Skip to main content

Saitama International Marathon Elite Field

With just over three weeks to go the Saitama International Marathon has released the elite field for its third running scheduled for Nov. 12, and it's a small one. A problematic event that carries the diminished legacy of the Tokyo International Women's Marathon and Yokohama International Women's Marathon, Saitama occupies a place in the national team selection process that should go to the far superior Tokyo Marathon women's race but remains out in the northwestern suburbs thanks to the sponsor and TV broadcast income it generates for the JAAF. But with a field like this, how much longer will it be able to generate any sponsor interest or income?

The move of the National Corporate Women's Ekiden Championships from mid-December to late November, just two weeks after Saitama, means that not a single corporate league woman is entered in Saitama's elite field. Not one. The home crowd is represented by 22-year-old Reia Iwade (Dome), who quit the Noritz corporate team earlier this year to go it alone, and 36-year-old Kaori Yoshida (Team RxL), Japan's only athlete to have ever been suspended for EPO. Both will be in contention for next year's Asian Games team, and if either makes the top six and runs under 2:28:00 or top three under 2:29:00 she will qualify for the 2019 MGC Race, Japan's new Olympic Trials event.

The Olympic connection is sure to add some excitement, but although Iwade is one of the more high-potential young runners in Japan right now it's pretty clear the win will probably be going to last year's champion, the formerly Japan-based Filomena Cheyech Daniel (Kenya). Cheyech ran a course record 2:23:18 to win by almost three minutes last year, and with the next-fastest woman in the field, Iwade, only having run as fast as a minute and a half behind that mark Cheyech has room to spare. Shitaye Habtebegrel (Ethiopia) is the other main foreign competition with a 2:25:36 in Dubai last year. Look also for another former Japan-based Kenyan, Philes Ongori, in a return to the marathon for the first time since 2014.

The elite field is a women-only event, but behind it is a mass-participation race that last year had over 13,000 finishers. Fronting that part of the race is local hero Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't), who for the second time in his career will be taking on marathons on back-to-back weekends. A week earlier Kawauchi will run France's Nice-Cannes Marathon where he hopes to achieve his first sub-2:10 win outside Japan.

The Saitama International Marathon will be broadcast live nationwide. Check back closer to race date for more information of following it live and options for watching online.

3rd Saitama International Marathon Elite Field

Saitama, 11/12/17
click here for detailed field listing
times listed are best within last three years except where noted

Women
Filomena Cheyech Daniel (Kenya) - 2:21:11 (Paris 2017)
Reia Iwade (Japan/Dome) - 2:24:38 (Nagoya Women's 2016)
Shitaye Habtegebrel (Ethiopia) - 2:25:36 (Dubai 2016)
Philes Ongori (Kenya) - 2:26:59 (Yokoyama Women's 2014)
Kaori Yoshida (Japan/RxL) - 2:28:24 (Nagoya Women's 2017)
Monika Stefanowicz (Poland) - 2:28:26 (Hamburg 2016)
Charlotte Purdue (Great Britain) - 2:29:23 (London 2017)
Sinead Diver (Australia) - 2:31:37 (Nagoya Women's 2017)

Men
Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) - 2:09:01 (Gold Coast 2016)

© 2017 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

National University Championships Entry Lists and Streaming

The 95th National University Track and Field Championships run Friday through Monday at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama. The complete meet schedule and live results are here . The 10000 m races were already held separately earlier this season. Streaming starts at 9:00 a.m. Saturday Japan time, with separate field event channels and Day 2 and 3 streaming here . Top entries in each event with best performance in the qualifying window: Men 100 m Shoma Yamamoto (Hiroshima Univ.) - 10.04 Fukuto Komuro (Chuo Univ.) - 10.07 Naoki Nishioka (Tsukuba Univ.) - 10.09 Riku Oishi (Toyo Univ.) - 10.13 Kaito Kuroki (Chuo Univ.) - 10.14 Ryunosuke Mizuno (Waseda Univ.) - 10.14 Yugo Haitamataira (Juntendo Univ.) - 10.17 Shun Miyashita (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 10.19 200 m Akira Hayashi (Keio Univ.) - 20.36 Tomoru Funaki (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 20.39 Oma Asai (Tsukuba Univ.) - 20.47 Reishin Yamamoto (Toyo Univ.) - 20.49 Shingo Suzuki (Tokai Univ.) - 20.54 Haruto Nakamura (Fukuoka Univ.) - 20.55 400 m Shinya Hayashi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Yuasa and Niiya Win Hokkaido Marathon, 6 Qualify for Olympic Trials

  Six more people picked up qualifying spots for next year's MGC Race at yesterday's Hokkaido Marathon in Sapporo, guaranteeing themselves places at Japan's 2028 Los Angeles Olympics marathon trials. In the men's race, Hibiki Yoshida tried to break away from the massive lead group at 30 km, opening a 25-second lead between there and 35 km before getting cut down by the chase trio of Jin Yuasa , Ken Tansho and Masato Arao . All three stayed together until the very end, Yuasa showing the same kind of closing speed he had in winning 2025 Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon and pulling away to win in 2:10:46. The debuting Tansho was next in 2:10:55, with Arao, 6th at last year's Sydney Marathon in an excellent 2:07:42, 3rd here in 2:10:59. By clearing 2:12:00 all three picked up MGC qualifying spots, freeing them up to go overseas next spring. Continuing a great season, Soka University 's Shoki Yamaguchi was 4th in 2:11:47, missing out on trials qualification but bea...
1 comment
Read more

Monterey Welcomes Student-Athletes from Sister City Nanao, Japan

a press release by the Monterey-Nanao Cross Country Exchange Project photos here Fourteen student-athletes from Nanao High School in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, recently completed a weeklong visit to the Monterey Peninsula as part of the Monterey–Nanao Cross Country Exchange Project , bringing together young people from the two Sister Cities through running, education, environmental stewardship, cultural exchange, and friendship. The seven boys and seven girls from Nanao were paired with 14 members of the Monterey High School cross country team and stayed in their homes throughout the visit. The week marked the first half of a reciprocal exchange that will continue when the Monterey students travel to Nanao later this year. The visitors received their first introduction to Monterey shortly after arriving at Monterey High School, walking with their hosts to Sister City Park and gathering for photographs beside the sign honoring Nanao — a fitting beginning for a week devoted to bringin...
Post a Comment
Read more