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Karemi and Matsuda Break Okukuma Course Record - Weekend Half Marathon Roundup

For the second year in a row Japan-based Kenyan Jeremiah Thuku Karemi (Toyota Kyushu) broke the course record at Kumamoto's Okukuma Half Marathon. Coached by 1992 Barcelona Olympics marathon silver medalist Koichi Morishita, Karemi took 27 seconds off his winning time last year to win by over a minute in 1:01:21. Joel Mwaura (Kurosaki Harima) was a distant 2nd in 1:02:40, with Karemi's teammate Yuki Oshikawa (Toyota Kyushu) taking the top Japanese spot at 3rd in 1:03:13. Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) was 9th in 1:04:04 a week after running the Ibusuki Nanohana Marathon.

In the women's race, Anna Matsuda (Kyocera), coached by former men's half  marathon national record holder Atsushi Sato, took 26 seconds off the course record to win in 1:13:10. Not far off, Kotomi Tsubokura (Wacoal) was a clear 2nd in 1:03:27 with Maki Saito (Higo Ginko) improving on her 10th-place finish last year to take 3rd in 1:14:46.

Also Sunday, up in Tokyo the Akabane Half Marathon celebrated its tenth running with a new men's course record. Yuki Kuroda (Comody Iida) became the first man to break 64 minutes on the Akabane course as he led the top three under the old course record set last year to win in 1:03:33. Last year's women's winner Tomomi Sawahata (Sawahatters) won again, 10 seconds off her 2018 mark in 1:15:12.

7th Okukuma Half Marathon

Kumagun, Kumamoto, 1/20/19
complete results

Men
1. Jeremiah Thuku Karemi (Toyota Kyushu) - 1:01:21 - CR
2. Joel Mwaura (Kurosaki Harima) - 1:02:40
3. Yuki Oshikawa (Toyota Kyushu) - 1:03:13
4. Tomoya Nishi (Komori Corp.) - 1:03:18
5. Kazuhiro Kuga (Fujitsu) - 1:03:38
6. Masanori Sumida (Aichi Seiko) - 1:03:40
7. Ryunosuke Hayashi (SGH Group) - 1:03:41
8. Takeru Tanoue (Toyo University) - 1:03:45
9. Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) - 1:04:04
10. Nobuyuki Matsumoto (Aisan Kogyo) - 1:04:14

Women
1. Anna Matsuda (Kyocera) - 1:13:10 - CR
2. Kotomi Tsubokura (Wacoal) - 1:13:27
3. Maki Saito (Higo Ginko) - 1:14:46
4. Sachihio Suzuki (Nittai Unviersity) - 1:14:59
5. Ayami Hirano (Nittai University) - 1:15:27
6. Aoi Shiozaki (Meijo University) - 1:15:32
7. Mirai Kamoshida (Meijo University) - 1:16:44
8. Sakura Kawakami (Noritz) - 1:17:13
9. Sena Komori (Meijo University) - 1:17:38
10. Kikuyo Tsuzaki (Noritz) - 1:17:51

10th Akabane Half Marathon

Akabane, Tokyo, 1/20/19
complete results

Men
1. Yuki Kuroda (Comody Iida) - 1:03:33 - CR
2. Fuma Nakamura (Teikyo University) - 1:03:45
3. Masahiro Kamidoi (Asia University) - 1:04:15
4. Shun Yoshizato (Surugadai University) - 1:04:23
5. Shuhei Mita (Sunbelx) - 1:04:54

Women
1. Tomomi Sawahata (Sawahatters) - 1:15:12

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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