Skip to main content

Mokgobu and Sonoda Return to Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon (updated)



After an exciting head-to-head last year that saw them race each other to sub-2:10 PBs, Desmond Mokgobu (South Africa) and Hayato Sonoda (Kurosaki Harima) return to the Feb. 3 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon. The pair face not only each other but recent sub-2:10 men Hicham Laqouahi (Morocco), Abdela Godana (Ethiopia), Hiroyuki Yamamoto (Konica Minolta), Daisuke Uekado (Japan/Otsuka Seiyaku), Justus Kiprotich (Kenya), Takuya Fukatsu (Asahi Kasei) Kohei Ogino (Japan/Fujitsu) and Yihunilign Adane (Ethiopia) and sub-62 half marathoners Keijiro Mogi (Asahi Kasei), Charles Ndirangu (JFE Steel) and Shuho Dairokuno (Asahi Kasei), setting up a better-than-average pack by Beppu-Oita standards.

For the Japanese men Beppu-Oita counts toward qualification for the MGC Race, Japan's 2020 Olympic Trials. Sonoda and Uekado have already made it along with fellow entrants Naoki Okamoto (Chugoku Denryoku) and Tomohiro Tanigawa (Konica Minolta), but for Ogino and others it will be just about their last chance. The basic rule is that anyone under 2:08:30 will qualify. The top Japanese finisher not already qualified will join the list of qualifiers if under 2:11:00, with up to five more joining the list if under 2:10:00.

There's also the option of qualifying via a two-race average under 2:11:00 within the qualifying window. In Ogino's case that means a 2:12:24 will be enough, and Ryo Hashimoto (GMO) also has the chance it make it that way by clearing 2:10:20. Japan's current #1 man in the 10000 m, sub-62 half marathoner Dairokuno will be making his debut alongside sub-61 teammate Mogi, and if either has a successful one he will be the first from three-time New Year Ekiden national champion Asahi Kasei's current roster to earn MGC qualification assuming Fukatsu or another teammate in Beppu-Oita doesn't get there first. If they or others miss out there's the consolation prize of consideration for the 2019 Doha World Championships team, pretty much an either-or situation relative to the MGC Race.

Beppu-Oita also has a small women's field. The heavy favorite is Haruka Yamaguchi (AC Kita), runner-up at last fall's Osaka Marathon and looking to break her 2:34:12 PB and hopefully the 2:33:00 CR set last year by Hiroko Yoshitomi (Memolead). Next-strongest is American Cate Barrett with a 2:43:40 on the aided California International Marathon course in December, but with Yamaguchi having tuned up for Beppu-Oita with a 2:42:39 training run effort at the Xiamen Marathon earlier this month it's clearly her race to lose.

The Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon will be broadcast live nationwide starting at 11:50. Check back closer to race day for more info on following live.

68th Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon

Elite Field Highlights
Oita, Feb. 3, 2019
complete field listing
times listed are best within last 3 years except where noted

Women
Haruka Yamaguchi (Japan/AC Kita) - 2:34:12 (Osaka 2018)
Cate Barrett (U.S.A.) - 2:43:40 (California Int'l 2018)
Mai Fujisawa (Japan/Sapporo Excel AC) - 2:46:33 (Nagoya Women's 2018)
Yuko Kusunose (Japan/Tokyo T&F Assoc.) - 2:49:42 (Nagoya Women's 2018)

