kentaro Nakamoto (Yasukawa Denki) – 2:08:35 (Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon 2013)
Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (Mongolia/NTN) – 2:08:50 (Hofu Yomiuri Marathon 2014)
Satoru Sasaki (Asahi Kasei) – 2:08:56 (Fukuoka Int’l Marathon 2015)
Joseph Kamathi (Kenya/Toyota) – 27:38.18 (Yamaguchi 10000 m 2014)
Tsubasa Hayakawa (Toyota) – 28:06.10 (Hachioji 10000 m 2015)

Women’s Half Marathon
Felista Wanjugu (Kenya/Univ. Ent.) – 1:09:36 (Sanyo Ladies’ Half 2013)
Reia Iwade (Noritz) – 1:09:45 (Sanyo Ladies’ Half 2013)
Mai Ito (Otsuka Seiyaku) – 1:09:57 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Rina Yamazaki (Panasonic) – 1:10:45 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2014)
Kumi Ogura (Toenec) – 1:10:51 (Marugame Int’l Half 2013)
Yoko Shibui (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) – 1:11:00 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Miho Ihara (Sekisui Kagaku) – 1:11:02 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2014)
Yuka Takemoto (Canon AC Kyushu) – 1:11:11 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Kaho Tanaka (Daiichi Seimei) – 1:11:12 (Marugame Int’l Half 2015)
Yukari Abe (Shimamaura) – 1:11:18 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2014)
Yui Okada (Otsuka Seiyaku) – 1:11:27 (Sendai Int’l Half 2014)
Yurie Doi (Starts) – 1:11:28 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Ai Inoue (Noritz) – 1:11:53 (Matsue Ladies’ Half 2015)
Asami Furuse (Kyocera) – 1:12:01 (Sanyo Ladies’ Half 2014)
Chiharu Suzuki (Hitachi) – 1:12:27 (Matsue Ladies’ Half 2015)
Erika Ikeda (Higo Ginko) – 1:12:38 (Sanyo Ladies’ Half 2015)
Mizuki Tanimoto (Tenmaya) – 1:12:39 (Nat’l Corp. Half 2015)
Hitomi Suzuki (Panasonic) – 1:12:46 (Matsue Ladies’ Half 2014)
Hinako Kashio (Miyazaki Ginko) – 1:12:49 (Sanyo Ladies’ Half 2015)
Naoka Akutsu (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) – 1:12:52 (Porto Half 2015)
Mizuki Matsuda (Daihatsu) – 1:12:54 (Usti nad Labem Half 2015)
Kasumi Nishihara (Yamada Denki) – 31:53.69 (Kobe 10000 m 2014)
Yuka Miyazaki (Kyudenko) – 32:07.43 (Fukagawa 10000 m 2015)

Women’s 10 km
Riko Matsuzaki (Sekisui Kagaku) – 31:44.86 (Abashiri 10000 m 2015)
Yuki Mitsunobu (Denso) – 31:56.92 (Abashiri 10000 m 2015)
Risa Yokoe (Toyota Jidoshokki) – 32:13.30 (Nittai Univ. 10000 m 2015)
Asahi Takeuchi (Uniqlo) – 32:26.32 (Abashiri 10000 m 2014)
Sakiho Tsutsui (Yamada Denki) – 32:30 (Nat’l Corp. 10 km 2015)
Kazue Kojima (Toyota Jidoshokki) – 32:34.45 (Tokushima 10000 m 2011)
Kanayo Miyata (Yutaka Giken) – 32:42.43 (Abashiri 10000 m 2015)
Risa Kikuchi (Hitachi) – 32:45 (Nat’l Corp. 10 km 2014)
Yui Fukuda (Toyota Jidoshokki) – 15:37.83 (Abashiri 5000 m 2015)

© 2016 Brett Larner
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