The senior men's 10 km field of 165 is led by last year's 5000 m national champion Hazuma Hattori (Toenec), 2019 Marugame Half Marathon 4th-placer and new Aoyama Gakuin University captain Takato Suzuki, and Fukuoka native Shota Onizuka who ran the First Stage on 2019 Hakone Ekiden champion Tokai University's winning team.
The senior women's 8 km features Yuka Hori, Fifth Stage record breaker at last year's National Corporate Women's Ekiden for national champion Panasonic, her teammate and Third Stage winner Nanami Watanabe and 2018 Asian Games 5000 m 6th-placer Minami Yamanouchi (Kyocera). 102 women are scheduled to run. The national championships will also include junior men's 8 km and junior women's 6 km races.
JAAF marathon development project leader Toshihiko Seko commented, "The men's race should be a very competitive battle. We hope to see the Panasonic runners and Yamanouchi succeed in the women's race." This year's national championships will serve as the team selection race for the 2019 World Cross Country Championships in Denmark this March.
source article:
https://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2019/02/06/kiji/20190206s00056000200000c.html
translated and edited by Brett Larner
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