Skip to main content

Ichiyama and Kipkoech Win Sapporo Olympic Test Event Half Marathon


The test event for the Tokyo Olympics marathon went off as planned May 5 in Sapporo on a course more or less mirroring the first half of this summer's Olympic course. Strong winds from the south meant a slow start over the first 8 km, super fast splits from the turn to the north just before 10 km until after 15 km, and a technical finish into the wind over the narrow and winding last few km through the Hokkaido University campus.

After a slow first km, Olympic marathon women's team members Ayuko Suzuki (Japan Post) and Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal) plus alternate Mizuki Matsuda (Daihatsu) took it out hard with pacing courtesy of one of Ichiyama's male coaches. They stayed together on 1:08 pace until almost 18 km before Suzuki slipped away, Ichiyama kicking to win in a 1:08:28 PB and Matsuda closing hard in 1:08:32 for 2nd, likewise a PB. Ichiyama's time moved her up to all-time Japanese #6, with Matsuda picking up the #7 spot and knocking her coach Miwako Yamanaka out of the top ten in the process. Suzuki, already all-time #4, hung on for 3rd in 1:08:53, almost a minute off her best but a huge sigh of relief after over a year of injuries. 

Olympic trials winner Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) spent most of the race alone in 4th before getting caught just before the finish by Germany's Katharina Steinruck. Steinruck took 4th in a PB 1:10:43, impressive considering she ran a marathon PB just two weeks ago in Enschede and had to deal with international travel and COVID-era immigration restrictions in between. Maeda was 5th in 1:10:50, seeming happy with her run after a disappointing 10000 m last week.

Fresh off a 27:35 road 10 km best last month, Kenyan Hillary Kipkoech had no trouble pulling away over the second half after taking advantage of the course's main uphill at 8 km to break free. Kipkoech ran most of the race solo to win in 1:00:46, with Japan-based Kenyan Simon Kariuki (Togami Denki), a past winner of the Ageo City Half Marathon, also mostly alone for 2nd in 1:01:11. Shin Kimura (Honda) emerged from a Japanese chase group of eight to take 3rd in 1:01:46, 10 seconds up on Olympic marathon team alternate Shohei Otsuka (Kyudenko). 

The only member of the Tokyo Olympics men's marathon team to run, Yuma Hattori (Toyota) was pleased with a 1:02:59 for 24th after saying pre-race he planned to run in the 1:04 to 1:05 range. "The course was faster than I expected, so I was able to run faster than planned," he said post-race. "This gave me a lot of confidence." 

The top women said the same thing, saying the course was faster than expected and that it meant speed would be more of an issue at the Olympics than on the original course in Tokyo. The hill at 8 km is early enough that it shouldn't be much of an issue, but the series of sharp turns on narrow paths through Hokkaido University near the end of the main loop and two following short loops could end up being one of the key tactical parts of the Olympic course.

Sapporo Challenge Half Marathon

Tokyo Olympics Marathon Test Event
Sapporo, Hokkaido, 5 May 2021

Women
1. Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal) - 1:08:28 - PB
2. Mizuki Matsuda (Daihatsu) - 1:08:32 - PB
3. Ayuko Suzuki (Japan Post) - 1:08:53
4. Katharina Steinruck (Germany) - 1:10:43 - PB
5. Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) - 1:10:50
6. Reia Iwade (Adidas) - 1:10:59
7. Yuri Nozoe (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 1:15:21
8. Miho Shimizu (Hokuren) - 1:15:24
9. Mai Fujisawa (Sapporo Excel AC) - 1:15:57 - PB
-----
DNF - Betsy Saina (Kenya)
DNF - Loh-Choi Dern (Malaysia)

