Aizawa Goes Sub-28, Suzuki Returns - Weekend Track Review

Elite road racing returned to Japan this weekend with Saturday's Hakone Ekiden qualifier and Sunday's National Corporate Women's Ekiden qualifier, but there was still a load of track action at every level.

Saturday in Miyazaki, one of the stars of this year's Hakone Ekiden, Akira Aizawa made his corporate debut for New Year Ekiden national champ team Asahi Kasei with a 27:55.78 win in the Miyazaki Time Trials 10000 m, his first time going sub-28. His former Toyo University teammate Kazuya Nishiyama was 2nd in 28:03.94, the best time by a Japanese collegiate student so far this year. Asahi Kasei had eleven men in the race under 29 minutes including Rio Olympics marathoner Satoru Sasaki, putting them in good position for another national title defense come Jan. 1. Kyoto's Ritsumeikan University had three men under 29, setting them up as a threat to the Kanto Region's monopoly on the podium at the Nov. 1 National University Men's Ekiden.

Defending corporate women's national champ Japan Post fielded most of its team at the Tokai University Time Trials meet in Kanagawa. Tokyo Olympics marathon team member Ayuko Suzuki returned from a long injury to win Saturday's 5000 m in heavy rain in 15:57.16 before doubling in Sunday's 3000 m with a 9:19.07 for 2nd behind teammate Hikari Onishi, winner in 9:18.43. Onishi was 2nd in the 5000 m in 15:57.96, with club runner Shiho Kaneshige (GRLab) the only other woman to break 16 at 15:59.52. Junior teammate Ririka Hironaka came back from her sub-15 5000 m last month to win Sunday's 1500 m in a PB of 4:16.48. Steepler Philemon Kiplagat (Aisan Kogyo) won Saturday's men's 5000 m A-heat in 13:33.92, with Alexander Mutiso (ND Software) taking Sunday's 10000 m A-heat in 28:06.21.

National High School Ekiden boys' course record holder Sera H.S. likewise tuned up for championship ekiden season at Sunday's East Hiroshima Nighter meet. The Sera girls took the top four spots and seven of the top ten in the 3000 m A-heat, Kenyan Theresa Muthoni winning in 9:18.25. In the men's 5000 m A-heat Sera had four boys under 14 minutes, Kenyan Cosmas Mwangi winning in 13:38.14, 2nd-years Shota Morishita and Shota Shiode 4th and 5th in 13:57.16 and 13:57.88, and 3rd-year Konosuke Shintani 8th in 13:59.32.

The Sera boys weren't the only high schoolers under 14 minutes over the weekend. At Saturday's Sayagatani Time Trials meet in Fukuoka, Jiyugaoka H.S. 3rd-year Ayumu Yamamoto ran 13:56.31 for 7th, beating Rio Olympics marathoner Hisanori Kitajima (Yasukawa Denki) among others. Kitajima's teammate Kiyoshi Koga returned from a 1:00:49 runner-up finish at this year's National Corporate Half Marathon to take the top spot in 13:39.70.

10000 m National Championships Preview

Less than five months since the 2023 10000 m National Championships went down at the 2021 Olympic stadium in Tokyo, the 2024 edition happens Friday at Shizuoka's Ecopa Stadium, with NHK broadcasting it live starting at 19:25 local time. Doubling up on Nationals like this lets Japanese athletes double dip on placing points to try to get into the Paris Olympics on rankings. But between the number of people who've hit the 30:40.00 women's standard and 27:00.00 men's standard and the lopsided eight spots given away to top placers at World XC, there are only four women's spots and three men's available via rankings. Of those, three of the four women's spots and two of the three men's spots are currently occupied by top placers at December's 2023 Nationals, Ririka Hironaka , Haruka Kokai and Rino Goshima for women and Ren Tazawa and Tomoki Ota for men. The 2023 Nationals did get close to the standards, with Hironaka leading the top four women under

Chesang and Kipkoech Win Hot Gifu Half

Hot conditions held back fast times at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon Sunday, where Ugandan Stella Chesang and Kenya Hillary Kipkoech took the top spots over last year's winners Dolphine Nyaboke Omare and Amos Kurgat . In the women's race Chesang, Omare and Kenyan-born Bahraini Eunice Chebichii Chumba went out as a trio, Japan-based Hellen Ekarare with them initially but eventually dropping out. After a 15:39 opening 5 km Chumba started to slip off, and by 15 km Chesang was on her own. Chesang won in 1:07:59, solid given the conditions, with Omare 2nd in 1:08:31 and Chumba 3rd in 1:09:10. Rinka Hida was the first Japanese woman, 5th overall in 1:12:06 behind Australian Genevieve Gregson . A lead men's pack of 11 went through 5 km in 14:31, but by 10 km it was down to Kipkoech, Kurgat, , Timothy Kiplagat , Ugandan Stephen Kissa and Japan-based Kenyans Patrick Mathenge Wambui and Anthony Maina . At 15 km in 43:40 only Kurgat and Kipkoech were left, and over the last 5

Goshima and Kasai Win 10000 m National Titles, Maeda Breaks U20 Asian Record

Rino Goshima and Jun Kasai stepped up with PBs to win the 2024 National Championships 10000 m titles Friday at Shizuoka's Ecopa Stadium. In the women's race, Goshima, 4th in last December's 2023 National Championships 10000 m, went out front from the start with Kenyan teammate Judy Jepngetich pacing and 2023 3rd-placer Haruka Kokai in tow. Things were never on track to hit the 30:40.00 Paris Olympics standard, but except for a brief dip to 3:08 at 7000 m Goshima held steady at 3:05 to 3:06/km even as Kokai and Jepngetich fell off. With blood dripping from her left knee after getting spiked by Jepngetich, Goshima closed in 3:03 to take 5 seconds off her best from December's Nationals and win in 30:53.31, moving up to all-time Japanese #6. Jepngetich also PBd at 31:09.42 without counting in the standings, with Kokai 2nd in 31:10.53 and Kazuna Kanetomo 3rd in a PB 31:59.29. The runner-up last time, Yuka Takashima was last in 33:33.27. The men's race went out in a

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