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Hayakawa and Ichiyama Win Shibetsu Half

2nd in 2015 and 3rd last year, Tsubasa Hayakawa (Toyota) finally succeeded in scoring 1st at the Shibetsu Half Marathon, outrunning 2013-14 winner Masato Imai (Toyota Kyushu) by 6 seconds to win in 1:03:38. Hayakawa pushed it from the early stages of the race, Imai the only one to try to stay with him but ultimately losing touch. 2016 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon winner Melaku Abera (Kurosaki Harima) was 3rd in 1:03:51.


The women's field was split between two distances, 10 km and half marathon. Kanako Takemoto (Daihatsu) won the 10 km in 34:27 by a margin of almost 10 seconds over an Otsuka Seiyaku trio led by Ayaka Inoue. 2017 National Cross-Country champion and last year's 10 km runner-up Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal) took the top spot in the half marathon, outrunning teammate and national record holder Kayoko Fukushi and others to win in 1:14:01. Fukushi finished 4th in 1:15:41 behind last year's 3rd and 4th placers Ai Inoue (Noritz) and Hiroko Miyauchi (Hokuren).


31st Suffolkland Shibetsu Half Marathon and 10 km

Shibetsu, Hokkaido, 7/23/17

Men's Half Marathon
1. Tsubasa Hayakawa (Toyota) - 1:03:38
2. Masato Imai (Toyota Kyushu) - 1:03:44
3. Melaku Abera (Kurosaki Harima) - 1:03:51
4. Shuhei Yamamoto (Toyota) - 1:04:15
5. Kazuya Shiojiri (Juntendo Univ.) - 1:04:24

Women's Half Marathon
1. Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal) - 1:14:01
2. Ai Inoue (Noritz) - 1:14:43
3. Hiroko Miyauchi (Hokuren) - 1:15:31
4. Kayoko Fukushi (Wacoal) - 1:15:41
5. Madoka Nakano (Noritz) - 115:53

Women's 10 km
1. Kanako Takemoto (Daihatsu) - 34:27
2. Ayaka Inoue (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 34:36
3. Rie Kawauchi (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 34:41
4. Ikumi Fukura (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 34:50
5. Miku Daido (Iwatani Sangyo) - 35:10

© 2017 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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