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

Australian YouTuber Handed Lifetime Ban by Ageo City Half Marathon After Running 1:06 with Another Runner's Bib (updated)

After discussion with their race's chief JAAF referee, on Nov. 27 the organizers of the Ageo City Half Marathon handed down a lifetime ban from their event against 36-year-old Australian Matt Inglis Fox for running the Nov. 15 race wearing the bib number of another JAAF-registered runner. The incident came to light after Fox posted on his personal Instagram account that he had run a PB of 1:06:33 and finished 203rd in Ageo with a 10 km split of 31:03, along with photos and video of himself in the race wearing a bib number beginning with 11. Fox did not appear in the results by name or in that time or place, the closest match being a 1:06:54 gross, 1:06:50 net finish time with a 31:21 10 km split for 18th place in the JAAF-registered division and 209th overall by bib number 1129, registered to a non-Japanese Tokyo-resident club runner. The club runner, Harrisson Uk , readily confirmed that he had given his bib to Fox, saying, "I gave my number to Matt. It wasn't me."...

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...

Nat'l University Ekiden Updates Here

Looks like I just went over my update limit on Twitter - sorry, it's the first time I've tried to use it for this. I'll look for another option next time. In the meantime I'll add updates to the comments below. Not sure if that has a max too but I guess we'll find out. Update: Part one of the Nationals commentary can be found here .

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