Men
Hicham Laqouahi (Morocco) - 2:08:27  (Lisbon 2018)
Abdela Godana (Ethiopia) - 2:08:32 (Seoul 2018)
Hiroyuki Yamamoto (Japan/Konica Minolta) - 2:09:12 (Tokyo 2017)
Daisuke Uekado (Japan/Otsuka Seiyaku) - 2:09:27 (Fukuoka Int'l 2017)
Justus Kiprotich (Kenya) - 2:09:28 (Muenster 2018)
Desmond Mokgobu (South Africa) - 2:09:31 (Beppu-Oita 2018)
Takuya Fukatsu (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - 2:09:31 (Lake Biwa 2016)
Hayato Sonoda (Japan/Kurosaki Harima) - 2:09:34 (Beppu-Oita 2018)
Kohei Ogino (Japan/Fujitsu) - 2:09:36 (Tokyo 2018)
Yihunilign Adane (Ethiopia) - 2:09:48 (Dubai 2016)
Ryo Hashimoto (Japan/GMO) - 2:10:19 (Gold Coast 2017)
Chiharu Takada (Japan/JR Higashi Nihon) - 2:10:43 (Gold Coast 2016) - withdrawn
Taiga Ito (Japan/Suzui Hamamatsu AC) - 2:10:52 (Beppu-Oita 2017)
Shoya Osaki (Japan/Chudenko) - 2:11:03 (Gold Coast 2017)
Naoki Okamoto (Japan/Chugoku Denryoku) - 2:11:29 (Hokkaido 2018)
Tomohiro Tanigawa (Japan/Konica Minolta) - 2:12:02 (Hokkaido 2018) - wtihdrawn
Takashi Ichida (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - 2:12:32 (Fukuoka Int'l 2018) - withdrawn
Hiroshi Ichida (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - 2:14:42 (Nagano 2018)
Nao Kazami (Japan/Aisan Kogyo) - 2:17:23 (Fukuoka Int'l 2017)
Kento Otsu (Japan/Toyota Kyushu) - 2:18:13 (Beppu-Oita 2017)
Keijiro Mogi (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - debut - 1:00:56 (Marugame Half 2016)
Charles Ndirangu (Kenya/JFE Steel) - do-over - 1:01:00 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2016)
Shuho Dairokuno (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - debut - 1:01:32 (Marugame Half 2016)

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Tokyo Marathon Top Japanese Man Tsubasa Ichiyama Works 4 Days a Week, Walked On in College

38,000 people ran the 2025 Tokyo Marathon . Every runner had their own story, but one of the most special was Tsubasa Ichiyama (Sunbelx). Despite being on almost nobody's radar, he outran some of the best in the country to finish as the top Japanese man. Ichiyama ran most of the race in the 3rd pace group, going through halfway in 1:02:44 and 30 km in 1:29:13. When the pacers stopped, he showed what he could really do. "I'm not good at downhills, so in the first part it was hard to run smoothly," he said at the post-race press conference. "But after the downhill part ended I got into my rhythm, and I think that helped me over the 2nd half." After dropping Asian Games gold medalist Hiroto Inoue (Mitsubishi Juko) and others, he quickly bore down on the Japanese athletes who had gone out faster in the 2nd pace group. Overtaking Paris Olympics 6th placer Akira Akasaki (Kyudenko) and Yuhei Urano (Fujitsu), at 39.8 km he caught all-time Japanese #2 man Yohei I...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chepkirui Wins Nagoya Women's Marathon

Heavy-duty favorite Sheila Chepkirui took the win at Sunday's Nagoya Women's Marathon , pulling away after 30 km to cruise in for 1st in 2:20:40. Erratic pacing early saw the first and second groups only seconds apart for much of the first half of the race, the top group slower than planned and the 2nd group a bit ahead of schedule. At halfway in 1:10:37 the front group included Chepkirui, #2-ranked Ruti Aga and last year's runner-up Eunice Chumba , and Japanese contingent Sayaka Sato , Rika Kaseda , Natsuki Omori and Mao Uesugi . Omori was the first to drop, then Uesugi, then Aga, who ultimately dropped out before 30 km. When the pacers stopped at 30 km Chepkirui made a move that dropped Kaseda and strung out Chumba and Sato behind her, but all four came back together once before another surge put Kaseda away for good. As Chepkirui inched away Sato and Chumba passed each other repeatedly, and Chumba could only watch as the top Japanese runner got away from her again thi...
1 comment
Read more

Toyota Wins New Expo Ekiden

A new, nominally one-off event held as part of Osaka's hosting of Expo 2025, Sunday's ACN Expo Ekiden pit top top corporate and collegiate teams against each other on a 7-stage, 54.5 km course. The new race lost a bit of steam when New Year Ekiden runner-up Honda declined to participate, when winner Asahi Kasei pulled out days before the race, and when the top two teams at the Hakone Ekiden, Aoyama Gakuin University and Komazawa University , didn't field A-list lineups. In their absence it was pretty much a blowout for New Year Ekiden 3rd-placer Toyota , who led start-to-finsh off a great leading run by Yamato Yoshii and stage best titles on 4 of the 7 individual legs to win in 2:32:48. Fujitsu came on strong over the 2nd half with wins by 4th and 5th runners Daniel Kosen and Kazuya Shiojiri and strong runs on the final stages by Hiroki Matsueda and Kengo Suzuki to move into 2nd, finishing 1:14 behind Toyota in 2:34:02. Hakonen 3rd-placer Koku Gakuin University b...
1 comment
Read more