Skip to main content

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
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Nagoya Women's Marathon Preview and Streaming (updated)

Japan's winter marathon season of 6 major races in 7-straight weekends wraps up Sunday with the world's largest women-only marathon, the Nagoya Women's Marathon . The weather is looking pretty good, 6˚ at the start rising to 10˚ by the finish and sunny skies, but a moderate 7 m/s NW wind means a headwind finish that might impact the potential for some fast times. Official streaming kicks off at 9:00 a.m. local time. Live results will be here . Sheila Chepkirui won last year in 2:20:40, breaking away from Sayaka Sato and Eunice Chebichii Chumba at 30 km and hanging on for the win. Sato negative split a 2:20:59 PB for 2nd, Chumba fading to 3rd in 2:21:36. All 3 are back this time, but they have pretty serious competition from Aynalem Desta , 2:17:37 in Amsterdam last fall, and Selly Chepyego Kaptich , 2:20:03 in Barcelona 2023. And of course, Japanese NR holder Honami Maeda . Maeda ran 2:18:59 at the Osaka International Women's Marathon in 2024 to make the Paris Oly...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chepkirui Over Sato Again to Win 2nd-Straight Nagoya Women's Marathon, Chen Breaks Malaysian NR (updated)

This year's Nagoya Women's Marathon felt like a changing of the guard, with some the bigger domestic names over the last few years fading early and a lot of newer faces stepping up with quality debuts or second marathons. The front group was set to be paced for 2:20 flat with the 2nd group at 2:23:30 to hit the auto-qualifying time for the 2027 MGC Race, Japan's L.A. Olympics marathon trials race in Nagoya. Up front things went out OK, but after a 33:10 split at 10 km Ayuko Suzuki , 2:21:22 here 2 years ago, lost touch, ultimately finishing 23rd in 2:33:28. Windy conditions started to play with pacers' ability to keep things steady and the pace slowed majorly over the next 10 km, but even with a 34:05 second 10 km there were big-name casualties. 2024 Nagoya winner Yuka Ando was next to drop, ending up 17th in 2:30:32. NR holder Honami Maeda was next, followed quickly by Bahraini Kenyan Eunice Chumba and debuting Wakana Kabasawa . Maeda faded to 21st in 2:31:21, whil...
2 comments
Read more

How it Happened

Ancient History I went to Wesleyan University, where the legend of four-time Boston Marathon champ and Wes alum Bill Rodgers hung heavy over the cross-country team. Inspired by Koichi Morishita and Young-Cho Hwang’s duel at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics I ran my first marathon in 1993, qualifying for Boston ’94 where Bill was kind enough to sign a star-struck 20-year-old me’s bib number at the expo. Three years later I moved to Japan for grad school, and through a long string of coincidences I came across a teenaged kid named Yuki Kawauchi down at my neighborhood track. I never imagined he’d become what he is, but right from the start there was just something different about him. After his 2:08:37 breakthrough at the 2011 Tokyo Marathon he called me up and asked me to help him get into races abroad. He’d finished 3rd on the brutal downhill Sixth Stage at the Hakone Ekiden, and given how he’d run the hills in the last 6 km at Tokyo ’11 I thought he’d do well at Boston or New York. “I...
53 comments
Read more