Japan Announces Team for Valencia World Half Marathon Championships

On Mar. 6 the JAAF announced the Japanese women's and men's teams for the 2018 World Half Marathon Championships scheduled for Mar. 24 in Valencia, Spain. The women's team has few surprises, made up of the top two Japanese women from December's Sanyo Ladies Half Marathon, Miyuki Uehara (Daiichi Seimei) and Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal), the top Japanese women at February's Marugame Half and National Corporate Half Marathon, Kaori Morita (Panasonic) and Yuka Hori (Panasonic), and high-potential marathoner Honami Maeda (Tenmaya), winner of August's Hokkaido Marathon and 2nd at January's Osaka International Women's Marathon in 2:23:46.

Maeda's inclusion is clearly geared to give one of the people the JAAF views as potential 2020 Tokyo Olympics marathon team material some international championships racing experience, and that decision making process is even more clearly at work in the men's team selection. #1-ranked man Kenta Murayama (Asahi Kasei), holder of a 1:00:50 best and 1:00:57 for 5th in New York last year, just ran the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon on Sunday, 20 days before the World Half. 5000 m national record holder Suguru Osako (NOP) has a 1:01:13 best and ran 2:07:19 in Fukuoka in December to qualify for the MGC Race 2020 Olympic trials.

Neither Hayato Sonoda (Kurosaki Harima) nor Daisuke Uekado (Otsuka Seiyaku) has ever broken 1:03, making their selection baffling at first glance in light of Japan's incredible depth at the half marathon. But as recent 2:09 marathoners who have likewise qualified for the MGC Race, Sonoda in Beppu-Oita a month ago and Uekado is Fukuoka, the JAAF is correctly viewing the Valencia World Half as the only chance for either to get the opportunity to run in an international championships should they make the Tokyo Olympic team.

The only non-marathoner in the group is Kenta's twin brother, 10000 m national record holder Kota Murayama (Asahi Kasei). Kota's only serious half marathon to date was a conservative 1:02:00 at the National Corporate Half last month, but between that, his track credentials and the stellar sub-63 pacing job he did in Tokyo to take Yuta Shitara (Honda) to the marathon national record it's obvious Kota has room to improve. A lot of room.

Team rosters below. Times listed are the athlete's best in the last three years except where noted.

Women
Miyuki Uehara (Daiichi Seimei) - 1:09:13 (Sanyo Ladies Half 2017)
Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal) - 1:09:14 (Sanyo Ladies Half 2017)
Kaori Morita (Panasonic) - 1:10:10 (Marugame Half 2018)
Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) - 1:10:22 (Sanyo Ladies Half 2017)
Yuka Hori (Panasonic) - 1:11:05 (National Corporate Half 2018)

Men
Kenta Murayama (Asahi Kasei) - 1:00:57 (NYC Half 2017)
Suguru Osako (Nike Oregon Project) - 1:01:13 (Marugame Half 2017)
Kota Murayama (Asahi Kasei0 - 1:02:00 (National Corporate Half 2018)
Hayato Sonoda (Kurosaki Harima) - 1:03:00 (Marugame Half 2016)
Daisuke Uekado (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 1:03:28 (Marugame Half 2016)

© 2018 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Arao Becomes 1st Man in 40 Years to Score Back-to-Back Ome Road Race Wins

30 km is an under-appreciated distance, and both of Japan's big races at that distance happened Sunday. At the Ome Road Race in western Tokyo's mountains, Sydney Marathon 6th-placer Masato Arao (ND Software) became the first man since the great Kunimitsu Ito in 1985-1986 to win back-to-back years. Arao, who finished 39th of 40 on his leg at the New Year Ekiden last month, stayed in the pack through 20 km before going on the attack, putting over a minute on New Year Ekiden Sixth Stage CR breaker Yudai Shimazu (GMO). Sub-1:31 winning times are rare on the tough and hilly Ome course, but Arao's 1:30:54 almost equaled his 1:30:50 from last year, making him the first Japanese man ever to do it twice and second only to CR holder Ezekiel Cheboitibin . Next up Arao races the Tokyo Marathon, where he is targeting sub-2:06. Shimazu was 2nd in 1:31:58 and Yuta Nakayama (JR Higashi Nihon) 3rd in 1:32:07. Cheboitibin was only 9th, running almost 8 minutes off his CR in 1:36:42. Shi...

Osaka Marathon Preview

The Osaka Marathon is Sunday, one of Japan's biggest mass-participation races and the next stop on the calendar for its elite marathoners hoping to qualify for the L.A. Olympics marathon trials in the fall of 2027. Last year it snowed mid-race, but this year is looking warmer than ideal given the season, with sunny skies, almost no wind, and temps forecast to be 11˚ at the start and rising to 19˚ by the time the winners are finishing. NHK is broadcasting Osaka with a heavy emphasis on the men's race, and if you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it from overseas. There's also official streaming on Youtube starting at 8:30 a.m. local time, although it doesn't look like it's the same as what NHK will be showing. Given Osaka's history at the elite level as the continuation of the men-only Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, the women's field is small relative to the men's, just enough to tick World Athletics' label requirements and with almost no do...

Nagoya Women's Marathon Elite Field

Last year's top 3 Sheila Chepkirui , Sayaka Sato and Eunice Chebichii Chumba are back for this year's Nagoya Women's Marathon on Mar. 8, but things are being set up more for it to be a race between Chepkirui, 2:17:49 in Berlin 2023, Aynalem Desta , 2:17:37 in Amsterdam last fall, and Japanese NR holder Honami Maeda , 2:18:59 at the Osaka International Women's Marathon in 2024. Aynalem has the freshest sub-2:20 of the 3, with neither Chepkirui nor Maeda having done it in 2 years. Maeda's only recent result is a 1:10:07 from Houston last month, but when she ran her NR she didn't have any kind of tuneup race to indicate her fitness so it's probably best not to read too much into that. If it goes out as a 2:18 race those are the only 3 who can probably hang with it. If it turns out to be more of a 2:20 race like when Chepkirui won in 2:20:40 last year then there's a group of 7 at the 2:20-2:22 level who will be in the picture, including Chumba, Selly Chep...

japan running news

Search This Blog