Kobe Marathon Elite Field

Next weekend's Kobe Marathon is the latest Japanese race to acquire an IAAF road race label, something we'll probably be seeing a lot more of both in Japan and abroad with the IAAF's shift to a world ranking-based system that rewards performance in labeled races. The field this year perfectly follows the same boutique pattern as most other Japanese races' tiny international fields, one athlete each from the widest range of nationalities possible within a field of six to eight, plus some home soil people. With the IAAF dropping the nationality variety requirement starting in 2019 it'll be interesting to see how that impacts races like Kobe, Fukuoka International and Saitama International.

Last year's men's winner Khalil Lamciyeh of Morocco returns as the third-fastest man in the field behind newly-minted nationality transfer Weldu Negash of Norway and Kenyan Cosmas Kyeva. Saidi Juma Makula of Tanzania and Australian Liam Adams could be in range of the win, with Moroccan Hamzi Sahili and top-ranked Japanese man Sora Tsukada (SGH) a ways back in ability to date. A potential darkhorse is Jun Shinoto (Sanyo Tokushu Seiko), a past 3000 m steeplechase national champion and Hakone Ekiden stage record setter who made an unsuccessful marathon debut earlier this year in Beppu-Oita.

Mongolian national record holder Munkhzaya Bayartsogt and Eritrean national record holder Kokob Tesfagabriel lead the women's field, exactly the kind of interesting, outside-the-norm matchup that made the IAAF's nationality requirement so valuable. Moroccan Sanae Achahbar should be in it with them, with Nina Savina of Belarus, Kenyan Susan Jerotich and Australian Melanie Panayiotou rounding out the international contingent. Former Noritz runner Kanae Shimoyama (MD Homes) is the top-ranked Japanese woman with a 2:35:07 two years ago in Nagoya. Noriko Higuchi (Wacoal), the last Japanese woman to win the Tokyo Marathon back in 2011, will be running her first marathon since the spring of 2015.

8th Kobe Marathon Elite Field Highlights

Kobe, Hyogo, 11/18/18
detailed filed listing
times listed are best in last 3 years except where noted

Men
Weldu Negash (Norway) - 2:10:39 (7th, Daegu 2018)
Cosmas Kyeva (Kenya) - 2:11:45 (1st, Poznan 2018)
Khalil Lamciyeh (Morocco) - 2:11:58 (6th, Beppu-Oita 2017)
Saidi Juma Makula (Tanzania) - 2:12:01 (3rd, Daegu 2016)
Liam Adams (Australia) - 2:12:52 (9th, Berlin 2017)
Hamza Sahili (Morocco) - 2:13:46 (6th, Marrakesh 2018)
Sora Tsukada (Japan/SGH) - 2:15:16 (4th, Osaka 2016)
Jun Shinoto (Japan/Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 2:24:04 (33rd, Beppu-Oita 2018)

Women
Munkhzaya Bayartsogt (Mongolia) - 2:31:12 (10th, Seoul Int'l 2018)
Kokob Tesfagabriel (Eritrea) - 2:31:45 (Wuhan 2018)
Sanae Achahbar (Morocco) - 2:32:36 (4th, Marrakesh 2017)
Nina Savina (Belarus) - 2:33:50 (12th, Euro Champs 2018)
Susan Jerotich (Kenya) - 2:34:18 (2nd, Pittsburgh 2018)
Kanae Shimoyama (Japan/MD Homes) - 2:35:07 (26th, Nagoya 2016)
Melanie Panayiotou (Australia) - 2:35:25 (19th, London 2017)
Noriko Higuchi (Japan/Wacoal) - 2:42:05 (10th, Vienna 2015)

© 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...

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...

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...

japan running news

Search This Blog