Payton Jordan Invitational

Always a big draw on the springtime Japanese schedule, this year's Payton Jordan Invitational at California's Stanford University produced year-leading Japanese women's 5000 m and 10000 m marks.

In the 5000 m, 2018 National Corporate Road 10 km Championships winner Yui Fukuda (Toyota Jidoshokki) ran 15:20.08 for 8th overall to replace Minami Yamanouchi (Kyocera) on top the 5000 m list. In the 10000 m, Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal) returned from placing as the top Japanese woman at March's World Half Marathon Championships to finish 5th overall in 31:57.91, the first Japanese woman to break 32 minutes so far this year.

On the men's side, after a solid run at December's Fukuoka International Marathon the U.S.-based Suguru Osako (Nike Oregon Project) passed on a springtime marathon in favor of a shot at the Japanese national record in the 10000 m. At Stanford Osako came up short, dropping out just after 6000 m. In the 1500 m, Hiroki Matsueda (Fujitsu) continued a stint in the U.S. with a 3:41.28 PB for 8th in the fast heat.

Stanford University, U.S.A., 5/3/18
click here for complete results

Men's 10000 m
1. Shadrack Kipchirchir (U.S.A.) - 27:39.65
2. Soufiane Bouchikhi (Belgium) - 27:41.20
3. Francois Barrer (France) - 27:55.95
4. Garret Heath (U.S.A.) - 27:56.11
5. Tyler Day (U.S.A.) - 28:04.44
-----
DNF - Suguru Osako (Japan/Nike Oregon Project)

Women's 10000 m
1. Jessica Tonn (U.S.A.) - 31:54.83
2. Sarah Pagano (U.S.A.) - 31:56.43
3. Rachel Cliff (Canada) - 31:56.86
4. Chelsea Blaase (U.S.A.) - 31:57.56
5. Mao Ichiyama (Japan/Wacoal) - 31:57.91
-----
9. Natsuki Omori (Japan/Daihatsu) - 32:57.95
14. Ai Hosoda (Japan/Daihatsu) - 33:46.36

Women's 5000 m Heat 1
1. Meraf Bahta (Sweden) - 15:15.33
2. Rachel Schneider (U.S.A.) - 15:15.88
3. Kate Van Buskrik (Canada) - 15:16.34
4. Linn Nilson (Sweden) - 15:18.14
5. Matie Mackey (U.S.A.) - 15:18.88
-----
8. Yui Fukuda (Japan/Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:20.08
11. Rina Nabeshima (Japan/Japan Post) - 15:22.78

Women's 5000 m Heat 2
1. Caroline Kurgat (Kenya) - 15:41.21
2. Paige Stoner (U.S.A.) - 15:41.26
3. Muriel Coneo Paredes (Colombia) - 15:51.74
4. Emily Venters (U.S.A.) - 15:54.46
5. Eleanor Fulton (U.S.A.) - 16:00.68
-----
8. Kanako Takemoto (Japan/Daihatsu) - 16:05.24

Women's 3000 mSC
1. Marie Bouchard (France) - 9:41.32
2. Charlotte Prouse (Canada) - 9:50.47
3. Lizzie Bird (U.S.A.) - 9:53.59
4. Maddie Cannon (U.S.A.) - 10:07.52
5. Susan Tanui (U.S.A.) - 10:10.23
-----
9. Chikako Mori (Japan/Sekisui Kagaku) - 10:34.08

Men's 1500 m Heat 1
1. Jakob Ingebrigsten (Norway) - 3:39.06
2. Paul Chelimo (U.S.A.) - 3:40.16
3. Eric Jenkins (U.S.A.) - 3:40.28
4. Colby Alexander (U.S.A.) - 3:40.42
5. Craig Engels (U.S.A.) - 3:40.45
-----
8. Hiroki Matsueda (Japan/Fujitsu) - 3:41.28

Men's 800 m Heat 1
1. Ryan Martin (U.S.A.) - 1:47.26
2. Brannon Kidder (U.S.A.) - 1:47.47
3. Michael Wilson (U.S.A.) - 1:49.26
4. Brian Smith (U.S.A.) - 1:50.28
5. Allen Eke (U.S.A.) - 1:51.45
-----
7. Shoma Funatsu (Japan/Chuo Univ.) - 1:52.02

© 2018 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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...

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...

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...

japan running news

Search This Blog