Skip to main content

Kawauchi Takes Six Minutes Off Kitakyushu Marathon Course Record to Lead Weekend Results



After a seven-week break from the marathon, Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) scored his third-straight marathon win, second-straight course record and came just shy of a third-straight negative split as he ran a completely solo 2:11:46 to take almost six minutes off the Kitakyushu Marathon course record. Following up on negative split wins at December's Hofu Yomiuri Marathon and January's Marshfield New Year's Day Marathon, the latter a course record by half an hour, Kawauchi was on his own in the first 100 m in Kitakyushu and never looked back.

In the hilly first 10 km his pace fluctuated from high-2:12 to high-2:10, but once Kawauchi got into the flatter section of the course he settled out on track for a high-2:11 to low-2:12 time. After a 1:05:51 split at halfway he slowed slightly on the outbound trip to the turnaround near 31 km, but picking it up again after 35 km he marked a 6:34 from 40 km to the finish to stop the clock at 2:11:46,  a 1:05:55 second half that put him 5:56 under the previous course record of 2:17:42 set by Shinji Tateishi in Kitakyushu's first running in 2014. Along with the course record, Kawauchi extended his record for most career sub-2:12 marathons to 26.


Both of Kawauchi's younger brothers were also in the race. Middle brother Yoshiki Kawauchi (Jaybird) was 3rd in 2:22:44, with youngest brother Koki Kawauchi (Mediafoam) 6th in 2:30:05. In the women's race, Linda Janthachit (Thailand) was a surprise winner in 2:49:56, only the seventh Thai woman to ever break 2:50 in the marathon.


Just across the island of Kyushu in Kumamoto, the Kumanichi 30 km, the world's most competitive race at its distance, saw an exciting race that came down to a sprint finish. Favorite Yuki Oshikawa (Toyota Kyushu), winner of the 2016 edition of the tougher Ome 30 km, found himself up against newcomer Keisuke Hayashi (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) who last month broke future half marathon national record holder Yuta Shitara's Seventh Stage record at the Hakone Ekiden and helped give AGU a fourth-straight Hakone title.


Oshikawa and Hayashi ran in a large pack through 15 km on a solid low-1:29 pace before an early break from Katsuya Kawasumi (Daito Bunka Univ.) shook things up. Trailed by others the pair ran Kawasumi down by 25 km, raising the pace bit by bit to burn off their other competition. In the home straight Hayashi got the edge on Oshikawa to cross the finish line in 1:29:47, the fastest winning time at Kumanichi since 2014. Oshikawa was a step behind in 1:29:48, with 3rd-place Gen Hachisuka (Konica Minolta) the only other man to clear 1:30 at 1:29:56.


Women's winner Yuko Watanabe (Edion) also emerged on top in a close race, winning in 1:47:17 by a margin of 11 seconds over Nanayo Okamoto (Osaka Gakuin Univ.). Veteran Hiroko Miyauchi (Hokuren) was another 4 seconds back in 3rd in 1:47:32. Watanabe's time was the slowest women's winning time at Kumanichi since 2010. In the accompanying mass-participation Kumamotojo Marathon, Hiroaki Fukukawa (Kumamoto Univ.) took the top men's spot in 2:20:50 with 2016 women's winner Yumi Sakai (Memolead) breaking her own course record for the win in 2:48:24.

Next behind Kumanichi on the world 30 km road race rankings, the Ome 30 km went off just after Kumanichi wrapped. With a slow first half on the tough net uphill section of the Ome course a group of 9 or 10 men stayed together through 20 km before the action began. Among them was Takayuki Matsumiya (Aichi Seiko), course record holder in Kumanichi, Japanese national record holder and former world record holder for 30 km, running Ome three days before his 38th birthday.

Oshikawa's teammate Kento Otsu (Toyota Kyushu) went to the front after 20 km to cut the lead pack down to five including Matsumiya, but on the flatter final 5 km it was another veteran, Naoki Okamoto (Chugoku Denryoku), who got away for the win in 1:33:09. Matsumiya was just 5 seconds short of a miracle, 2nd in 1:33:14 by 1 second over the much younger Koki Tanaka (Kanebo).


In the women's race a lead trio made up of Yuri Nozoe (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo), Maki Ashi (Kyudenko) and Kaori Yoshida (RxL) worked together in the initial stages, Danna Herrick (U.S.A.) alone in 4th ahead of two-time winner Asami Kato (Panasonic). Yoshida soon lost touch, leaving Ashi to take control after 20 km and run the last third of the race alone for the win in 1:44:14. Nozoe fell far behind but kept hold of 2nd in 1:47:29 ahead of Yoshida's 1:48:02 for 3rd. Herrick's position stayed unchanged at 4th in 1:49:31, Kato more than 10 minutes off her previous winning times in 1:54:45 for 5th. Yuka Sarumida (Univ. Ent.) won the accompanying women's 10 km in 33:18.

© 2018 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...
Post a Comment
Read more

Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Hakone Ekiden

The Hakone Ekiden is the world's biggest road race, 2 days of road relay action with Japan's 20 best university teams racing 10 half marathon-scale legs from central Tokyo to the mountains east of Mount Fuji and back. The level just keeps going higher and higher , hitting the point this year where there are teams with 10-runner averages of 13:33.10 for 5000 m, 27:55.98 for 10000 m, and 1:01:20 for the half marathon. It's never been better, and with great weather in the forecast it's safe to say this could be one of the best races in Hakone's 102-year history, especially on Day One. If you've seen it then you know NTV's live broadcast is the best sports broadcast in the world, with the pre-race show kicking off at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 2nd and 3rd and the race starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp. If you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it on TVer starting at 7:50 a.m. on the 2nd , and again at 7:50 a.m. on the 3rd . There's even a 2-hour high...
3 comments
Read more