As we saw with multiple national records at last Friday's long distance National Championships, the Japanese distance world keeps getting faster and faster. High school athletes are no exception. Breaking 14 minutes for 5000 m is the gold standard for a top-level high school runner. This season 22 boys have done it not including foreign student athletes, almost double the previous record for a single season, 12 in 2010.
In 2010, Kenta Murayama, now part of the Asahi Kasei corporate team but then running for Miyagi's Meisei H.S., was the fastest high schooler at 13:49.45. Future Tokyo Olympics marathon trials winner Shogo Nakamura ran 13:50.38 that year while at Iga Hakuho H.S. Since then the number of boys under 14 minutes has held steady, with 10 in 2015, 10 in 2016 and 11 in 2019, showing how exceptional this season's number is.
Leading this new generation is Tokyo Nogyo Daini H.S. 3rd-year Kosuke Ishida. While at Fukuoka's Asakawa J.H.S. Ishida ran 3:49.72 for 1500 m, 8:17.84 for 3000 m, and 14:32.44 for 5000 m, all new junior high school national records that marked him as a superstar-to-be. As a 2nd-year in high school he topped the year-end list for 5000 m at 13:51.91. In July this year he soared to a 13:36.89 time, breaking former Sendai Ikuei H.S. star Hidekazu Sato's 16-year-old high national record of 13:39.87. He was the only high schooler to join a summer training camp organized by 5000 m national record holder Suguru Osako (Nike), and in September he extended his own record to 13:34.74. In competitiveness, achievement, and mental focus, he stands alone in high school running.
But not far behind is 3rd-year Taishi Ito of Nagano's Saku Chosei H.S. This season Ito ran 13:36.57, bettering both Sato's old record and Ishida's July mark. Masaya Tsurukawa, a 3rd-year at Kumamoto's Kyushu Gakuin H.S., ran 13:45.28, the all-time sixth-best high school mark. Rival Kagoshima 3rd-years Kenta Tokumaru of Kagoshima Jitsugyo H.S. and Akimu Nomura of Kagoshima Josai H.S. were both just outside the all-time top ten at 13:48.59 and 13:48.83. They just kept coming this season. And it's worth noting that even 1st and 2nd-years were breaking into 13-minute territory. It's getting to the point where the gold standard of what a good time for a high school runner is will have to be recalibrated.
One of the reasons is of course the shoes. As with seniors, high school runners used thick platform shoes and high-speed spikes in 2020. While non-regulation shoes can no longer be used in track competition, many people involved in athletics say the evolution in shoe technology has improved the quality of athletes' training, and this is reflected in their racing. Hiroaki Oyagi, head coach of 2020 National University Ekiden champion Komazawa University, cited this in an interview on his team's development this year.
Another factor is the sharp drop in the number of races this season due to the coronavirus crisis. It would take an in-depth analysis to understand all the ways, positive and negative, this has affected athletes. But it seems likely that the reduced strain from racing less, the freshness in their legs, the time off during Japan's informal spring lockdown, and the pent-up feelings of wanting to race, of simply wanting to run, had a strong impact once they did get the chance to line up in a race.
Where will this early progress take this generation, without a doubt the strongest in history, and how much further will they grow? The prospects are exciting, but to begin with there is the Dec. 20 National High School Ekiden, which will bring most of the top talent together in one place. The race consists of seven stages totaling 42.195 km. Based on preliminary entries, Saku Chosei H.S. leads the field on average 5000 m PB of its seven fastest runners at 14:00 and Hiroshima's Sera H.S. is right behind at 14:01. The level of both is stellar. The course record is Sera's 2:01:18 from 2015, with Saku Chosei's 2008 lineup that included Osako holding the all-Japanese record of 2:02:18. With both teams showing incredible momentum this season, an unforgettable, record-breaking race seems inevitable.
High School Runners Sub-14:00 for 5000 m This Season
List current as of Dec. 6. Athletes followed by * are entered in the National High School Ekiden.
13:34.74 - Kosuke Ishida, 3rd-year, Tokyo Nogyo Daini H.S. *
13:36.57 - Taishi Ito, 3rd-year, Saku Chosei H.S. *
13:45.28 - Masaya Tsurukawa, 3rd-year, Kyushu Gakuin H.S. *
13:48.59 - Kenta Tokumaru, 3rd-year, Kagoshima Jitsugyo H.S. *
13:48.83 - Akimu Nomura, 3rd-year, Kagoshima Josai H.S.
13:48.89 - Ayumu Yamamoto, 3rd-year, Jiyugaoka H.S.
13:49.81 - Tomonori Yamaguchi, 2nd-year, Gakuho Ishikawa H.S. *
13:50.27 - Hiroto Yoshioka, 1st-year, Saku Chosei H.S. *
13:50.31 - Haruki Sato, 3rd-year, Yokkaichi Kogyo H.S. *
13:53.36 - Keita Sato, 2nd-year, Rakunan H.S. *
13:53.77 - Haruta Koshi, 3rd-year, Saku Chosei H.S. *
13:54.88 - Kento Ozaki, 3rd-year, Hamamatsu Shogyo H.S. *
13:55.74 - Aoi Ota, 3rd-year, Omuta H.S. *
13:57.16 - Shota Morishita, 2nd-year, Sera H.S. *
13:57.88 - Shota Shiode, 2nd-year, Sera H.S. *
13:58.00 - Yusuke Shirai, 3rd-year, Sendai Ikuei H.S. *
13:58.77 - Hiroki Wakabayashi, 3rd-year, Rakunan H.S. *
13:58.80 - Yuto Nakahara, 3rd-year, Chiben Gakuen H.S. *
13:58.86 - Ryosuke Kai, 3rd-year, Miyazaki Nichidai H.S.
13:59.05 - Joji Sato, 3rd-year, Funabashi Municipal H.S.
13:59.31 - Renato Ogata, 2nd-year, Funabashi Municipal H.S.
13:59.32 - Konosuke Shintani, 3rd-year, Sera H.S. *
Foreign student runners
13:22.30 - Anthony Maina, 2nd-year, Kokoku H.S.
13:33.40 - Emmanuel Kipchirchir, 1st-year, Kurashiki H.S. *
13:38.14 - Cosmas Mwangi, 2nd-year, Sera H.S. *
13:42.50 - Patrick Kinyanjui, 2nd-year, Sapporo Yamanote H.S. *
13:52.13 - Joseph Muitai, 1st-year, Aomori Yamada H.S. *
13:54.99 - Victor Kimosop, 3rd-year, Fukuoka Ichi H.S.
13:55.41 - Boniface Mutech, 1st-year, Sendai Ikuei H.S. *
13:59.41 - Duncan Kisaisa, 3rd-year, Oita Tomei H.S. *
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translated by Brett Larner
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