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Wanjiru and Yamanouchi Win at Year-End Half Marathon

Back from pandemic-era cancelation last year for its 4th edition, the Year-End Half Marathon took place Dec. 29 in Showa Kinen Park in the western Tokyo suburb of Tachikawa. Conceived of as a race for corporate and university teams that didn't qualify for the New Year Ekiden or Hakone Ekiden, this year it played to exactly that kind of field.

After a slow start Peter Wanjiru, the first Kenyan to run for Daito Bunka University, and Kenta Uchida of the SID Group corporate team went head-to-head up front, with a chase pack made up of people from Asia University, Josai University, Chiba University and the Raffine corporate team drifting further and further behind. Uchida, running the race as a final tune-up for next month's Chevron Houston Marathon, slipped back from Wanjiru in the final km, leaving Wanjiru to take the win in 1:03:18. Uchida, whose coach Junichi Shibata told JRN that the main goal was not to overdo it and get hurt, was 2nd in 1:03:31, the only other runner to clear 64 minutes. Yuto Imae, a student in Chiba's grad school, was the top finisher from the chase pack at 3rd in 1:04:20.

Sakika Endo of Shoin University took the women's top spot in 1:20:49, but the accompanying 10 km had a more competitive women's race. Minami Yamanouchi of the Kyocera corporate team ran a course record 33:18 for the win, beating high-volume marathon duo Tomomi Sawahata and Mitsuko Hirose by almost 2 and 3 minutes respectively. Shintaro Miyakawa of the Tokyo Police Department corporate team won the men's 10 km in 30:13. Complete results from both races here.

© 2021 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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