Men
1. Hillary Kipkoech (Kenya) - 1:00:46 - PB
2. Simon Kariuki (Kenya/Togami Denki) - 1:01:11
3. Shin Kimura (Honda) - 1:01:46
4. Daisuke Uekado (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 1:01:49
5. Shun Yuzawa (SGH Group) - 1:01:51
6. Naoki Okamoto (Chugoku Denryoku) - 1:01:55
7. Shohei Otsuka (Kyudenko) - 1:01:56
8. Ryo Matsumoto (Toyota) - 1:02:03
9. Tomohiro Fujimura (Suzuki) - 1:02:12
10. Michael Githae (Kenya/Suzuki) - 1:02:13
11. Daisuke Hosomori (YKK) - 1:02:17
12. Akira Tomiyasu (Raffine Group) - 1:02:18
13. Bart Van Nunen (Netherlands) - 1:02:18
14. Yuta Shitara (Honda) - 1:02:20
15. Yuki Oshikawa (NTN) - 1:02:22
16. Takayasu Hashizume (SGH Group) - 1:02:31
17. Atsumi Ashiwa (Honda) - 1:02:32
18. Hidekazu Hijikata (Honda) - 1:02:44
19. Chihiro Miyawaki (Toyota) - 1:02:53
20. Yuki Matsumura (Honda) - 1:02:55
21. Ryo Hashimoto (GMO) - 1:02:56
22. Tomoki Yasuda (Kyudenko) - 1:02:57
23. Hirokaze Suzuki (SDF Academy) - 1:02:59
24. Yuma Hattori (Toyota) - 1:02:59
25. Hideto Yamanaka (Honda) - 1:03:02
-----
49. Prabudass Krishnan (Malaysia) - 1:07:00 - NR

Women's 10 km
1. Nanai Okamoto (Nitori) - 34:58

Men's 10 km
1. Fumiya Tsuji (Waseda Univ.) - 30:08

© 2021 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee
Labels:

Comments

Stefan said…
Ichiyama Mao is definitely the premier Japanese marathoner heading into the Olympics. If the weather is very hot during the Olympics marathon, I would expect Honami Maeda to do much better in the placings. Both ran to form with half marathon times in line with their recent marathon efforts. Great to see Suzuki Ayuko back running injury free and posting a good time. Mizuki Matsuda consistently proves herself post her MGC race effort. It is such a shame she has missed out on Olympic qualification as her current form indicates she and Ichiyama are the two top marathoners based on recent results. Nice to see Reia Iwada posting a great half marathon time too (just behind Honami Maeda) given her disappointment in the Nagoya marathon in March! I've been following Reia Iwada's Youtube channel so it's nice to see her training paying off at last. Some great times were posted given the windy conditions so it was an impressive showing. It was a great test event. Well done to the organisers.
May 6, 2021 at 7:42 AM
David 元三 Rubenstein said…
hi Brett, Thanks for this article. I am thinking of going to watch the women/men's marathon in Sapporo on August 7/8. Any intel on if this is going to be possible at Odori Park or nearby?

Many thanks. I bought you 5 coffees.

Best,

Motozo
June 30, 2021 at 1:24 PM
Brett Larner said…
Motozo--Both organizers and local government are asking people not to come watch the events in person. Probably best to plan on following them on TV.
July 7, 2021 at 4:21 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...
1 comment
Read more

Hakone Ekiden Qualifying Race Entry Roster Sizes Increased from 14 to 16

Hakone Ekiden organizers KGRR have announced details for the qualifying half marathon for next year's 103rd Hakone Ekiden. The Yosenkai qualifying race will be held Oct. 17 in Tachikawa, Tokyo. The combined times of the 10 fastest finishers from each participating team will be used for team scoring, with the 10 fastest teams going on the the main event next January and top-placing individuals from teams that do not qualify being names to the Kanto Region Student Alliance select team. One change from previous years is that the number of runners each school can enter has been increased from 14 to 16. Teams will still only be allowed to have from 10 to 12 athletes on the starting line, but the move gives coaches greater flexibility in making the final decision on their starting rosters. No changes have been made to the qualifying times of 34:00 for 10000 m or 1:13:00 for the half marathon, and the new earlier starting time of 8:30 a.m. introduced last year in an effort to mitigate ...
Post a Comment
Read more

2-Time Olympian Yuka Takashima Joins Uniqlo Women's Team

On July 21 the Uniqlo women's team announced that 2-time Olympic 10000 m runner Yuka Takashima had joined its lineup as of July 16. Born in Yamaguchi in 1998, Takashima anchored Okayama's Kojokan H.S. to its first-ever National High School Ekiden win in 2005. After graduating she joined the Denso corporate team, playing a key role in its 3-straight National Corporate Women's Ekiden titles. In 2015 she ran the 10000 m at the 2015 Beijing World Championships. In the spring of 2016 Takashima transferred to the Shiseido corporate team, where she made the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics team in the 10000 m. She played an important role for the team in its ekidens, and in 2022 anchored Shiseido to its first national title in 16 years. In 2023 she was 2nd in the 10000 m National Championships, securing her place on her 2nd Olympic team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Takashima's PBs are 15:26.33 for 5000 m, 30:57.26 for 10000 m, and 2:26:13 for the marathon. In March this year T...
Post a Comment
Read more