After moving up to the top ranks of amateur Japanese women's marathoning with a 2:36:37 PB at this year's Tokyo Marathon, club runner Shiho Kaneshige (GRlab Kanto) took another big step with a 2:33:16 PB for 14th at the Chicago Marathon. Running almost perfectly evenly, her first 5 km 18:11 and none after that faster than 17:49 or slower than 18:17, Kaneshige managed a slight negative split with a 1:16:46 first half and 1:16:30 second half. Just short of rival club runner Haruka Yamaguchi's 2:33:09 PB in Sydney last month, with that kind of control Kaneshige looks to have plenty more room for growth.
On the men's side, four Japanese men, Minato Oishi (Toyota), Tsubasa Hayakawa (Toyota), Ryoma Takeuchi (Hitachi Butsuryu) and Yuta Takahashi (Otsuka Seiyaku), went out in the second pack with the main leading group of American men. The fastest Japanese half marathoner so far this year, Oishi was almost as steady as Kaneshige the entire way as he opened with a 15:25 first 5 km and was between 15:27 and 15:45 the rest of the way. A 6:47 closing split after 40 km wasn't quite enough to get him under 2:11, but Oishi still came in with a 2:11:02 for 13th.
His Toyota teammate Hayakawa was with him until almost 35 km before starting to drop off, losing most of his ground after 40 km to take 20th in 2:12:25. Takeuchi faded harder after 35 km but also came back harder at the end, finishing one second and place behind Hayakawa after being down 21 seconds at 40 km. Takeuchi, a 2:11:20 marathoner, lost touch after 15 km and ultimately dropped out just past 30 km as he continued to slow.
2019 Chicago Marathon
Chicago, U.S.A., 10/13/19complete results
Women
1. Brigid Kosgei (Kenya) - 2:14:04 - WR
2. Ababel Yeshaneh (Ethiopia) - 2:20:51
3. Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) - 2:20:55
4. Emma Bates (U.S.A.) - 2:25:27
5. Fionnuala McCormack (Ireland) - 2:26:47
6. Stephanie Bruce (U.S.A.) - 2:27:47
7. Lindsay Flanagan (U.S.A.) - 2:28:08
8. Laura Thweatt (U.S.A.) - 2:29:06
9. Lisa Weightman (Australia) - 2:29:45
10. Taylor Ward (U.S.A.) - 2:30:14
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14. Shiho Kaneshige (Japan) - 2:33:16
Men
1. Lawrence Cherono (Kenya) - 2:05:45
2. Dejene Debela (Ethiopia) - 2:05:46
3. Asefa Mengistu (Ethiopia) - 2:05:48
4. Bedan Karoki (Kenya) - 2:05:53
5. Bashir Abdi (Belgium) - 2:06:14
6. Seifu Tura (Ethiopia) - 2:08:35
7. Dickson Chumba (Kenya) - 2:09:11
8. Mo Farah (Great Britain) - 2:09:58
9. Jacob Riley (U.S.A.) - 2:10:36
10. Jerrell Mock (U.S.A.) - 2:10:37
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13. Minato Oishi (Japan) - 2:11:02
20. Tsubasa Hayakawa (Japan) - 2:12:25
21. Ryoma Takeuchi (Japan) - 2:12:26
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DNF - Yuta Takahashi (Japan)
© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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